The BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of employee talent development. The winners use learning as a strategic business tool to get results. View the entire list of 2024 BEST Award winners.

Apple Federal Credit Union and Qisda reap the benefits of their respective job rotation programs. Having Other Paths and Perspectives (HOPP) enables any of Apple Federal Credit Union's 500-plus employees with at least six months of tenure to transfer to another area within the organization and experience work outside of their current role. Rotation length depends on learning goals but ranges from half a day to three days.

The method has proven successful for the company; HOPP has helped to retain employees, strengthen the internal talent pool, and create a contingency plan for unexpected absences, the financial institution reports. Apple Federal Credit Union has retained 100 percent of the 26 participants and has promoted 30 percent of them. Of the latter group, 15 percent achieved a promotion to the team to which they rotated.

The company also measured the program's success using a Net Promoter Score, earning 94.6.

"The creativity, talent, and productivity of our talent development team have effectively supported the organization's internal initiatives and success," says President and CEO Andy Grimm. "I truly believe that their quality of training and proactive responsiveness to organizational needs provides the organization with a distinct competitive advantage."

The organization's Leadership Enrichment and Achievement Management Program (LEAP) also affects the organization's job rotations. LEAP is designed to develop the leadership skills of high-performing college graduates. The program develops the skills participants need to succeed in a fast-paced, dynamic, and aggressive leadership environment. The learners participate in job rotations, job shadowing, and stretch assignments. Individuals selected for LEAP have a 78 percent retention rate and a 72 percent promotion rate.

Established in 1984, global technology group Qisda has achieved consistent success and acknowledgement as a leader in its field. The company's leadership can attribute much of that to its TD function, which took another step forward in 2023 courtesy of management's job rotation system.

Qisda believes that job rotation is one of the most important strategies for adapting to a rapidly changing environment. The job rotation system enables mid- to high-level supervisors with at least five years of tenure to pursue position rotations. Junior-level supervisors with at least four years of tenure can also participate in the program.

Job rotations have enabled the company to establish a talent pipeline with impressive results. Since 2021, Qisda's successor coverage rate, successor pool preparedness, and senior management succession fulfillment rate have each reached at least 90 percent. Further, five years after implementing the system, the company successfully completed 100 percent of its rotations, meaning every eligible supervisor has participated in the system.

The initiative weaves the organization's 3E approach (experience, exposure, and education) throughout the experience. Qisda uses the model to mandate that promoted employees participate in various cross-departmental training before assuming high-level positions. To demonstrate his belief in the strategy, Peter Chen participated in a rotation experience before assuming his current position as CEO.