Making a difference through people development

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explain how different solutions for developing staff within Panasonic have been implemented. The article aims to move away from just the traditional classroom only options, to using different approaches which suit different learning styles. In particular the article proposes looking at the three areas of e‐learning, coaching and how to increase managers' involvement. Design/methodology/approach – The article explains briefly why it has looked at different options and then explains the three areas in more detail. For e‐learning three main solutions are offered so these are outlined in more detail; for coaching the article also offers three solutions and so these are also explained in more detail. Lastly the importance of manager's involvement to any development initiative that is set up is explained, and a look at how to try to gain this involvement and keep the managers' as key players. Findings – Results so far have been very positive with both participants and the company benefiting. Originality/value – This article will be of interest to anyone involved in training and development of staff – giving new ideas for positive development options to anyone struggling with how to best develop, motivate and retain staff.