Companies as LearningOrganizations
It is easy to see howthere are isolated cases of successful training experiences Some companies areahead of the curve and some are just catching up In your selected industry forstudy (Coffee Manufacturing), select two companies that you think have a successfulprogram for developing leaders or might be in trouble You decide
Compare how these twocompanies are developing their workforces Include at least one section on whatyou think is missing in their strategies and what you would recommend be added
Step 1: Select acompany
How do you find thesecompanies?
Go to one of thepublications that specialize in innovative thinking, like Fast Company You caneasily access their information at CEO Express Company Fast Company is knownfor covering socially responsible organizations as well as not-for-profit organizationsin the same view with the for-profit world
Step 2: Researchinternal information on the question “is this a global learningorganization”?
Another tool is toread the list of officers of the company and the names of board members Isthere a chief learning officer? Is the HR executive listed as one of the toppeople in the company? Is either on the board of directors? Are any educatorson the board of directors?
Step 3: Researchcurrent news on the company
Do an Internet searchfor news articles on the company:
-Search on the companyname and any language from the annual report that you think is particularlyimportant
– Instead of doing ageneral Web search; look for a news category in your search engine
Look for news on thechief learning officer by name, if your selected company has one Research theHR director’s name: where has he or she appeared recently? What speeches havehim or her given? Those speeches may be an indicator of what is happening inthe company
Step 4: Compile yourresearch into a comparison paper
Create an outline ofthe criteria for a global learning organization Remember, there is no one bestmodel From your knowledge of a learning organization, what do you think is thepriority? Your paper should cover the answers to three main questions:
-Is there any evidenceof a program or strategy for learning?
-Is there evidence ofcommitment from the leadership team?
-Is there any evidenceof success or failure in the program?
Fast Company
wwwfastcompanycom
CEO Express Company
wwwceoexpresscom
