Ohio Edison Case Study

Background

Ohio Edison has since become FirstEnergy.  FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, FirstEnergy’s 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems; its transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, and its generation subsidiaries control nearly 17,000 megawatts of capacity.

Impetus

New supervisors did not receive proper guidance. In fact, FirstEnergy often promoted supervisors into their positions with little, if any, formal education or training in the principles of leadership. In order to improve the transition to supervisor and groom more effective leaders, Ohio Edison hired Avatar to develop a method for augmenting a new supervisor’s knowledge of leadership principles.

Solution

Avatar designed and produced a self-directed study guide, and an interactive day-long classroom session followed. The guide taught leadership principles and featured case studies specific to Ohio Edison.

Results

Before Avatar worked with FirstEnergy, previous supervisor trainees considered leadership principles awkward and unfamiliar. Thus, Avatar created a study guide which successfully explained them. By employing Ohio Edison case studies, new supervisors were better able to understand the practicality of the principles for their daily work.