As we continue to study best practices in the implementation of corporate learning and talent management, we find that high performing organizations fall into two categories:  those who endure and prosper over long periods of time (decades), and those who rapidly rise to prominence, then falter during a major business challenge, and often become acquired (or disappear). The former are what we call “enduring organizations” – and they typically become iconic brands which provide tremendous returns to shareholders, employees, and customers.   (These are the types of companies that Warren Buffet likes to invest in. )  The latter are exciting companies to read about, but often disappear and become historic roadmarks in the highway of progress (one could call them “roman candles”).    Fast-growing, trend-setting companies (e.
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As we prepare for our annual research conference, I want to mention an important topic which has come up frequently in the last few weeks:  the critical importance of managing innovation. All organizations in all industries must continuously deal with change. Our research continues to show that one of the greatest strengths of enduring organizations is the ability to effectively adapt to change.    Every market we study is undergoing continuous change: Global climate change and a focus on environmentalism is changing manufacturing, technology, insurance, and consulting.   Tesco is computing the carbon footprint of almost every product it sells.
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This week we talked with five top Chief Learning Officers representing training leadership at EMC, Extra Space Storage, MetLife, Textron, and Trinity Health. This group of learning leaders will be discussing their L&D strategies and solutions at our upcoming research conference. One of the biggest topics we discussed was how to build a corporate training organization which is highly aligned with the business's most urgent needs. In each case, these individuals told us about how they stay business-driven and well aligned. A few key findings: These high-impact learning leaders all have direct line-of-business backgrounds.
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