Ed Francis

Principal, Consulting

Ed is a Managing Director in Client Services and works directly with clients on Learning & Performance consultation, curriculum design, organizational change, and measurement.  He also develops and maintains relationships with companies and people who complement Root’s skills, such as measurement companies and simulations developers.

Ed began his career at Root in 2004 as an Account Manager, and was promoted to Director of Operations for the Digital Interactive Group, where he was responsible for overseeing product development, operational performance, business results, and industry research.  In addition, his work has included designing eLearning systems, workshop development, and leadership alignment.  His clients have included Abbott Labs, American Airlines, Bank of America, Bayer, Boeing, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hilton Hotels, MedImmune, Northrop Grumman, Novartis, Pepsi, Pfizer, TD Canada, and Star Alliance.

Before joining Root, Ed was in operations management, training, and consultation at FedEx Express, focusing on ramp and logistics operations, and with Walgreen’s Logistics.

He holds a BA in Psychology with post-baccalaureate work in Biology and an MBA in Operations Management from the University of Toledo, and is actively pursuing a PhD in Psychology, focusing on learning and cognition.  He has co-presented sessions on Learning Psychology at SHRM, and has published an article on the measurement of training effectiveness in California Management Review.

Ed lives near Austin, Texas with his wife, Carrie, and son Grisha.  Their oldest son, Zachary, is a recent aeronautical engineering graduate from the Air Force Academy in Colorado.  Their second son, Jacob, is studying computer science and electrical engineering at Cal Poly University in California.

Posts By Ed Francis

Competency Training Works … Or Does It?

Not long ago, my CEO, Jim Haudan, shared some thoughts on the downfalls of competency training with me. Don’t worry, he wasn’t panning

Breaking Down the Talent Management Silos in HR

Organizations are ripe with silos. They can provide structure, but they can also disrupt collaboration, limit communication or hinder creativity

Navigating Matrix Management – 5 Ways to Avoid Failing and Find Success

It’s been said before and it will surely be said again: managers are invaluable. They have their fingers on the pulse of the organization

Learning Is a Journey – A Metaphor for Teaching

Learning is a journey. When you start a new strategy it's important that everyone is on the same page and using metaphors can help.

Culture vs. Training Is It “Nature vs. Nurture”?

I love a good provocative philosophical debate! A classic example: Are we who we are because of nature or nurture? Most people will say its both

Reflecting on the Past to Handle the Future in Learning and Performance

Every new year brings hundreds of predictions and thoughts about future trends. Just five years ago, Josh Bersin predicted that the LMS market would be

Fit for Human Consumption: Creating eLearning for Real People

When designing virtual tools for L&D, be smart about it. The objective of any L&D initiative is to improve an organization’s viability, either through

More deeply rooted thinking

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