learning strategies final 8-2-11

8/3/2019 Learning Strategies FINAL 8-2-11

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Editor:NigelPaine

Learning Strategies by The MASIE Center is licensed under a

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

ISBN978-0-9830765-1-3


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LearningStrategies

TableofContentsLearningStrategies

ElliottMasie..............................................................................................................................4

WhatMakesaSuccessfulLearningStrategy?

NigelPaine,MASIELearningFellow...................................................................................5

CIAsLearningStrategy:FocusingOutontheOrganizationWeServe

BobBaker,CentralIntelligenceAgency...........................................................................20

TheStrategyofManagingChange

LisaPedrogo,CNN................................................................................................................29

BuildingtheCaseforaLearningStrategy

RubenBonales,WasteManagement,Inc. ........................................................................42

LearningStrategyatShell:2Parts,3Pathways&3Horizons

WillemManders,Shell.........................................................................................................48

PuttingtheStrategyBackintoaLearningStrategy

KeithDunbar,DefenseIntelligenceAgency....................................................................60

MakingaStrategicLearningPortfoliotheHeartofanyLearning

Strategy

TerryM.FarmerandEvanIshida,EatonCorporation....................................68

SettingLearningStrategy:TechnologyisKeyWhenYouUseitWellMikeCuffe,FarmersInsuranceGroup.................................................................83

TheDynamicStrategyReliesonInsight-NotPlanning

PeterHallard,LloydsBankingGroup..................................................................91

OnLearningStrategies

AnInterviewwithElliottMasie.............................................................................97


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LearningStrategies

2011isauniqueandcriticalyearforlearningorganizations!

LearningStrategiesisanew,open-sourceeBookfromTheMASIECenter,focusedonhow

organizationsareclarifying,refining,expandingandupdatingtheirstrategiestodealwith:

ChangingWorkplacesChangingWorkforcesChangingBusinessRealitiesChangingLearningTechnologiesChangingLearningGovernance

ChangingAssumptionsChangingCareerPathsChangingCompetency&TalentModels

ChangingAgility

ThiseBookwillgiveyoudiverseperspectivesonwaysinwhichorganizationsare

approachingthesechangesandthewaysinwhichtheyarerefining,articulatingand

implementingevolvingLearningStrategies.

TheMASIECenterregularlyreleaseseBookstoprovokediscussionwithinthelearningfield

aroundkeyissues.SpecialthankstoNigelPaine,BobBaker,MeghanCernera,Lauren

BoughtonandBrookeThomas-Recordfortheirworkonthisproject,alongwithour

LearningCONSORTIUMmemberorganizations.

TheCreativeCommonslicenseisappliedtothiseBook.YouareFreeto :

Share!tocopy,distributeandtransmittheworkRemix!toadaptthework

Underthefollowingconditions:

PleasegiveattributionDonotsellthematerial.Ifyoutransformit,thesamelicenseshouldapply.

Yoursinlearning,

ElliottMasie

Chair,TheLearningCONSORTIUM

CEO,TheMASIECenter

Publisher:TheMASIECenter,ElliottMasie,CEO

Editor:NigelPaine,MASIELearningFellow

MASIECenterCLO:BobBaker

Reseacher:MeghanCernera

Designer:LaurenBoughton

CONSORTIUMManager:BrookeThomas-Record


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WhatMakesaSuccessfulLearning

Strategy?NigelPaine,MASIELearningFellow

Thereisawonderfulandbriefarticlein FastCompanymagazinewritteninMay2011by

GadiAmitcalledHowCanYouStrategizeForTheFuture,WhenYouCan'tSeeBeyond18

Months?Thisisaverygoodquestionandonethatcertainlyneedstobeasked.Ifthefuture

ismorethanuncertain--vergingonthedownrightunpredictable--andbadguessesareexpensiveineverysense,thenwhybothertoplanforthefuture?Ifyoucannotplanit,then

whyproduceanykindofstrategy?Andifyoucannotdevelopastrategy,thenwhybotherto

writeanythingdown?

Ifthisisacommonlyheldperspectiveonbroad-brushcompanyandorganizationalchange,

thenwhywouldalearninganddevelopmentdepartmentcompounduncertaintyonto

speculationatonedegreeremovedfromthebusinesscuttingedge?Theresultwillsurelybeirrelevantattheverybestanddownrightdangerousattheworst.Whatarethechancesthat

yourpredictionswillalignwiththoseofthecompanyandmatchreality?Almostzero,you

mightargue.So,again,theresthequestion:whybother?

Thepurposeofthischapteristoanswerthatquestioninnotone,butamyriadofdifferent

ways.Inspiteofuncertainty,complexityandambiguity,learningstrategiesarethrivingand

here,inthesenextfewpages,iswhy!

Whybother?

Thealternativetodevelopingastrategywouldbesimplytotakechangeasitcomesanddeal

withcontingencyattheappropriatemoment.Thatwouldseemtobethemessageimpliedin

thearticletitleabovebut,actually,Amithasotherideas:


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Weneedtoredefinetheparametersofthefutureinordertobuildgreatertrust

inourwork.Ibelievethefutureisonly18monthsaway.Beyondthat,itsanybodysguess.Andifyouacceptmydefinitionofthefuture,designhasplenty

ofhighlyeffectivewaysofshapingit.

AmitisadesignengineerandPresidentofNewDealDesignLLC,buthislogichasfar-reaching

implicationsandappliesequallytobusiness.Intakingtherightperspectiveandtimeframe,

youcanrichlyandproductivelystrategize,andintheorizingaboutthefuture,youmaywell

beabletobuildthatfuture-oratleastplanforsomeofthepossibilitiescomingyourway.

YouwillfindtheanswertoAmitsquestioneverywhereinthisbook.Thenextninechapters,

writtenbypeopleinthefrontlineoflearningatorganizationsbigandsmall,introduce

challengingandcontradictoryviews,yettheyallcontainoneoverwhelmingmessage:

buildingalearningstrategyisalivingandrewardingprocess,andoneyoushouldengagein.

Youshoulddosowithabalanceofrealismandcautionwhilestrivingtoalignwiththe

objectivesofyourorganization.

Eachchapterdemonstrateswhatlearningcontributestotheorganizationssuccessasa

whole.Eachembodieslearningattheheartofanorganization:notlearningthatisself-

containedandisolated.Thisbookwillundoubtedlyexposeeveryreadertonewinsights,a

freshapproachandmightevenrevealpathwaysintotheCsuite.

CaseStudies

Thecasestudiesinthisbookbeginfromdifferentstartingpointsandtakedifferentperspectivesbutallarestructuredwithinaconsistentframework.Simplyput,thiscompilationisalenstoviewa

learningstrategyassomethingimportantandrelevantthathelpsshape,structureanddevelopa

learningoperation,allwhileactingasitsstructuringspine.

BobBaker,intohisfourthLearningStrategyattheCIA,haswatchedthestrategiesevolveovera

fifteenyearperiod.Thefirstthreewereusefulandoftheirtime,butwereprimarilyfocusedonthe

operationofthelearningenterprise.Theyconcentratedthemindsoftheseniormanagementon

learningforabriefperiodandestablishedtheframeworkandstructuretotakethelearning


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operationintoitsnextphase.ThisunderpinnedtheentireevolutionoflearningintheAgencyfrom

aconventionalclassroom-basedprocessintoanascentcorporateuniversity.Allthiswascritical,

andtheprocesswasusefulandworkedwell;however,hisfourthlearningstrategyisaquantum

leapforwardandisquiteunliketheotherthree.

TheaimnowistodrivelearningdeeperintoourAgencybylinkinglearningverycloselytothe

missionoftheorganization.Thismeansfocusingonmovinglearningmuchclosertothelearner,

whereverheorsheislocated,andwhatevertherolebeingundertaken.Theaimisnolongerabout

howtorunalearningenterpriseorwhatshapethelearningenterprisewilltake,butratherfiguring

outwhatanorganizationwithlearningatitscoremightlooklike.Thefundamentalelementsofthe

newstrategyare:

Settingalearningcontextandtakingstockofthefuture.Thelearningstrategydefinesfourkeylearningtrends:learningwillbecomeincreasinglymobile,social,availablein

multipleformatsandaccessibleondemand.Thesearethenalignedtothechanging

workforceandchangingworkforceneeds,focusingonthebenefitsthatthesetrendscan

bringintermsofmeetingthoseworkforceneeds.

Theteamthenestablishedthedisruptersthatwillimpactthelearningstrategyandhowtocopewith

those:significantworldevents,changesinmissionpriorityandchangesintechnology.Establishing

thesewasbothathinkingprocess-learningunderthepressureoforganizationalchange-andan

actionprocess:howwillwerespondifthesedisrupterschangewhatweneedtodo?

Buildingacaseforchangebyestablishingthefourkeyprinciplesofthenewstrategy-commitment,people-performance,accessandagility-andensuringthatthesefourprinciples

aretiedintothethreepillarsoftheagencymissionsothatthereis100%alignmentatall

times.

Makingthelearningstrategycometolifeacrossthewholeorganization.ThisinvolvedaSWOTanalysis(strengths,weaknesses,opportunitiesandthreats)oflearningand,

fromthat,theteambuiltanAgency-widelearningvisionandmission.


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ToachievethevisionthatlearningdriveswhatwedotomeettheAgencysmission,learninghasto

beaccessible,innovative,tieddirectlytowork,comprehensive,outcome-focusedandconnected.

Thesearesimplebutrevolutionarywordsthatimpactthelearningteamsthinking.

Finally,thestrategydefinesteninitiativesthatserveastargetsandoutlinestheparametersfor

achievementofthoseteninitiatives,whichthenbecomethebenchmarksandtheindicatorsof

progressforthestrategy.ThebottomlinefortheAgencywassetoutclearlyandsimply:wecannot

excelasanorganizationwithoutaverystrongandeffectivelearningenterprise.Thestartingpoint

wherelearninghadtobeembeddedintotheAgencysmissionnowbecomesthefinishingpoint

withlearningexistingattheheartoftheAgencyanditsworkprogram.

LisaPedrogosapproachwassomewhatdifferent.Lisaworksforaprivatesector

organization:CNN.Thistooisafast-moving,rapidly-evolving,24-houroperation.Whereas

theCIAgathersandprocessesinformationrapidlyfromallovertheglobe,CNNdealswith

globalnewsanddeliversnewsprogramsglobally.AsLisasays,timeandspeedtoairare

majorundercurrentsinourbusiness.Andspeedtoairisnotjustaboutcollectingthenews

anddevelopingthenewspackage:itisalsoabouttransmittingthepackageand

understandingthetechnicalissuesarounddelivery.CNNdemandsthatitsoutputisaccurate

andfirst,wheneverandwhereverintheworldthenewsbreaks!CNNhastodeliveronthis

promiseeverysingledayoftheyear!

Lisasmajorchallengesaretomakethelearningfunctionstayrelevantandaddvaluetoa

businessthatisalwaysshortoftimeandwherepressuretogetthestoryandtransmitit

leaveslittleroomforformallearning.Inaddition,herteamhastofindawayofaddingtothe

capabilityoftheorganizationinatimelyandcosteffectiveway.Theroleofthelearning

strategyisabundantlyclear:itisanaidtodevelopingideasandtargetsthatserveasa

baselineframeworkforhowandwhatlearningisdelivered.Italsotiesintheunderpinning

philosophyaroundtherelationshipbetweenCNNanditslearningoperation.

EachJanuary,thelearningstrategyisbuiltusingastructuredprocess:

Reviewthesuccessesandfailuresfromlastyear Definewhatneedstobeaccomplishedthisnextyear,whichispartvisioningandpart

needsanalysis


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Developanactionplanthatwillbemeasurableandalsosetcleargoals

ForLisa,thestrategyisoneofthewaysshebuildsaperforminglearningteamwhose

membersworktogether,learntogetherandoperatewithinasingleandinclusivevision.

Theyhaveacommonframeworkforjudginghowwelltheyhavedone.Theorganization

demandsnoless.CNNisaveryagileorganization,whichmeansthatlearningmustbeagile

toremainrelevant;therefore,theplanisfollowedbutwithinthecontextofchanging

learningneedsthroughouttheyear.Lisadiscussesblitzpractices,respondingquicklyto

emergingneedsanddeliveringnewskillsandapproachesinsmall,intensivechunksofwork.

Theseareperhapsoff-plandeliveries,butdefinitelyattheheartofwhatCNNneeds.So,like

BobBakerintheCIA,CNNslearningteamneedstorespondtodisruptersandhaveaprocess

fordealingwithdisruptionandreallocatingresourceswhennecessary.

RubenBonales,previouslyinchargeoftrainingatWasteManagement,hadaverydifferent

challenge.Hehadtomakethecaseforalearningfunctionbeforehecouldprovethata

strategywasnecessary.So,hestartedwithathoroughneedsassessmentofthebusiness.

Thisallowedhimtoimmersehimselfinthebusinessprocessesandmakehisownjudgments

aboutwherelearningcouldbestsupportbusinessgoals.Theassessmentwasatime

consumingendeavor,butalsoavitalundertakingtobeginthealignmentprocess.Fromthis

startingpoint,hetracesforusathreeyearjourney,basedontheultimatequestionofwhat

skillsandbehaviorsthestaffneedtodelivertheorganizationalgoals.

Comingfromapositionofzeroinvestmentinskillsdevelopment,thisinitialanalysiswas

relativelyeasy.Basically,poorhiringledtolargeskillsgapsthatwerenotbeingclosed;yet

thiswasnoteasytoremedysinceRubenbeganthisjourneyduringapunishingbudget

cuttingenvironment.Heknewhehadtofindawaytouseittohisadvantage.Bytargeting

FleetManagementforanewtrainingprogram,hewasabletocutcostsperdriverperhour

by$0.28,setagainstthenon-participantcontrolgroupwhichmanagedonly$0.03savings.

Herealizedthathighoverheadscamefrompoorexecution,generatedbypoorskillsand

misunderstoodexpectationsofrequiredbehaviors.Thetraininginvestmentyieldedover

ninetimestheproductivitygainsandpaidfortheprogrammanytimesover.


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Rubenwasonhiswaytobuildingvalidity,accountabilityandtangibilityintheeyesofthe

organizationforhislearningoperation.Heworkedhardtobuildthebusinessrelationships

tokeepthatseatatthetable.Histacticwastobecomeatrustedadvisorandstrategic

partnertothecriticalmembersoftheseniormanagementteam.Hewouldnotmerelydo

whattheytoldhimtodobutwouldengageinadialoguearoundwhatthebusinessrequired

andpushforamutualagreement.Thisbuilttrust,credibilityand,aboveall,accountability.

Theroll-outsofnewprogramswouldspeakforthemselves.

Oneprogramledtoa21%increaseincustomerengagementscores.Rubenrodetheroller

coasterofchangeintheorganizationinapositiveandbusiness-focusedway.Hisultimate

bottomlinewasalwaysbusinessresults.Heusedthemashisfundamentalmetricsandthat

inandofitselfsustainedhisdialoguewiththebusiness.Sotheroutechosentodevelopand

presentastrategytothehighestboardinthecompanywasbasedonthreecleartargets:

Developingalignmenttoorganizationalgoals Buildingastrongrelationshipwiththebusiness Afocusondeliveringtangiblebusinessresults

WillemMandersofShellwouldendorsethemainthrustofRubensdevelopmentjourney,

butthecontextofeachorganizationisquitedifferent.RoyalDutchShellisanenergy

companywithover93,000employees,workingin90countriesaroundtheworld.Itextracts

oilandgasandrefines,suppliesandtradesthoseproductstoconsumersandindustrial

customers.Shellalsoinvestsmassivelyintoresearchfornewproductsandtechnology

solutions.Thelearningorganizationmirrorsthebusiness,insofaraseachbusinessand

functionhasaVPofLearningandOrganizationalEffectiveness,plusthereisasmallcentral

teamforEnterpriseLearningheadedbyanexecutiveVPforLearning,Organizational

EffectivenessandDiversity&Inclusion.

Shellsstrategyhastwoparts.Thefirstliststhekeyfocusareasforlearningintheshort-,

medium-andlong-term.Thesecondhingesonfunctionalexcellenceordeliveringlearningin

anefficientandeffectiveway.Theycometogetherintheprocessofdefiningthekey

stakeholdersandtheirrequiredcapabilities,workingoutthelearningblendandthen


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determiningthemostefficientandeffectivewayofdeliveringlearninginterventions.With

partone,businessresultsinvolveconstantdialoguewithallthelearningmanagersfromthe

globalbusinesses.Parttwoemergesfromabi-annualbenchmarkingexerciseusing

qualitativeandquantitativedatatoidentifybestpracticesoutsidethecompany.Thisis

basedaroundidentifyinginnovativeprocesses,structureandgovernance,information

systems,peopleandculture.

Thestructurallinkbetweenlearningandorganizationaleffectivenessallowsawider

perspectivetobetakenandawiderrangeofinterventionsdevelopedinbothaformaland

informalsense.ThisenhancestheimpactoflearninginShell.

KeithDunbarintheDefenseIntelligenceAgencyhasasimilarperspective.Hisroleisto

alignlearningtightlytothepriorities,cultureandfuturedirectionofthebusiness,inthe

wordsofDonnaMacNamara,theformerVPofGlobalEducationandTrainingatColgate

Palmolive.InDIAsterms,itisaboutgettingtherightpeopleinwiththerightskillsand

attitudestodeliverthemissioninaworldthatisincreasinglyvolatile,uncertain,complex

andambiguous.Thismeansdevelopingaplanthatisbothagileandadaptable.

Theneedforthisemergedfromanimportantrestructurein2006thatcreatedanOfficeof

LearningandCareerDevelopment.Theexpressedaimwastoshiftthelearningdelivery

culturefromoneofclassroomexecution,basedonsupply,toafocusonlearningand

workshopperformance,basedonneed.Thiswasafirstfortheorganization.Therewerefour

criticallessonsindeliveringthatprocess.

First:gettherightpeopletogethertodevelopthestrategy.Keithrecommendsthatyoushouldbeselectiveandprescriptiveingatheringthisteamtogether,andtheyneed

tocommitfortheentireprocessofbothdevelopmentandexecution.The30/30rule

canhelpgenerateanidea-richandunfetteredgroup.Thatis,30%oftheteamshould

beunder30.

Second:ensurecustomerengagementbyaskingtherightquestionsthathelpyouunderstandthecontextinwhichthelearningstrategyhastooperate.Andthese


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questionsshouldfocusonwhattheemergingissuesareaswellaswhatexistsnow.

Third:selectlearningstrategymetrics.Thisconcernsdefiningtherightdatatocollectratherthansimplycollectingthedatathatappearstobemosteasilyavailable.Keiths

focuswasongatheringdatathathelpstellthestoryoftheimpactofthelearning

strategyinquantitativetermswithoutover-measuring.Thisrequiresrigorous

selectionandaneyeonwhatcanbepracticallyhandledbytheteam.

Fourth:sellthestrategybydeliveringsessionswiththewholeseniormanagementteam.Thiskeptthedivisionalstrategiesontrackandallowedforafocusoneliminatingcommonbarrierstodevelop.Keithlists14potentialbarriersthatwere

recentlyoutlinedbytheUniversityofPennsylvaniaCLOProgramstudents.Notall

occurallofthetime,butthelistisausefulcheckagainstyourownprocessfor

developingalearningstrategy.

Eatonisadiversifiedpowermanagementcompanyoperatingglobally.TerryFarmerandEvan

Ishidatakeusthroughtheprocessofdevelopingastrategiclearningportfolio(SLP)tosupportand

drivelearninginEaton.TheSLPrepresentsawidevarietyoflearningopportunitiestoimprove

businessperformancethroughacontinuousandmultidimensionalprocess,includingbothformal

andinformalroutestocompetence.TheSLPissetatthreelevels:instruction(fornovices,mostly

and20%ofoutput),ideasandcollaboration(neededmostlybycompetentperformers,and60%of

output)andinnovation(mostlyneededbyexperts,and20%ofoutput).Eachofthesethreeareasis

dividedintoinformalandformallearning.

TheSLP,likealltheotherstrategiesdiscussedinthisbook,beginswithaclear

understandingofbusinessstrategy,andthisinvolvesbuildingstrongrelationshipswiththe

business-facingseniorexecutives.Ifyoucandothis,thenitmeansthebusinessexecutives

willhelpdetermineprioritiesandguidethesettingoftargets.Thisisalearningsolutionand

itisimportanttofocusonthoseareaswherealearningsolutionisgoingtowork.Clarityis

criticalforafocusedandconcentratedapproachtobuildingthelearningstrategy.Moreover,

theapproachmustbesetagainstthecurrentrealitiesoftheworkenvironmentsothatwhat


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isofferedisrealisticandappropriateforthepurposeitwasintended.Inthiscurrentclimate,

thereisnoroomforextraneousdeliveryofmaterialsorfuzzytargeting.

Allofthisaddsuptoasimpleprocessfordeterminingtheappropriatelearningsolutionsfor

aparticularneed.Thedecisionsarebasedonanacuteunderstandingofbusinessstrategy

andgoals,thecriticalworkareas(CWAs),criticalcompetenciesforkeyrolesandknowledge

oftheexistinglevelofcompetence.Thesimpleprocessshoulddeliverappropriatelearning

solutionsthatwillenhancebusinessgoalsandmustberenewedonanannualbasisto

ensurerelevanceandconsistency.

TherecouldnotbemorecontrastbetweentheEatonapproachandthatofFarmersInsurance.But

theultimateaimofbothorganizationslearningstrategyistodevelopstafftodeliverbusinessgoals.

MikeCuffeatFarmersshowshowthefocusoftheirlearningstrategyisverymuchontechnology

andbuildingavalues-basedandperformance-drivenoperation,centeredaroundFarmers

UniversityortheUasitisknown.IthasaphysicalcampusintheAgouraHills,California,butit

servesthelearningneedsofalltheClaimsteamsanywhereandeverywheretheyarelocated.

Farmersintentionistodrivelearningthroughouttheorganizationbymaximizingthelearning

opportunitiesforstaff.Thisisaccomplishedthroughexploitingthepotentialoftechnologyto

deliverinformationanywhereandatanytime.

ThepanoplyoftechnologyattheserviceoftheUisbothfocuseduponwhattechnologycan

provideinternallytodrivethecampus-basedlearningandwhattechnologythestaffhasat

itsfingertipstomaketheUaconnectedcenterforlearningeverywhere.Thelatteruse,for

example,istakingahardlookatthepotentialofsmartphonesandiPads.Thecentralteam

developsmultimedialearningnuggets,whichcanbeaccessedatanytimeusingany

portabledevicethatanofficerhasathisorherdisposal.TheUhasanoverriding

philosophytoenableratherthanconstrain.Theessenceofthestrategyisthereforeto

deliverasmuchaspossibleondemand,butalsohavethecapability,throughvideo

classroomsandvideoconferencing,toreachouttolargegroupsatshortnoticetodelivera

fastmessagetoalotofpeoplequickly(suchasinresponsetonaturaldisasters).

Thephilosophyoflearningisbasedonthreeobjectives:gettinglearningneedsestablished,

measuringlearningimpactanddeliveringefficientlyatalltimes.Thesearepursuedwitha


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carefuleyeonthebottomline.TheUsfunctionistoboostthestandingandeffectivenessof

thecompanytohelpitcompeteinatoughU.S.market.Learningisattheheartofthe

companysabilitytomobilizequicklyandspeakwithacommonvoiceofauthority.

Thecasestudiesfinishwithabankingexample.Usuallyyouwouldexpectaratherconservative

approachfrombankers,butthecurrentclimatecoupledwithrecenthistorybeliesthatmyth.Peter

HallardfromLloydsBankintheUKisquiteforthright:learningleaderswhodevotetheirtimeto

thedevelopmentofdetailedlearningstrategiesaredestinedtoalifetimeofdisappointment.He

passionatelydefendstheneedforalearningstrategybutdebunksthetraditionalapproach.Ina

volatileenvironment,complexityandslowanalyticalapproachesareout.Inplaceisaprocessthat

isbasedoninsight-notplanning-andthatinsightcomesfromknowingthebusinessandbeing

expertandconfidentenoughtointerpretbusinessissuesandpostulatealearningsolution.The

learningleadersitsasanexpertwithbusinessfacingpeersandattemptstonegotiatesomething

innovativeandcomprehensiveinscopethatworksquickly.

Byusingsophisticatedcustomerneedsanalysis,companiescanknowwhatcustomerswantbefore

thecustomersdo!Peterthinksthatalearningleaderhastohavethesamekindofdataathisorher

fingertipsandhavethesamekindofprescience.Inotherwords,thelearningleaderhastohave

analyzedthetrendsinthebusinessandtheneedfornewcompetenciesintheworkforceand

workedoutpossiblesolutionsbeforeanyoneelse.Thisislearningbyleadingratherthan

respondingtorequests.Bythetimeofrequest,Peterwouldargue,itistoolate.Hebelievesin

sharpeninginsightsandintuitiontodeliverwithagilityandconfidence.Heseesaworldwherethe

learningleaderdoesnotnegotiateaprogramwiththebusiness;rather,heorshetellsthebusiness

whatithastohaveinordertosucceed.

Outgolearningcataloguesalongwithcomplex,structuredprograms.Incomeshort,flexible,

informalandformalofferings.Thesearedeliveredquicklythroughaframeworkthatisresponsive

andflexible.Anotherhugeimplicationofthisapproachisthatthelearningstaffhastoengagewith

customersdirectlyinordertounderstandwhatcustomersexpectofthebankstaffandthendeliver

thestaffwiththeabilitiesandattitudetomeetthecustomersexpectations.Asaprofessional,you

havetounderstandlearningandownthelearningstrategy,butyoualsoneedaprofound

knowledgeofthebusiness.Youstakeyourreputationnotonstafflikingwhatisbeingoffered,but


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ontheimpactitmakesonthebusinessbottomline.Itisaboutmutualrespectandmutualtrust

backedupwithdelivery.

Inmanyways,Petersumsupthethrustofsomanyoftheotherchapters.Thisisanewagewith

unprecedentedchangeandvolatility.Thenewlearningleaderhastostepforwardtodeliverinthis

environmentifheorsheistoaddvalueandmakeasustainableandsignificantcontributiontothe

ongoingsuccessoftheorganization.

Perhapstheoldmethodsofplanningaregoneandthefutureisfarfromvisible,butmodern

learningstrategiesarenolessdemanding.Now,theymaybeevenmorefocusedandstrategic.

Further,eachchapterrevealsthatalearningstrategyisneitheranacademicexercisenorabox

tickingprocess.Itisnotabstractandunalignedorirrelevantandunusable.Itistrulyadevicefor

buildingthefuture;ameansofengagingyourwholeteamintheprocessanddefiningwhatyoucan

doforyourorganizationintermsthateveryonewillunderstand.Alearningstrategyisbotha

statementofcommitmentandatestimonytoengagement.Therearenomodelsbutthereare

consistentthemesandapproachesthatwork.

Inmanyways,theconcludingchapter,aninterviewwithElliottMasie,endorsesthethemes

andtheapproachesinthebook.ElliottseesagoodlearningstrategyastheGPSthatmaps

outhowtheinvestmentinlearningwillcontributetotheoverallsuccessofthe

organization.Assuch,thestrategyisavitalcomponentofasuccessfullearningoperation.

Ultimately,hesays,Idontknowhowyoureallyleadanorganizationinlearningwithouta

current,rich,andaffirmedlearningstrategy.Andthatisasentimentthatrunsstrongly

throughoutthebook.Ifyoureadthisandarestillunconvinced,thenwehavefailedinour

basicaims!

SowhatareElliottsfundamentalprinciplesthatholdinstrategyafterstrategyinpublicand

privatesectororganizationsallovertheworld?Theyhingeonfourcriticalpoints;

Alearningstrategyrequiresacomplexprocessofdeepthinkingabouttheroleoflearning,anditshouldendupasoliddocumenttobeusedandreferredtolong

afterithasbeencreated.


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Itisaboutaffordances:whataneworexistingtechnologycandoforlearning.Youdrivebywhatyoucanachieve:notwhatlooksgood,newortrendy.Inthatway,you

achieveabalancebetweentheexistingandthenew.Alearningstrategydevelops

thelearningculturewithintheorganizationthathelpsmakethosejudgmentcalls.

Itisorientedtowardactionandrequiresvisibleoutcomes;thesetrulyhavetobeendorsedbyseniormanagers.ButitisnotanActionPlan;thismaycomefromthe

Strategybutitisnotasubstituteforastrategy.

Finally,thisisnotsomethingyoucanbuyofftheshelf,handovertoconsultants,orcopyfromsomeotherplace!Youwouldbeskippingthealignmentandthebuy-in,

bothofwhicharecriticalforaStrategyssuccess.

Ultimately,Elliottemphasizesthatalearningstrategyisaboutinnovation;itcallsforadeep

lookatwhatwedoandhowwecandoitbetter.Thereisnogreaterjustificationthanthisfor

developingoneinyourworkplace.

Ifyouareabouttoembarkonthedevelopmentofalearningstrategyorwanttouseasimple

frameworktoevaluateyourstrategy,thenusethischecklistandaskyourself:

Ismyteamslearningstrategy:

deeplyembeddedintheorganization? focusedontangiblebusinessgoals? anopportunitytoradicallyrealignlearning?

Doesit:

conveyasingle,inclusivevision? demonstrateengagementwiththeCEOandseniorleadership? definethekeystakeholders? defineastructuredprocessofdatagatheringanddecisionmaking? establishacommonframeworkforjudgingtheimpactofthelearninginput? paintthebigpictureratherthanfocusnarrowlyonlearning?

avoidfuzzylogicandpoortargeting? embodyaspiritofwideconsultationandopenness?


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Isit:

basedontangibleandmeasurableinitiatives? coherentbutexciting? agileandadaptable? clearwhereitalignswithpersonalandorganizationaleffectiveness? excitingandeasyfornon-learningspecialiststoreadandgraspimmediately? technologyrichandmulti-platforminaspiration? fullofthepossibilitiesofinformallearningtoenrichandextendthelearningprocess?

Andaboveall,doesitembodyanambitiousbutrealisticvisionofwhatlearningcandeliver

inyourorganization?

WhyDevelopaLearningStrategy?

1. Itshowsthewholeorganizationwhatyoucancontributetoitsoverallsuccess.2. Itgalvanizesyourstaffandgetsthemallthinkingthesamewayandpointinginthesamedirection.

3. Ithelpsyouprioritizeandfocusonwhatisreallyimportant.4. Itgivesyouabenchmarktojudgeyourperformanceagainstyearafteryear.5. Itdemonstratesclearalignmentwiththeobjectivesandaspirationsofyouremployer.6. Itisthebasisforgoodconversationswiththekeyexecutivesaboutlearning.7. Itensuressharedaccountabilityfortheoutcomesbetweenyouandyourteamandtheoperationalheads.

Whatyoushoulddiscusswithyourlearningteamandtherestofthe

organizationbeforeyoubegintowriteastrategy:

1. Whatthescopeofthestrategyis.2. Whateachofyourteammemberswillcontributetothedevelopmentofthestrategy.3. Thewaysinwhichitisalignedwiththebusinessstrategy.4. Whoitisaimedatandhowitwillbedisseminated.5. Whowillsignoffandsponsorthestrategy.


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ThingsyouMUSTinclude:

1. Whatyourcontributiontotheoverallsuccessoftheorganizationwillbe.2. Firmfiguresandfirmoutcomes.3. Thebiggerpictureratherthanjustthedetails.4. Howyouwilljudgethestrategyasuccess.5. Itscurrency.

ThingsyouMUSTavoid:

1. Jargon,especiallylearningjargon.2. Biggesturesandbigstatementsthataredevoidoffactsorfigures.3. Claimingtoomuch.4. Toomuchdetailsothewoodislostforthetrees.5. Makingitasoloeffort;thisisteamwork!

NigelPaine,MASIELearningFellowNigelPaine,aMASIELearningFellowsince2006,speaksatconferencesaroundtheworld,writesforarangeofinternationalpublicationsandcoachesseniorexecutivesincompaniesinEurope,AustraliaandtheUSA.HeiscurrentlyManagingDirector,nigelpaine.comltd.,acompanythatfocusesonpromotingcreativity,innovationandlearningandthelinkbetweenthem.Priortostartingthiscompany,heledtheBBCsLearningandDevelopmentoperationfrom2002to2006wherehebuiltoneofthemostsuccessfullearningand

developmentoperationsintheUK.ThisincludedawardwinningLeadershipprogram,stateoftheartinformallearningandknowledgesharingandoneofthemostsuccessfulandwell-usedintranetsintheCorporatesector.


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CIAsLearningStrategy:Focusing

OutontheOrganizationWeServeAStrategyPerspectivefromtheCentralIntelligenceAgencyBobBaker

FramingtheLearningWayAhead:TheLearningLeaders

Perspective

AsanexperiencedleaderintheCIAslearningenterprise,thisisnowthefourthlearningstrategythatI

havehelpedtodevelop.ItwillimpactCIAUniversityscorefunctionsandmemberschools,aswellasa

numberoflearningunitsscatteredthroughoutthatarenotaffiliatedwithCIAU(CIAUniversity).

Ourthreepreviousstrategiesmarkedthetransformationsinthelearningenterprisethathave

occurredoverthelastfifteenyears.Webeganwithtraditional,classroom-basedcorporatetraining,whichmovedtofee-for-serviceinordertoprovidelearningopportunitiesforthosewhocouldpay.

Finally,weevolvedintoalooselyconfederateduniversity.Allthreeofthosestrategiessharedthe

commoncharacteristicofbeingprimarilyfocusedontheoperationofthelearningenterprise.

Althoughtheyfellshortoffullycreatingthedesiredimpact,theydidindeedresultinchangethatwe

areabletoleveragegoingforward,including:

MorefocusamongAgencyseniorleadersonusinglearningtoimproveorganizationaleffectivenessandonmakinglearningavailableglobally:notjustinlocalclassrooms.

Increasedcredibilitywithcustomersasthequalityofourlearningproductsimproved,meaningCIAUnowofferssomethingofvalue.

Greaterinterestamongtheprofessionaleducatorworkforceintryingandadoptinglearningthatleveragestechnology.

Emergingcollaborationamongtheseniormanagersofeachmemberschool.


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So,aswebeganthefourthandcurrentlearningstrategy,weasked,Whatwillbedifferent

thistime?Weconcludedthatwecouldgainagreatdealbydevelopinganewlearning

strategyaimedatdrivingthepositiveimpactofcontinuouslearningdeeperintoourAgency.

Thekeybenefitswouldcomefromtyinglearningmorecloselytoourmission.We

recognizedthatthetimeourworkforcehastorespondtomultiplenewintelligence

problemshasbecomesubstantiallycompressed,especiallysince9/11;ourworkforcemust

learnmorequicklythaneverbefore.Wewantedtofocusonmovinglearningclosertothe

learner,ratherthanonhowtorunalearningenterprisebetter,andthisstrategywouldbe

ourbestwaytoachievethedesiredimpact.

Thenweasked,Whatarethemostimportantthingswemustdotodevelopandimplement

suchastrategysuccessfully?Wedecidedthatourlearningstrategywould:

Useasoundstrategicplanningframeworktoinclude:assessingthecurrentcontextforlearning,makingacompellingcaseforchange,developingasoundandboldvision

withbigbutattainablegoals,andultimately,beinghighlyactionable.

Provideanopportunitytoforgeacloserrelationshipamongtheleadersofthevariousanddecentralizedlearningunitsthatmakeupthelearningenterprise

Increasetheavailabilityofcontentandthendeliveritinmultipleways. Focusontheemergingandrapidlydevelopingopportunitiestoprovidelearningatthe

pointofneed-goingbeyondourWashington-centricclassroomdeliverymodel.

Thischapterhighlightstheprocessthatwethenusedtodevelopournewstrategy,whichis

almostreadytoberolledout.Assuch,ourintentistosharewhatwehavefoundinorderto

supportotherswhoareintheprocessofdevelopingandimplementingtheirownstrategies.

LearningContext:TakingStockoftheFuture

WebeganwithanenvironmentscanthatwecalledourLearningContextMap.Asimplied

bythename,wefirstlookedatthecontextinwhichwewoulddevelopandrolloutour

strategy.Westartedbytakingstockofexternaltrendsrelatedtolearningthatshouldhave

thegreatestinfluenceonourstrategy.Basedonaliteraturescan,engagementwithcolleagues


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throughoutthelearningcommunityanddeepdiveswithexpertsinthelearningfield,wesettledon

fourkeytrends.

Learningisbecomingmore:

Mobile.Geographicproximitydoesnotmatterforaccesstocontentandtools(e.g.mobileappsandhand-heldcomputing).

Social.Socialmediaishavingasubstantialimpactonthewayweinteract(e.g.FacebookandTwitter).

Learning-stylefriendly.Contentisavailableindifferentforms(e.g.YouTubeandPodcasts). Accessibleandon-demand(e.g.Googleitandblogs).

Wealsolookedinternallyatthepressingneedsofourworkforce,whichrequireslearningthat:

Providesrelevanceandimpactfortheincreasingdiversityinmission/jobrequirements. Doesnotdependontakingclasseswhenandwheretheyareavailable. Enablesgreaterinformallearningthroughnetworkingwithexperts. Helpslearnersunderstandwheretheirlearninggapsaresotheycanbestfocustheirlearning

efforts. Capturesinaconsistentandusefulwaytheexperienceandknowledgeresidentinour

workforce.

Finally,weexaminedthemostsignificantuncertaintiesunderwhichalearningstrategymustbe

abletooperate.Weidentifiedthreepotentialdisruptersthatweshouldplanfor:

Significantworldevents.Majorworldeventsrequirerapidshiftsinknowledgeandexpertise.

Changesinmissionpriorities.Weoperateinanationalsecuritycontextwithrapidlychangingareasofemphasis.

Changingtechnology,i.e.meansofdeliveringlearning.Ourcapacitytodeliverlearningisincreasedbytechnology.Wemustkeepupwithchangeandbeeffectiveat

assimilatingandeffectivelyadoptingitwhereappropriate.

Wesawtheseasreinforcingtheneedsthatweidentifiedabove.


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TheCaseforChange:TheFourPrinciplesofourNewStrategy

Anysuccessfulchangeeffortstartswithaclearlystatedcaseforthechange.Ourapproach

wasfirsttoestablishtheprinciplesofchange,theefficacyofwhichwouldbeclearlyevident.

DrivenbywhatwelearnedinourenvironmentalscanandthroughtheDirectorsown

Agencystrategy,weworkedprimarilywiththeleadersofthevariousschoolsthatmakeup

CIAUtoconcludethatourlearningstrategyshouldbefoundedonfourprinciples:

Commitment.Thevalueoflearningisevidentandembeddedinourorganizationalpriorities,managementpractices,supportfunctionsandapproachestoimproving

employeeengagement.

People-Performance.Ourworkforceisprovidedwithworthwhile,engagingandefficientlearningopportunitiesthattrulysupportcareer-longdevelopment:notjust

periodicevents.

Access.Ourworkforceisabletobenefitatthemomentofneedfromthelearningopportunitiesandresourcesthatgivethemanedgetoexcelattheirwork.

Agility.Ourworkforceparticipatesintimelyandcostefficientlearningexperiencesforimprovingindividualperformance.

InreviewingourfourprinciplesforalignmenttoourDirectorsStrategyfortheCIA,whichis

comprisedofthreepillars,wefoundthatCommitmentandPerformancetiedto Pillar1

(InvestinourPeople) ,whileAccesstiedtoPillar2(LeverageTechnology) andAgilitytiedto

Pillar3(EnhanceGlobalAgility) .

AssessingtheOpportunitytoMaketheLearningStrategyImpactful

Ournextchallengewastodeterminewhatweshouldfocusontobringthestrategytolife!To

dothis,wedevelopedaStrengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats(SWOT)Analysis.The

StrengthsandWeaknessesservedasanassessmentofthelearningenterprisesabilityto

enableanAgency-widestrategy.TheOpportunitiesandThreatshelpedustoseefutureand

externalfactorsthatwouldimpactoursuccess.Hereareourfindings,brieflysummarized:


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Strengths.Toourdelight,wefoundthatourpreviousandmoreinternallyfocusedstrategyprovidedsomegreatstrengthsthatwecouldleverage.Specifically,overthe

pastfewyears,customershaveincreasinglyseenthepositiveimpactofourproducts

andwantmore.Ourstaffhasgrowninexpertise,skillandcapacity.Collaborationand

shareddecisionmakinghavedramaticallyincreasedacrosspreviouslystove-piped

schoolsinCIAU.And,ourstaffishighlymotivated.

Weaknesses.Wefoundseveralareasforimprovement.Mostnotably,weneededtodevelopdeeperconsultingandperformanceimprovementskillsinordertobetteranticipatefuturelearningneeds.Wealsoneededtouseconsistentstandardsfor

design,development,deliveryandaccesstolearningacrosstheentireenterpriseto

improvethelearnerexperience.

Opportunities.Wesawmanyopportunities:toleverageclosertiesbetweenschoolsinordertoshareandco-developbestnewpractices;todevelopmoreeffective

measuresoflearningoutcomesforindividualandorganizationalassessmentofgaps;topartnerwithITandHRprofessionalstobuildastrongerandmoreglobal

learninginfrastructure;andtoleveragedevelopingcommunitiesofpracticein

developinglearningopportunities.

Threats.Weclearlyhadtoovercomeseveralthreats,includingourinabilitytoeasilyconnectlearnersforlessformallearning,resistancetochangeandlimitationsinour

technologyinfrastructure.

CreatinganAgency-WideLearningVision

WeallknowthataMissionandVisionStatementcaneitherbesomethingthathangsonthe

wallandisgivenlittleattentionoritcanbeapowerfuldriverforimpact!Asthelearning

leadershipteam,ourdesirewasthatwhencustomersdescribedtheirlearningexperiences,


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theywouldusethewordswehadusedtoframethevisionordescribeitinwayssimilarto

ourmissionstatement.

WedeterminedthatthemissionoflearninginourAgencyis:

ToequiptheCIAworkforcewiththesharedvalues,commitmenttoourmission,

knowledge,andexcellenceinintelligencetradecraftandleadershipneededto

accomplishextraordinarytasksintheserviceofournation.

Note:thelastphrasetiestotheAgencysmissionstatementforalignment.

Asforvision,wedeterminedthat: LearningdriveswhatwedotomeettheAgencysmission.

Todoso,learningmusthaveanumberofqualitiesandbe:

Accessible Innovative Tieddirectlytoourwork Comprehensive

Outcome-focused Connected(withinpeopleandcontentnetworks)

MakingitReal:InitiativestoBringtheStrategytoLife

Thejourneyofanystrategicplanningprocessultimatelyendswithtwokeyquestions,the

firstbeing,Whatdowedotosuccessfullybringthestrategytolife?Whatinitiativesdowe

undertake?Frompastlearningstrategies,wehavelearnedthattheinitiativeswedevelop

mustbe:

Tightlyalignedtotheprinciples,whichareinturnalignedtotheorganizationsgoals. Compellingforthecustomerssotheybegintoseeapositiveimpactintheirworld. Stagedovertime.Bybreakingourinitiativesintosequentialsteps,wearebetterable

todefineandmeetmilestonesforimplementation.


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Sharedacrosstheentirelearningenterprise.Inourcase,wefoundthatengagementimplementationbyallofourschoolsandinmostcases,multipleschoolsleadsto

moresuccess.

Forournewlearningstrategy,wearelookingatteninitiativesastiedtothefourprinciples:

Principle Initiative

Commitment Integratenewlearningapproachesincludinginformallearning,collaborativelearning,user-developedcontent,virtualworldsandsimulationstocapitalizeontheiremerginglearningaffordances.

Createalignmentamongthevariouspartsofthelearningenterpriseonuseofnewlearningapproachestocreateefficiencies,leverage/shareresources,developandusebestpracticesandreduceredundancies.

Coordinateandstandardizesupportfunctions(likereceivingcreditforlearning),work/deliveryprocessesandinfrastructuretoaligntoanend-to-endlearningcycleandlife-longlearning.

People-Performance

Tracklearningimpactbydevelopingandusingoutcome-focusedperformancemeasuresintheworkplace.

Createastafforlearningprofessionalskillsetbeyondtraditionalclassroom-basededucation,includingskillsinconsulting,performanceimprovement,learninginnovationsandinformal/experimentallearning.

Access Providecontentandlearningopportunitiesthatcanbeeasilysearched,discovered,shared,enrichedandinteractive.

Developenterprise-widesystemsandlearninginfrastructuretosupportend-to-endlearningactivitiesforallAgencyemployees.

Establishavirtuallearningenvironment.Agility Createaconnectedlearningnetworkofpeopleandknowledgerepositories

thatprovidetimelineandrelevantinformationatthepointofneed.

Locatelearningprofessionalsintofield/customerspaces.

Fromthispoint,weareidentifyingthefirststepsinthestaging.Forexample,asafirststep

forourAccessinitiativeofdevelopingenterprise-widesystemsandlearning

infrastructure,wehaveestablishedaworkinggroupcomprisedofstaffmembersfromeach

schooltomakedecisionsonthespecificsystemswewilluseforonlinecourses,asocial

learningnetwork,contentrepositories,etc.Indoingso,wearedevelopingthegovernance

processestobuildoutandmaintainaninfrastructurethatmeetsourneedsandalsoamulti-

yearbudgetplantoacquireandmaintainthosesystems.


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AssessingOurImpact:MeasuringOurSuccess

Theotherquestiononthestrategicplanningjourneyis,Howwillweknowifwearesuccessful

withourlearningstrategy?Toknowthis,wefeltthatweneededtobeabletoanswertwoother

questions.Thefirstis,Howwillweknowifthelearnersarelearningbetter?Tohelpanswerthis

question,wehavedevelopedourlearningstrategysuccessfactors.Sincesuccessisultimatelyin

theeyesofthelearner,wedevelopedthemfromthelearnersperspective.

Ifwearesuccessful,ourlearnerswillsay,I

havealloftheinformationandexpertiseIneedatmydisposal. amabletomakeuseofwhatIhavelearnedonthejob. havebeenprovidedlearningthatmeetsmycareeranddevelopmentalneeds. havemanagersthatrecognizethevalueoflearningandthetimespentonit. haveaccesstoexpertisewhenandwhereIneedit. ...benefittedfromlearningoutsidetheclassroom. usedlearningtechnologiesthatmeetmyexpectations. ambetterpreparedtoperforminanoftenambiguousanduncertainworld.

Theotherquestionis,Howwillweknowiftheinitiativesthemselvesarehavinganimpact?

Toanswerthisquestion,wedevelopedsometargetsthatwearedevelopingmetricsfor:

Principle Initiative

Commitment Percentageoflearningproductsofferedbythelearningenterprisethatusenewapproachestolearning

PercentageofCIAUschoolsandotherunitsprovidinglearningproductsthatarepartofeachlearningstrategyinitiative

PercentageofAgencyorganizationsthatsupportthenewlearningstrategyPeople-Performance

Percentageoflearningprofessionalworkforcewithskillsalignedtodevelopinginnovativelearningproductsthatbringlearningclosertoourlearners

Percentageoflearnerswhohaveshownimprovedperformanceintheworkplace

Assess Numberoftechnology-basedsolutionstosupportend-to-endlearning Percentageofsatisfiedlearners Percentageoflearnersparticipatinginnewlydevelopedlearningopportunities

Agility Numberoflearnersconnectedthroughsocialorvirtualnetworks Numberofnewnetworkingandknowledgesharingopportunitiesforlearners


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Wearecurrentlydevelopingthemetricsandmeansofcollectingdatatoassessprogressonthese

targets.Insomecases,dataisalreadyavailablefromexistingAgency-sponsoredemployee

satisfactionandengagementsurveys.WewillalsohavetheopportunitytopartnerwithourIT

andHRcolleaguestopiggy-backondatacollectionactivitiesinwhichtheyareengaged.

ABraveNewWorldAhead!

Itisanexcitingtimeforlearningandforlearningprofessionals.WeattheCIAsharethat

excitement!Withthisengagement,however,comesthegrowingrecognitionthatwecannot

continuetoexcelasanorganizationwithoutaverystrongandeffectivelearningenterprise.Ourchallengeistomarrythegrowingaffordancesofnewlearningapproaches,andtodoso

atapaceequaltothegrowingneedsandexpectationsoflearners.Clearly,awell-developed

andfullyimplementedstrategywilltakeusalongwaytowardthatgoal.

BobBaker,CIA

BobBakernowworksasTheLearningCONSORTIUMsChiefLearningOfficerandwaspreviouslytheDeputyChief

LearningOfficerattheCentralIntelligenceAgency.Hehad

spentnearlytwodecadesofhis31-yearAgencycareerin

thelearningfieldasaninstructor,learningmanagerand

corporateleader.Hisworkfocusedonlearningrelatedto

leadershipdevelopment,instructordevelopment,

intelligencerelatedsubstantiveissues,employee

onboardingandthelearningstrategy.Heisknownasan

innovativeleaderwhohassuccessfullydeliveredonmultipleinitiativestoadvancelearningimpactinthe

CIA.Priortohisworkasalearningleader,heservedasan

analystandmanagerintheCIAsanalyticfunction.


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TheStrategyofManagingChangeAStrategyPerspectivefromCNNLisaPedrogo

Asalearningleadersupportingbroadcastjournalists,Iamacutelyawareoftime.Everythinginour

businesstodayticksbyinseconds.Thisisatruestatementforanyorganization,butespeciallyfor

mine:alive,televisionnewsenvironment.TimeandspeedtoairaremajorundercurrentsinCNN

thatdriveforcesinourtechnologyinfrastructure,design,deploymentandtraining.

Inthenewsbusiness,breakingastorymeansyougotitfirst.Howwellourjournalistsexecutethis

taskisdirectlyproportionaltohowmuchtheyknow:aboutthestory,aboutourprocessesand

aboutthetoolstogetthatstorytoouroperatingplatforms.Competitionisfiercetobebestandfirst.

Andnow,thatcompetitionincludesanyproviderofinformationcontentviatheInternet,whichcan

bewatchedonjustaboutanywirelessdevice.CitizenJournalistsareeverywhere.Theirabilityto

recordandsharevideoandinformationeffortlesslyandquicklyprovidesinstantaccessto

alternativepointsofviewabouteventsinourworld.Ironically,educatorstodayarecompetingwith

thesameforces,especiallytheInternet.Ouremployeesconsumeinformationthesameway

everyoneelsedoes,andthosebehaviorsfollowthemintotheoffice.

Youcanlearnhowtodojustaboutanythingonline,bysearchingforitorbymessagingyourclosest

10,000Facebookfriendsaboutwhattheyknow.Whetherornottheinformationisusefulor

accurateisagamble,buteachtimeitprovestobecorrectorhelpful,youvalidateit.Ifyoucanlearn

whatyouneedtointenminutesorless,youwin.Thisiswhyourtoughestcompetitionaslearning

designersandeducatorsistheInternetportal.Itisalwaysavailable,searchableandextremelycost

effective.Ihaveyettodiscoveratrainingteamthatcansaythesame.Whencombinedwithalonger

workday,amanagersdesiretoavoidsendingsomeonetotrainingbecauseofcoverageconcerns

andaboringcurriculum,youhavetheperfectstorminapoorbusinessclimatetoeliminatea

traininggroup.


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So,thechallengesare:

HowdoyoustayrelevantandaddvaluetoyourbusinesssothatpeoplechooseyourteamovertheInternet?

Howdoyoukeepyourcurriculumsfreshwithfewresourcesthatcannotpossiblycovertheentirefootprintofyourcompanyaroundtheclock?

Howdoyouavoidoverloadingyouralreadystressedclientswithtoomuchinformation,butstillensuretheyarepositionedtosucceedinusingcriticalbusinesstools?

Fromalearningleaderperspective:

Canyoumanagechangethattodaysbusinessesdemandfromtheireducationteams?Fromaskillsetperspective?Fromaleadershipperspective?

Areyouwillingtotrynewthingsinordertomakeithappen? Isitpossibletodomorewithless,ortohavemoreimpactwithoutadditionalresources?

BuildingRelevance.Inmyexperience,itboilsdowntostrategyandleadership.Specifically,itis

aboutdevelopingastrategythatcanhandleimmediate,relentlesschangewithoutsacrificing

qualityoflearningexperiencesorburningoutyourteam.Thisrequiresmanagerstoleadtheir

teamsthroughconstantchangebyeliminatingbarrierstosuccess,spottingpitfallsandroadblocks

beforetheteamencountersthem,andgainingthesupportandbackingofseniorexecutivesand

clientsthroughouttheprocess.Learningmanagerswhoeffectivelymeetthischallengeareleading

changeandhelpingtotransformtheircompanies.Theabilitytomanagechangeisakeydriverfor

businesssustainabilityandgrowth,bothofwhicharehighlymarketableandvaluedintheC-suite.

Todayslearningenvironmentsmustconsiderthisintheirtrainingimplementations,becausethe

factsare:

Ourbusinessareglobal Ourworkforceislean. Ourcostsimpactourclients. Ourstudentsareunderaninordinateamountofpressuretodeliverresults-quickly. Ourresultsmustbeattainable,sustainableandmeasurable.


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Theabilitytoadaptanddeliverresultsinatimelymanneristhebeginningandtheendofthe

educationcycle.Timeismoney.Agilitymatters.Todothissuccessfullyrequiresaprocessthat

includes:collectingconstantfeedbackfromcustomers,studentsandteachers;digestingand

integratingchangeintocurriculumsquickly;anddeliveringknowledgewhen,whereandhow

peoplewantit.Developingastrategythataccommodatesunplannedchangewithlittlenoticeand

fastexecutionrequiresdiscipline,attention,awarenessandpractice.Italsorequirescompletetrust

inyourteam.

Runningalearningorganizationislikerunningabusinessinsideofyourcompany,complete

withstrategies,processes,measurementandanalysisaroundsuccessesandfailures.Your

approachshouldtiedirectlyintothecorporateculture,valuesandgoals,aligningwithyouroverallcompanystrategy.Inthesimplestbusinessterms,thismeansallocatingresources

andeffortwheretheyhavemaximumimpactforthebroadestaudienceswithoutoverkill.It

meansleantrainingandavarietyofinformationtransferapproaches.Itmeanshandling

manyprojectsatonetimeandbuildingleaderswithinyourteamwhocanhelpmanagethe

workandtherelationshipsrequiredtosucceed.

Althoughtherearesomecurriculumsthatrequiresignificanttimecommitments,manyof

ourcurrenttechnologyandsoftskillstrainingcoursesinthecorporateworldhavenotbeen

re-examinedagainstthisemergingworkculturefilter.Theresearchprovesthattoomuch

informationatthepointofneedisasineffectiveastoolittleofit.Todaysbusinessworld

requirestrainingtobejust-in-timeandjust-enoughtogetpeoplethroughthelearning

curveofusinganewtechnologyorperformingasoftskill.Ournomadicworkforcesaddan

additionallevelofcomplexity,particularlyinpartsoftheworldwithlittleconnectivity.

Effectivelearninggroupsarefiguringouthowtodeliverwhatpeopleneedtoknow,whentheyneedit,insmallincrementsandwithoutnecessarilyhavingthemreturntothe

classroom.Theyaresweeteningtheknowledgebankwithfunkernelsofknowledgeand

droppingthemlikecookiesallovertheworkplaceinsubliminalmarketingattemptsto

encouragelearningallthetime:notjustwhenemployeesareforcedtolearn.Learningteams

areincreasinglyusedforcollaborativeefforts,likefacilitatedworkingsessionsfordetailed

planningorsituationappraisalanddecisionanalysis.Educatorssupportingtechnology

trainingarejoiningprojectteamsearlierandhelpingtodevelopworkflowswithsubjectmatterexpertsaheadofdeployment.


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RelevanceinPractice.Inbuildingourlearningstrategy,Ileveragemybackgroundfirst.I

usewhatIknowaboutmyindustry,aboutmycustomerbaseandaboutwhatmybusiness

operationneedsrightnow.Iusemyprofessionalexperienceasajournalist,operations

managerandprojectmanagertosupportmyworkasaneducator.Iaskquestions,gather

intelligencefromkeybusinesspartnersandcolleagues,andlistentowhatmyteamtellsme.

Inmypersonalpractice,thismeans:

Journalist:IlearneverythingIcanabouttheissues,problems,concernsandbusinessconstraintsaroundaprojectorassignment.Iaskwho,what,why,when,whereand

howquestions,whichisacriticalskillbecauseitscopesyourworkandsets

expectations.

ProjectManager:Waterfall,lean,agile,facilitation,schedulingandKepner-Tregoeproblemsolvinganddecisionmakingprocessesareusedeverydaywithinmylearning

team.Weplanourworkandworkourplan.Theplanchangeseveryday,butwitha

teamapproachthatincludessharedassignmentsandinternalmentoringacross

trainers,thereisalwayssomeonewhocanpickupapieceofthework.Theseskills

helpme:

Developatrainingprojectplan,mostfrequentlyinthecompanyofmykeyteammanagersandprojectleads.

Buildmyteammembersintolearningleaders. Reinforceastructuredprocessthatservesasaframeworkforhowwebuild

classes,withoutstiflingthepracticalityofwhatisneededinthemoment.

Getthejobdoneasquicklyandefficientlyaspossible.Thisconstantplanning-review-strategycycleofcommunicationdemonstratestotheteam

membershowtheirworkdirectlyalignswithcorporatestrategyandbusinessneed.The

trickis,IusewhateverstrategyandtoolsIneedtouseinordertogetthejobdone,andIdo

nothesitatetoabandononethatisfailingtotryanotherapproach.Asplanners,wetakegood

notes,keepourdatainorderandveteachotherswork.


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OperationsManager:Mydecisionsarebasedonoperationalimpactandoverallalignmentwiththebusinessstrategy.Ialwaysexaminefromastrategicpointofview:

Whataretheimpactstoourusergroups? Howbroadlywillthisnewtechnologybedeployed? Whatistheriskinvolvedwiththistechnology? Whatisthetimingofthisinitiative? DoIhaveenoughpeopleonmyteamwiththerightskillsettodeployand

supportthisinitiativesuccessfully?Ifnot,istheresomeotherwayIcan

supportthisclientwithmyteamsexpertise?CanIhelpthembuildasubject

matterexpertthroughcoaching?

Oncetraininghasbeendeliveredtothefirstclass,wasitsuccessful?Doesitneedtobemodified?

Thetoughestthingtodoistocheckyouregoatthedoor.Puttingpeopletogetherintosmall

teamstobuildnewcurriculahelpsustoavoidthispitfall,especiallyinanenvironment

whereideasarewelcomeandfeedbackisnottakenasapersonalattack.Evenwithallofthis,

sometimes,onrareoccasions,wehavetopullacurriculumapartandstartover.Butwedoitassoonasweidentifywehaveaproblemandwetaketimeafterwardstoanalyzewherewe

wentwrongandwhatwecouldhavedonebetter.Failureattheclientlevelissimplynotan

option.Failuretolearnfromamistakeisalostopportunity.

Onceyoustayrelevant,thenthechallengeishowtofindthetimetodoalltheworkthat

startscomingyourway.

LeadershipSkills.Leadingateamlikethisisparticularlychallengingbecauseeducatorsaresmartandmotivated.Keepingonestepaheadofthemintermsofkeepingthemengaged,

relevantandawareofthebusinessstrategytakeseffort.Operatingtransparentlyasaleader

requiresatremendousamountoftwo-waytrust.Italsorequirescommunication,

demonstrationofkeyvaluesineverydaywork,andtheabilitytoreadyourteamonany

givenday,bothintermsofwhatitneedstogetthejobdonepracticallyandemotionally,and

whatitisupagainstintermsofclientexpectationsandbusinessdemands.Youcannotdo

thisinavacuum.


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Manylearningmanagersaregoodleaderswithintheirindividualeducationsilos,butinthis

globalvillage,youcannolongeraffordtoleadinasmallsilo.Youmustmaketimeto

networkwithprofessionalcolleaguesandclientsinsideandoutsideofyourarea.Youmust

demonstratethevaluesyouwantfromyourteam.Youractionsandwordsduringthenormal

courseofworkisaformofteaching.Yourteamwillshowyouwhatyoushowtheminkind.

Asamanager,mystrategyistobuildleaders:notteams.Goodleadersfunctionexceptionallywellin

teamsand,inordertohandlethevolumeofworkwehave,Ineedpeopleonmyteamatalllevels

whocanmakesounddecisionsaroundalltherightbusinessparameters.Thismeansthatmembers

ofmyteamarecoachedthroughnewprofessionalsituationsstretchassignmentsinorderto

ensuresuccessandhelpmakeeachassignmentatrainingopportunityaswell.Everyonegetsseveralstretchassignmentseachyear,whichforcesthemtothinkoutsideoftheirnormalwork

patternsandprocesses.MymanagersandIspendmoretimewatchingthesekindsofeventsthan

theday-in,day-outwork.

Mydailyworkasalearningleaderalsoincludessomeamountofplanningtimeandthinkingabout

whatmyteamneedstokeepforwardmomentumgoing.Iprioritizeworkthatwillkeepsomeone

progressingforwardtowardsdelivery.Ireviewwhatwehaveonourplateasateamatregular

intervalstoseehowthingshaveshifted.Iamalwaysgauginghowmuchworkisinthecuetobe

donemyteamandbymeoverthenextfewdays,monthsandquarters.

StrategicApproach.Ourstrategyistothinkpracticallyabouttheworkwehave.We

examineresources,costs,timetodeliverandexpertisewhenmakingdecisionsaround

curriculum.Wealsoshareourtoolsandprocesstemplateswithotherswecannotsupport,

andhelpthembuildsustainabletrainingwithintheirowndepartments.Weparticipateon

projectteamsandbusinessteamsinordertonetwork,getinformationfromothersandincreaseourvisibilityatthecompanylevel.Weshareinformationwehearifwethinkit

involvesatraininginitiativeandwefollowupwithourclientbaseonaregularbasis.

Idelegatealotofworkandsolicitandencouragefeedbackfrommyteamtoensurenothing

derails.Progressistrackedasateaminweeklymeetings.Ifithasgoneofftrack,itisalways

easiertofixifcaughtearly,andtheteamapproachisaquickwaytosolveaproblemand

assignextrahelpifneeded.


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InathrowbacktoTQM(TotalQualityManagement),Ihaveempoweredeverypersononmy

teamtopushanimaginarystopbuttononaprojectlongenoughtostateanissueor

concernandgetresolution.Manymanagersseepausesorstopsinworkasproductivity

killers.Iseethemforwhattheyreallyare:whatkeepsusfromwastingtimeandmoneyby

doingsomethingstupid.

Listeningisanotherkeyingredientofourlearningformula.Informationcancomefrom

manysources.Greatleadersdonotlettheiregosstandinthewayofgoodintelligencefrom

trusted,seasonedprofessionals,regardlessoftheirroleintheorganizationortheirlevelof

experience.Fixingmistakesbeforetheygetoutsideyourteamistheendgoal,becausethe

alternative-takingsomethinghalf-bakedtoaclient-iscredibilitysuicide.

Akeygamechangerformyteamisthatwehaveworkedtofigureoutourlearningculture.In

doingthis,wehavedefinedthedifferencebetweenTrainerandEducatorasitappliestous

andourbusinessmodel.Toourclients,wearefirstandforemostatrainingteam,sowewear

themantleofTrainerproudly.Trainingimpliesshowingsomeonehowtodosomething

withavarietyoftoolsandmethods.Weuseaninstructionaldesignmethodologyprocess

andsubjectmatterexpertstoseparatetheneed-to-knowfromthenice-to-know

information.Wethentranslatethatintorepeatableactionsouremployeesusetogetwork

done.Thismodelhasalwaysbeensuccessful.

ButIexpectmorethanthatfrommyteam.Theyareseasonedenoughtodelivertraining

ANDeducation.Manyofthemalreadydiditinstinctivelybecauseoftheirprofessional

backgrounds,providingperspectiveinareasthatwerenottechnicallyourpurview,like

editorialjudgmentandethicsofreporting.Ourstrategyincludesbuildingcontextintothe

trainingweprovidetohelpusersunderstandwhatsinitforthem.Thisextrastepisthedifferencebetweentrainingandeducation.Itrequiresexperience,gravitasandcommitment.

Whetherornotourcustomersrecognizeweareprovidingthisextraknowledgeandcontext

issomewhatirrelevant,becauseweseeitsimpactintheresults.

Italsomeansthat,inmyteam,newtrainershaveasteeplearningcurve.Learningthe

technologyisonlyhalfofthejob.Theyalsohavetolearnhowitshouldbeusedby

employeesinwaysthataligntoourcorebusinessmissionandvalues.Moreseniormembers

ofmyteamworkwithlessexperiencedtrainersovertimetohelpthemachievethelevelof


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educatorweneedthemtoreach.Westartournewtrainingemployeeswitha

comprehensivetrainingplanthatincludesallofourprocessesandtechnology.Wesolicit

opportunitiestoembedtrainerswithinworkenvironmentsaroundourcompanysotheycan

betterunderstandhowourclientsusethetoolswetrainonandwhattherisksarearound

corporatepolicy.WepartnerwithourHRandprofessionaldevelopmentcolleaguesto

ensurethattherearenotraininggapsinwhatwedeliverandthatwearealignedwith

corporatepolicies.Althoughwedonotteachwhattheydo,wehighlightpolicyguidelinesas

partofourclassesandcross-promotetheworkofourlearningcolleagueswithinthe

organizationtoensureourclientsgetthetotalknowledgebasetheyneedtosucceed.

Multi-tasking.

InmanylearningorganizationsIhavevisited,itisnotuncommonfortrainerstoworkon

oneortwoprojectsatatime.Membersofmyteamtypicallyjuggleseveraldifferentwork

assignmentsandtypesofworksimultaneously.Brainfatigueisreal.Whenyourjobisto

simplifycomplicatedinformationintosmall,retainablenuggetsthatcanbeappliedbya

worldwideusergroup,thepressuretoperformisreal.Workingonasingleproject,allthe

time,isfarfromoptimalforeducators.Conversely,havingalotofthingstoworkon(knowingdeadlinesloomfordeliverybutstillhavingthatoptiontodisengageandpickup

somethingnew)flexesmusclesthatmanyeducatorsignore.

Theplussideofthisisthatwebringdiversityofinformationandknowledgetotheteam,

whichisreflectedinthequalityofourassignmentsandinourdecision-makingprocess.We

getalotdonebecausewekeepthingsmovingallthetime.Thedownsideisthatwegetalot

done,soalotmoreworkisforwardedourway,butinthiseconomicclimate,thatisnotsuch

aterriblething.

ContinuousLearning.

Thisyear,Ihavechallengedmyteamtodevote3hoursaweektolearningsomething:

anythingthattheycouldsharewiththeteamthatwasnotcurriculum.Educatorsneedto

keeplearningortheywilleventuallyburnout.Itispartoftheircreativeprocess.


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Leadersofcreativeteamsneedtoknowwhatskillstheirteamhas,especiallytheonesthey

donotuseatwork.Youmayfindagoldennuggetofexperienceinthemixthatyoucanuseto

enhanceyourcurriculum.

IalsokeeptrackofwhatIdonotknowandlookforopportunitiestoeducatemyselfandmy

team.Thisistrueofourlearningprojectsinflight,butitalsoappliestoemergingbusiness

trendsandtools,aswellaschangesinmyowncompanysstrategicplanandvision.

EmbraceTeachableMoments.

Notalllearninghastohappeninaclassroomorinaformalsetting.Sometimesthatone

kernelofinformationattheexacttimeofneed,face-to-face,isallittakestoconvertacritic

toabeliever.

AnalyzeOpportunitiesandThreats .

Aspartofourregularmeetings,ourstatusreportsincludedebriefsfromprojectleadsthat

highlightopportunitiesandthreats.Whenaprojecthaseitheroneofthese,weexploreand

mitigatethreatsandfigureouthowtoexploittheopportunities.

ButthemostsignificantmeetingweholdisourstrategicplanningmeetingeachJanuary.In

it,wecoveroursuccessesandfailuresfromthepreviousyear.Wealsoidentifywhatwe

wanttoaccomplishinthecurrentyearintermsofourownperformance.Thefirstyearwe

didthis,weweregettingtoknoweachother.Iwasthenewkidontheblockandtheywere

skepticalofme.Ifacilitatedtheentiremeeting.Icloseditoutwithmyperformancegoals

andvisionfortheteamevolution.Wetooknotesandkeptthem.Itwasouractionplan.

Everyonewasenergizedandonthesamepage.

Twelvemonthslater,membersoftheteamparticipatedinrunningthemeeting.Werepeated

manyofthesameexercises,particularlythevisionsessionwherewedetailedwhatwe

wantedtoaccomplish,andIpulledoutthepreviousyearsnotes.Wecomparedouraction

planagainstouractualperformanceandtheahamomenthappenedaroundtheroom.The

teamrealizedthatbytakingthetimetoanalyzewhatwehadachievedinthepreviousyear

andenvisioninghowwewantedtochangeourwork,wecoulddeliverwhatwesetouttodo.Thesewerenotallsimplethings.Thelistincludedthingslikebuildingcredibilityasateam,


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improvingourlearningprocessesandimprovingourclientrelationships.Wewantedtosay

nolessandyesmore.Wewantedtobechallengedbyourworkandtobepresentand

visibleonprojectteams.Intwelvemonths,weaccomplishedthisinsmall,incrementalsteps

fromweektoweek.Weplannedourworkandworkedourplan.Anditworked.We

accomplished95%ofwhatwesaidwewouldinthewaywesaidwewantedtodoit,because

weemployedastrategythatembracedchange.

Thefactisthatourstrategicroadmapchangesasmuchasourbusinessdoes,butour

strategydoesnot.Wefocusonfinetuningourprocessessowecanaccommodatechangeand

keepupwithbusinessdemands.Weworkonourselvesandourskillsets.Weleadby

example.And,mostimportantly,wedonotsweatchangeanymore.Asateamoflearningleaders,wemakeithappen.

ExamplesofStrategyinAction.

Blitz.In2010,wecrashedtogetheracurriculumforacriticalbusinessinitiativewithzero

notice.Inlessthan48hours,wedesigned,developedandlearnedacoursethatwetaughton

arotatingcyclethenextday.Wecalledthisourblitzmethodology,becausewehadnever

putsomethingtogethersoquicklyandbeeninapositiontodeliveritwithspeed.Weonly

taughtwhatwasabsolutelynecessaryintheclassroom.Wekeptclassesshortandprovided

handoutsthatwerebriefbutcoveredthebasics.Weofferedclassesalldaylong,including

distancelearning.Ourcustomerslovedit.Theylearnedwhattheyneededtoin30-minute

incrementsandweofferedtheclasssoregularlythattheycouldcatchitwhenitfitintotheir

schedule.Clientresponsewasfantastic.Weknewwewereontosomething.

Thisyear,forourannualstrategicplanningmeeting,wefeltwecouldtakewhatwelearned

fromthenewblitzcoursein2010andbuilduponthetheorythatlessismorewithsomeof

ourmature,business-criticalcourses.Wehadbeendeliveringthemforsolongthatwehad

notstoppedtothinkabouthowwecouldmakethembetterandmoreengaging.Therewas

noreasontoeverrevisittheclassoutlinebecauseithad,infact,workedverywelltodate.So,

webrokeupintofourteams,identifiedfourofourhighfrequencycoursesthatwedeliver

yearroundanddecidedtopullthemapart.


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Wetookadifferentblitzapproachthistime.Teamsweregivenafewminutestolookatthe

oldoutlinesandidentifywhatwascriticalversusnicetoknowinformation.Weeliminated

thefluff.Throughincremental,timedexercisesthatfocusedononethingatatime,we

modifiedthecoursesthroughouttheday,buildingnewoutlinesandidentifyingwhatcontent

couldbepushedtoalternativedeliverymethodslikeCaptivates,quickstartguidesand

onlinevideos.

Results?Twoofour90-minuteclasseswerepareddownandcombinedintoasingle,one-

hourclass.Thatstwohoursofsavingsperstudent!Anotherpairingcycleturned4.5hours

ofclasstimeintoathree-hourcourse,saving90minutesperstudent.Weaddedmore

practicedrillsinclassesthathelpedinfusesomefunintothelearningmix.Collaborationbetweenmembersofmyteamandwillingnesstoshedegoaboutwhatthecoursescontained

madethissuccessful.

TipsforCreatingandSustainingaPerformingLearningTeam

Breakoutofyoursilooflearningandexperienceyourcorporateculturethroughyour

clientgroups.Youcandothisby:

Conductingappreciativeinquiriestounderstandtheir6-18monthroadmapsforwork.

Takingtimeattheendofaprojecttoaskcustomersifthetrainingwaseffectiveandrelevant.

Reachingouttoothereducatorsinyourorganizationandaskingthemhowtheydowhatyoudo.

Operatetransparentlywithinyourteam. Sharebusinessknowledgeandhowitimpactsyourwork. Demonstratethisbycommunicatinginformationandchangesefficiently

andquickly.

Developworkprocessesandmodelsthatcanaccommodatechange. Buildleaders.Developyourteamsleadershipskillsby:

Demonstratingtheskillsandvaluesyouwantthemtoemulate.


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Encouragingcontinuouslearningandselfeducationaspartoftheteamswork.

Manageyourresourceswisely:people,moneyandtime. Trackyourmetricsandtellyourstory.TheC-suiteneedstoknowwhatyoudoand

howsuccessfulyouareatit.

Donotbeafraidtotakeriskswithyourcurriculum,especiallyifitisstaleormundane.Dothisby:

Lookingatitwithfresheyes. Challengingyourteamtoidentifycriticalversusnicetohavecurricula.

IfIwereaskedforhelpbysomeonedevelopingalearningstrategyfromscratch,thesearethe

fivemostimportantpointsIwouldshare:

Youmustknowexactlywhereyouarenowbeforeyoumakeanychangestostrategy.Todothis,youneedtwokeypiecesofinformation:

Whatyourteamactuallydelivers,includinghowmuch,howoften,andtowhom.Itisimportantnottoexcludehowyourteammembersfeelabouttheir

workperformanceinthisanalysis.Iftheyarenothappy,youmustfindtheroot

oftheproblem.

Whatyourclientsthinkofyourteamswork.Howisitreceivedbythem?Whatarethechallengesyourclientsarefacing?Aretheysatisfiedwithwhatyouare

deliveringintermsofcontent,classduration,deliverymethods,etc.?

Dream.Specificallyastheleader,developavisionforhowyouwantyourteamtobeperceived/received.Whatdoesyourfinalstrategylookandfeellike?Howwillyourteam

membersperformonceyourstrategyisimplemented?

Strategicallytargetsolutionsinyourstrategy.Ifyouattempttosolveeveryproblemallatonce,youwillfail.Myapproachistoworkontheeasiestthingstofixfirst,andexecute

expeditiouslysothattheteamhasaquickwin.Oncethisiscomplete,youshouldprioritize

howyoutackleyourmoresignificantobjectivesbasedoncriticalneedandvolumeof

clientsserved.

Executeyourstrategythroughsmallnotlargetasks.Realchangedoesnothappenovernight;however,consistentlyfinishingmanysmallthingseventuallyaddsuptobig

change.


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Evaluatehowyouaredoingwithyourentireteam.Inordertodothis,thewholeteamhastounderstandyourvisionandbelieveitisachievable.Then,workwiththemtomeasure

howwellyourtasksareaccomplishingyourgoal.Ifyourtasksdonotalignwithyourend

strategicvision,thenyoumustregroupandrealigntoyourbusinessplan.

LisaPedrogo,CNNLisaPedrogoistheDirectorofCNNsBroadcastEngineeringandSystemsTechnologyUniversity.Inthispositionsince2008,shemanagesateamofeducatorsthatdevelopsanddeliverscustomizedcurriculumandtraining

toCNNemployeesworldwide.BESTUtrainersactivelyparticipateonprojectteams,providefacilitationandconsultationservicesaroundtraininginitiatives,andperformacceptanceandQAtestingonnewhardwareandsoftware.Previously,LisawasaseniorprojectmanagerwithBEST,responsiblefortheCNNHDnetworklaunch,theNewYorkTimeWarnerCenterbuildandtheLABureaurenovation.Priortothat,shewasthedirectorofoperationsforCNNfn.ShebeganhercareeratCNNin1989asaproductionassistant,holdingmanynewsroompositionsbeforecrossingintooperationsmanagementin

1995.


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BuildingtheCaseforaLearning

StrategyAStrategyPerspectivefromWasteManagement,Inc.RubenBonales,M.Ed.

Nervousdoesnotseemtobetheappropriatewordforthissituation.Concerned?Yes.Intimidated?

Maybe.Prepared?Asmuchasispossible.

December,2010-IwassittingoutsidetheWasteManagementBoardRoomwithmySeniorVice

PresidentofHumanResources,waitingtoprovidetheboardwithwhatcouldbetheriskiestyetmost

beneficialpresentationofmycareer.Iwasabouttopresentathree-yearstrategytotheWaste

ManagementBoardofDirectorsonhowourlearningfunctionwasgoingtoprovidetangible,track-

ableandsignificantbusinessresultstotheenterprise.Additionally,Iwasabouttomakea

commitmenttotheBoardthatourlearningfunctionwouldhaveanewdashboardandreporting

systemtoshowtheseresultsbyQ4ofthefollowingyear.Iwouldessentiallybecommittingmyteam

andselftopresentingtheboardwithsomethingthatourorganizationhadneverseen:truelearning

effectivenessmeasures.

BeforeIcontinue,letsstepbackthreeyearstowhenIfirststartedconstructinglearningstrategiesfor

WasteManagement.Inotherwords,howdidIbuildandexecutealearningstrategythatcouldgain

theattentionofthemostsenioroversightforourcorporation,theBoardofDirectors?Threekeyareas

enabledmeandmyteamtogainthislevelofvisibility:alignmentwithorganizationalgoals,strongrelationshipswiththebusinessandtangiblebusinessresults.

First,letuslookataligninglearningstrategieswithorganizationalgoals.Aligninglearningoutcomes

andobjectiveswithorganizationalgoalsisparamountinconstructinganeffectivelearningstrategy.I

cametoworkforWasteManagementin2006astheTrainingManagerforFleetandLogistics.Atthe

time,therehadbeennolearningsupportprovidedforthisbusinessfunctionastheywereseenasa

costcenterfortheorganization.Vehicleprocurement,setup,repairandoperationwerenecessary

costsofdoingbusinessinatransportationenvironment,butnotgeneratorsofrevenue.


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Consequently,anewVicePresidentofFleetandLogisticshadbeenpromotedfromwithinthe

organizationandshesawtheneedtoshowmorebusinessintegrationwithintheFleetandLogistics

group.Shecamefromamilitarybackgroundwherelearningwastieddirectlytobusinessgoalsand

objectives.Themilitarymottofortraining,iftherewastrainingtobeheld,therewereresultstobehad

resonatedwithme,asItoocomefromamilitarybackground.IwasjustleavingtheAirForceafterover

thirteenyearsofservice.Mostofthattimewasspentindirectorindirectsupportoflearning.

MyfirstobjectiveincomingtoWasteManagementwastoconstructalearningstrategy.Tobuildthis

strategy,Iconductedaneedsassessment.Aswithmostthingslearningrelated,therearemanyways

thatonecanconductaneedsassessment;however,onekeythatIhavefoundinconductingan

effectiveneedsassessmentisunderstandingtheorganizationalstrategyandgoals.Thatmeansknowinghowthosegoalscascadedownintothebusinessandidentifyingwhatgapsexistin

knowledge,skillsorattitudes/behaviors(KSAs)thatcanbefilledinordertoattainthesegoals.During

myneedsassessment,itbecameveryclearthattherewasalackofKSAsinalllevelsofFleetand

Logistics.Noformalorstandardizedtrainingwasbeingprovidedbythecompanytoourfrontline

mechanics,ourmaintenancesupervisorsorourseniormaintenanceleadership.Thedecisiontreefor

promotingsomeonetoleadershipwithintheorganizationdealtmainlywithorganizationaltenure,

usuallywithinarolethatdidnotrequirethesamecompetenciesasthepromotablerole.Inaddition,thehiringoftechnicianswasveryinconsistent.Therewasnoformofcompetencyassessmentto

ensurethatwewerehiringtherightindividualwhohadtherightlevelofskillrequiredtoexecutethe

jobeffectively.

ThenextkeypieceofdataIidentifiedinmyneedsassessmentwasrelatedtoKeyPerformance

Indicators(KPIs).Overallmaintenancecost,taskcycletimeandvehicleuptimewerethreeKPIsthat

hadbecomedepartmentalgoalsandemergedfromtheorganizationalgoalthatdemandedcutsof$50

millioninmaintenancespendinoneyear.Inaddition,IidentifiedthattheMaintenanceManagers(or

FleetManagers)wouldbethekeypointsofaccountabilityforensuringtheattainmentoftheoverall

maintenancespendreduction.Asaresult,oneofthefirsttacticalobjectivesIdeterminedwastobuild

andexecutealearningeventdesignedtomeasuretheeffectivenessofournewMaintenanceManagers

inexecutingthefundamentalsoftheirjobandtheirabilitytodeliverontheirKPIs.Weneededto

supporttheminthatprocess.

TherewereseveralstepsinvolvedindevelopingWasteManagementsfirstnew-hireFleetManagertrainingevent:FleetManager101.First,IconstructedacompetencymodelofwhattheidealFleet


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Managershouldbeexecutinggiventhecompanysstrategicdirection.Second,Icreatedablended

learningexperiencethatrequiredbothpre-andpost-work,aswellassomeonlineandclassroom

sessions.Third,IcreatedameasurementsystemtoensurethatallfourlevelsofKirkpatricksModel

werebeingcaptured.Finally,Ipilotedtheprogramtoensureoveralleffectiveness.

Sixmonthslater,IpilotedournewFleetManager101programwithtwogroupsofnewFleet

Managers.Therequirementstoentertheprogramweresimple:6to18monthsintheroleand

nominationbytheirmanagers.WepilotedthecourseandIamhappytostatethatnotonlywasthe

programsuccessfulinlevelsonetothreeoflearningevaluation,butthelevelfourresultsexceeded

expectations.Maintenancecostsforthetwopilotgroups(measuredincost/driverhour)decreasedby

$.28vs.$.03fortherestoftheFleetManagers.Vehicleuptimeincreased9%inthepilotgroupsversus3%fortherestoftheorganization.Inaddition,maintenancereworks(havingtoredoamaintenance

failurethathasalreadybeencompletedatleastonce)decreasedbyover30%inthepilotgroups.

ThecoursewassuchasuccessthatitbecamemandatoryforallFleetManagerstoattend.

Additionally,theone-personroleIwasinextendedtoateamoffifteenpeople,allofwhomIled,and

weexceededourmaintenancesavingsgoalfortheyear.Whatwasthekeytothissuccess?Aligning

learningstrategieswithorganizationalgoals.Notallofthoseresultswouldhavebeenrealizedifthere

hadnotbeenadirectlinkagebetweenthelearningstrategythatwedevelopedandthecompanys

goals.Alignmentensuredsuccessandpavedthewayforcontinuedsuccessinthefuture;however,

alignmenttoorganizationalgoalsisnottheonlyingredientforsuccessincreatingandexecutingan

effectivelearningstrategy.Businessrelationshipsareimperativeifyouwantyoureffortstobecome

morethanatemporarysuccess.

Haveyoueverseenabusinessbookentitled,HowtoGainaSeatattheSeniorLeadershipTableWhen

youareinOperations?NeitherhaveI.Operationalrolesdonothavetogaincredibility.Theyalreadyhave,bydefinition,validity,accountabilityandtangibilitywithregardstotheorganization.Learning,

though,canbeadifferentstory.CorporateLearningStrategiesmusthaveallthreeofthose

componentsinordertobesuccessful.Moreover,greatbusinessrelationshipsneedtoexisttofacilitate

andkeepaseatattheSeniorLeadershipTable.

PriortomycurrentrolewithWasteManagement,IwastheDirectorofCustomerOptimization.My

rolewashybridinthatIledateamofprocessimprovementprofessionalswholookedtooptimizethe

end-to-endcustomerexperiencealongwithasmallteamoflearningprofessionalsresponsibleforthe


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successfulimplementationoftheotherhalfsinitiatives.Spanningtheentirecustomerexperience

presentedquiteachallengeinthatalmosteveryareaofthebusinesswasimpacted:sales,setup,

operations,maintenance,contactcenters,etc.Asyoucanimagine,eachfunctionhaditsownmarching

ordersandagenda,makinguniversalacceptanceofanyprocess,standardormetricchanges

extremelychallenging.

RelationshipsbecamethebackboneofwhatmyteamandIwouldexecuteoverourstrategyduringthe

threeyearsIwasinthisrole.Itisonethingtoconstructastrategyforyourownteamandexecuteit.Itis

anotherchallengetoaffectateamforwhichyouhavenoresponsibility,butalotofaccountability.

Buildingrelationshipswascrucial.Todoso,Ihadtobeabletospeakthesamelanguageasmybusiness

partners.DeliveringalectureonMaslowsHierarchywouldnothavebeencareerenhancing!IamalsocertainthatthenameKirkpatrickwouldhavemeantnothingtomybusinesscounterparts.Talkingabout

theirteamsgoals,understandingthebusinessneedsandspeakingtoparallellearningandbusiness

objectiveswerethekeystocreatingandsustainingsolidbusinessrelationships.

TwoofthemostchallengingVicePresidentsthatIworkedwithhappenedtobethetwobiggest

internalcustomersformyteam,andbothhaddifferingviewsonhowIwastoexecutemyteams

strategy.OneoftheVPswantedtolookatthetacticaldetailspriortoengagingtheorganizational

picture.Shewantedprocessestobefleshedoutforoperationsbeforewebeganourchange

managementstrategy.TheotherVPalsowantedtolooktacticallyatgettingourfrontlineemployees

softskillstraining,butalsopriortotakingthefirststepsofthechangeprocess.EachVPhadavalid

pointofconcernandobjectivetobeaccomplished.Thequestionwas,howcouldIgetthemtoseethat

weneededtostepbackandlookstrategicallyathowtherolloutandimplementationplanwouldbe

mosteffective?Inasense,Ineededtobeseenasatrustedadvisorandstrategicpartner:notjustan

instrumentfordictation.

IspentlonghoursmeetingwithbothVPsinordertounderstandtheirgoals,discussoverallstrategy

andidentifyhowourteamwouldsupportthisstrategy.Intheend,Iwasabletoestablishsomekey

relationalcomponentswitheachofthem:credibility,trustandaccountability.Allthreewererequired

formeandmyteamtoputthewheelsinmotionandgainthebusinessresultsthatweallwanted.

Again,thekeyherewasspeakingtoourgoals,whichweretheorganizationalgoalsforwhichallofus

wereaccountable.


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Intheend,myteamsresultswereastounding.Iwasabletogainbuy-in,commitmentandsupport

fromallofourkeystakeholders.Thelocationsthatpilotedournewprogramsrealizeda21%increase

inCustomerEngagementscoresandIhadestablishedabusinessrelationshipthatspannedthe

organizationandfosteredmyteamsseatatthetableoftheSeniorLeadershipTeam.Thiswasthe

impetusforchange,notonlyforourteam,butfortheorganizationasawhole.

Onekeytosuccessthatmaybeobviousbasedonmypreviouspoints(andis,frankly,whatIbelieveto

bethegreatestkeytobuildingandexecutinglearningstrategies)istheneedforbusinessresults.

Iwouldarguethatnolearningstrategyistrulyeffectiveifthatstrategydoesnottiebacktobusiness

results.Thisfinalpieceofthelearningstrategypuzzleistrulythemostimportant.TheresultsIhave

listedallbelongtothebusiness.Alllevelsoflearningeffectivenessmeasuresareimportantandno

learningprofessionalwouldarguethat.Nevertheless,withoutthebusinessimpactmeasurement,in

myopinion,yourstrategyisflawed.

In2007,theSeniorVicePresidentofHumanResourcesforWasteManagementsetagoalofreturning

$.25EarningsperShare(EPS)toallWasteManagementshareholdersbytheyear2010.Boldmoves

consideringmostHRdepartmentsseemtobefocusedoninternalclientsratherthanexternalones;

however,theSVPofHRsawthevalueinmarshallingpeoplestrategies,andheunderstoodtheneedto

gainaseatattheSeniorLeadershiptablethatwentbeyondtraditionHumanCapitalboundaries.

Consequently,eachdepartmentunderhisheadshipwasresponsiblefornotonlyconstructing,but

alsoexecutingthisstrategy.NopartofHRwastobeleftout.Wewouldsucceedorfailtogetherasa

team,andthisincludedthelearninganddevelopmentteamaswell.

Overthecourseofthenextthreeyears,HRbecameatrustedadvisorandtruebusinesspartner.The

HumanCapitalprocesswasseenasapipelinewitheachpartofHRtakingownershipofkeypieces,

accountablefortheoveralloutcomes.WemarshaledresourcestoimproveourTalentAcquisition

processandtechnology,ouron-boardingprocess,ourdevelopmentandmentoringprocesses,our

systemofrewardsandourprocessesforinternalpromotion.

In2010,wecouldlistallthetangibleHumanCapitalmetricsthathadbeenimpactedthroughourHR

teamsefforts.Wecouldshowhowwehadslashedthetimerequiredtofillvacancies,decrease

turnover,etc.Nevertheless,whatreallygrabbedpeoplesattentioniswhentheentireHRTeam

presentedtheresultof$.28EPSrealizedthroughourHRinitiativesby2010.Wehadnotonlymet,butexceededourgoalby$.03.AsourSVPofHRclosedhisteamspresentationtotheboard,themetric


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thatheldthemostweightwasthemetricthataffectedourmostimportantstakeholders:shareholders.

Havingtangiblebusinessmetricsiswhatmadethedifferenceinnotonlyourlearningstrategy,but

alsoourorganizationsoverallstrategy.

FlashbacktomyopeningstandingoutsidetheWasteManagementBoardRoomwaitingtopresenta

three-yearstrategytotheWasteManagementBoardofDirectorsonhowourlearningfunctionwas

goingtoprovidetangible,track-ableandsignificantbusinessresultstotheenterprise.Whatgotmeinto

thisposition?Threethingsregardingmylearningstrategy:alignmenttoorganizationalgoals,strong

relationshipswiththebusinessandtangiblebusinessresults.TheboardtookabreakafterIconcluded

mypresentation.Icannottellyouhowmanyofitsmembers,includingtheCEO,cameuptothankme

afterwardsformypresentation,butmostimportantly,forhavingmyeyeonthebusiness.IdidnotgettheirattentionthroughlearningeffectivenessmeasuresorHRspeak.Whatgottheirattentionwasmy

focusonwhatismostimportanttothem:thebusiness.Afterall,thebusinessiswhatweareallhereto

support,andifwearetosupportthebusinesseffectively,wehavetobeabletoshowthevaluewebring

tothebusiness.Thatiswhatasolidlearningstrategydoes,anddoesextremelywell.

RubenBonales

RubenBonales,formerlyworkedastheDirectorofCorporateLearningat

WasteManagementandnowistheAssociateDirectorforGlobal

LeadershipDevelopment,Astellas

RubenBonalesjoinedWasteManagement,aFORTUNE200company

withrevenuesof$12.5billionandnearly45,000employees,in2006.He

becametheDirectorofCorporateLearningin2009.Inthisrole,RubenwasresponsibleforInstructionalSystemsDesign(ISD),WasteManagementUniversity(WMU),

LearningEffectivenessMeasures,LeadershipDevelopment,andlearningsupporttothecorporate

functions.In2011,RubenleftWasteManagementandisnowtheAssociateDirectorofGlobalLeadership

DevelopmentatAstellas.Inhisnewrole,Rubenisresponsiblefordevelopingandexecutingthe

company'sfirstgloballeadershipprogram,startingwithseniorexecutiveslocatedacrossthe

globe.Rubenhasover15yearsofgloballearningandorganizationaldevelopmentexperienceandholds

aBachelorofScienceDegreeinOccupationalEducation/BusinessandaMasterofEducationDegreeinBusiness,bothfromWaylandBaptistUniversityinTexas.


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LearningStrategyatShell:

2Parts,3Pathways&3HorizonsAStrategyPerspectivefromShellWillemManders

Introduction

ObjectiveThischapterexplainsShellslearningstrategyandprovidesinsightinto:

HowtheShelllearningstrategyisstructured Howthestrategyisbuilt Thekeyprioritiesfor2011andbeyond

ShellShellisaglobalgroupofenergyandpetrochemicalscompanieswitharound93,000

employeesinmorethan90countriesandterritories.TheobjectivesoftheShellgroupareto

engageefficiently,responsiblyandprofitablyinoil,oilproducts,gas,chemicalsandother

selectedbusinesses,andtoparticipateinthesearchforanddevelopmentofothersourcesof

energytomeetevolvingcustomerneedsandtheworldsgrowingdemandforenergy.The

mainbusinessesare:

Upstr

learning strategies final 8-2-11

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