Development Dimensions International vs. Small Improvements

When I got hired on at my company, we needed some quick wins and instant content to get some of the initiatives going. Having the facilitator and participant materials all ready to go (Training in a box) was extremely helpful. What would have taken me years to put together myself, I was able to put together in a few months. The materials are very user friendly.

Incentivized

I'm honestly not sure why my company chose to use Small Improvements. We used Lattice before for the all the same use cases I mentioned here. The employee performance review feature might be a bit better in Small Improvements, but the goal-setting tool and the 1:1 tool are very weak. I may not have benefitted yet from all the features that Small Improvements have to offer, but so far it looks like a pretty basic HR tool with much better alternatives out there. If it's cheaper than the competition, that might be the only argument to go with it.

Incentivized

• I enjoyed the process of getting certified to teach topics from DDI. Our master instructor was excellent. He gave wonderful feedback and provided an environment where we could practice our skills and be ready to teach.
• The facilitator and participant materials are very professional and well laid out. They are easy to follow. Especially as a facilitator of the course. The facilitator guide provides very detailed content of what to say and how to teach the topic.
• I love the additional job aids, videos, surveys and reinforcement of training tools they provide for you to use with your learners. They also are provided in various formats (mobile, hard copy, etc.)

Incentivized

• Take shared or private notes tied to each week's 1-1 meeting
• Remind each other of open action items until they are checked off
• Manage the performance review cycle

Incentivized

• Some of the courses are a bit out of date. They don't always stay up with the times of current trends in the business world.
• I would like to have the option of using the participant materials in a mobile format instead of having to call in and order hard copy participant materials for each course I teach.
• I would like to see more courses converted to Industrial format. I work for an Industrial type company and some of the courses are not relevant or do not hit home for our learners. They say they cannot relate to the case studies, videos, etc.

Incentivized

• Interface can be cluttered at times
• There isn't a lot of help or knowledge readily available when first using the tool

Incentivized

I never had to contact their support so far. There's no "N/A" option so I'm going with a neutral "5".

Incentivized

I like OpenSesame for the numerous options of topics you have to choose from. However, my DDI rep really helped me drill down the topics we needed to focus on. DDI simplified the process for me so it was not so confusing on where to start and what to use. We mapped out a plan together on how to support our employees and leaders in their development.

Incentivized

Lattice was able to link in with core OKRs whereas from my memory, Small Improvements didn't support this goal setting and tracking framework. While it was good for sentiment and management frameworks, it was unable to connect with the greater company vision as well as Lattice - that was the reason that we moved.

Incentivized

• We are a part of a dealer network. Before we rolled out the training and materials using DDI, we ranked 38 out of 52 dealers for our dealer loyalty score. We are now ranked #2.
• We are seeing our leaders confidence go up. They feel much more confident in how to lead their teams. The environment within the teams has improved. They are having more effective conversations with team members. 1x1s are happening in a more consistent basis.
• Our leaders have more tools than they have had before in how to lead and support their teams. Checklists, templates, surveys, etc.

Incentivized

• It helped keep my goals on track, both in documentation and email updates.
• It helped free up my manager's bandwidth to focus on other tasks.

Incentivized