This book speaks to the rising importance of Corporate Learning as a business function that is increasingly critical to organizations in todays volatile and fast-changing world. It opens by setting the stage through fresh conceptual perspectives that challenge and transcend the traditional paradigm of corporate learning. Through a number of original, not yet published frameworks, the domain of corporate learning is redefined as the core engine for building sustainable strategic competence into the DNA of a firm, making the practice an indispensable enabler of continuous strategic innovation and change. Following this, The Smart Enterprise presents a dozen cutting-edge case studies that demonstrate in detail how leading global and very large corporations are using the power of innovative Corporate Learning approaches to drive innovation, enhance cultural values, master post-merger integration, transform business models, build technological expertise, foster strategic change processes, and more. In short, the book redefines the domain of corporate learning as a core business practice for creating sustainable strategic and organizational capabilities to successfully compete in the 21st century. Part 1 sets the stage by providing a framework for a more comprehensive and strategic perspective of the Corporate Learning Agenda, beyond a traditional training and development function. Special emphasis is given to integrating learning interventions with the strategy process of the firm. The framework will create a foundation for a deeper understanding of the cases that constitute Part 2. It will also serve as a reference for a critical discussion of each case. Part 2 consists of 12 case studies covering global corporations that have embarked on innovative Corporate Learning initiatives yielding strategic impact. These cases will open new horizons for appreciating how Corporate Learning as a business practice can contribute to the strategic and operational performance of an organization. The cases are a treasure box of war stories featuring a wide scope of transformational adventures in industries such as telecom (BT Group, formerly British Telecom), aerospace (EADS, parent company of Airbus), pharmaceuticals (Novartis), chemicals (BASF, worlds #1 chemical company), engineering (Siemens, ABB), banking (Unicredit, one of Europes largest banks), consulting (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), and others thus driving the boundaries of the practice way beyond the established notion of simple training and management education.
Book Details:
- Author: Roland Deiser
- ISBN: 9780470490679
- Year Published: 2009
- Pages: 352
- BISAC: BUS030000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Human Resources & Personnel Management
About the Book and Topic:
This book speaks to the rising importance of Corporate Learning as a business function that is increasingly critical to organizations in todays volatile and fast-changing world. It opens by setting the stage through fresh conceptual perspectives that challenge and transcend the traditional paradigm of corporate learning. Through a number of original, not yet published frameworks, the domain of corporate learning is redefined as the core engine for building sustainable strategic competence into the DNA of a firm, making the practice an indispensable enabler of continuous strategic innovation and change. Following this, The Smart Enterprise presents a dozen cutting-edge case studies that demonstrate in detail how leading global and very large corporations are using the power of innovative Corporate Learning approaches to drive innovation, enhance cultural values, master post-merger integration, transform business models, build technological expertise, foster strategic change processes, and more. In short, the book redefines the domain of corporate learning as a core business practice for creating sustainable strategic and organizational capabilities to successfully compete in the 21st century. Part 1 sets the stage by providing a framework for a more comprehensive and strategic perspective of the Corporate Learning Agenda, beyond a traditional training and development function. Special emphasis is given to integrating learning interventions with the strategy process of the firm. The framework will create a foundation for a deeper understanding of the cases that constitute Part 2. It will also serve as a reference for a critical discussion of each case. Part 2 consists of 12 case studies covering global corporations that have embarked on innovative Corporate Learning initiatives yielding strategic impact. These cases will open new horizons for appreciating how Corporate Learning as a business practice can contribute to the strategic and operational performance of an organization. The cases are a treasure box of war stories featuring a wide scope of transformational adventures in industries such as telecom (BT Group, formerly British Telecom), aerospace (EADS, parent company of Airbus), pharmaceuticals (Novartis), chemicals (BASF, worlds #1 chemical company), engineering (Siemens, ABB), banking (Unicredit, one of Europes largest banks), consulting (PriceWaterhouseCoopers), and others thus driving the boundaries of the practice way beyond the established notion of simple training and management education.
It has become common sense that competitive success, if not the survival of most of todays organizations, is now primarily dependent on their ability to learn, to innovate and to change on an ongoing, sometimes radical basis. Given this, one might think that the learning imperative would have already led to a steep rise in the importance and reputation of Corporate Learning activities as a key strategic organizational practice, on equal footing with Finance or Marketing and high on the agenda of the CEO. However, the fact is, the Corporate Learning agenda is still struggling to get an adequate voice in the boardroom. The practice of Learning does not yet have a seat at the table where things really happen. The primary reason for the ongoing marginalization of Learning, despite its known strategic importance, is that the debate about the value and contribution of Learning is driven by a restrictive understanding of the subject, one that has its roots in a traditional school-based approach to qualification and training. While traditional education and people development remain important, the true challenge large organizations face today is creating and managing enabling architectures that systematically build strategic and organizational capabilities — such as speed, responsiveness, responsibility, innovation, and creativity — into the companys DNA. This new and ambitious concept of strategic learning has little to do with our traditional understanding of training and education. Learning that wants to have a transformational impact can no longer take place in comfortable seminar settings; it must become an integral component of entrepreneurial activity. The very heart of the corporate learning agenda must focus on strategic initiatives that nurture, develop, and leverage a companys strategic competence.
First of its Kind: Other books on Corporate Learning are either scholarly, theoretical contributions from the field of Organizational Learning and Development, or step-by-step guides from consultants that aim to provide recipes on how to create the right architecture for corporate learning. The Smart Enterprise instead provides an interdisciplinary perspective linking strategy, organization, and learning and it connects these with in-depth lessons from the experience of world-class players that cover a broad spectrum of transformational learning projects. Case Studies from World-class Organizations: The cases are honest war stories that reveal the scope of organizational creativity as well as the potential hurdles and pitfalls when it comes to designing transformational learning initiatives in large scale systems. The book will feature case studies from: Cisco, ABB, BASF, EADS, ERGO Group, Novartis, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Siemens, Unicredit Group, and the U.S. Army. Co-published with European Corporate Learning Forum: ECLF is an international network of companies consortium of Chief Learning Officers from the major global players, such as Siemens, ABB, AXA, British Telecom, Nokia, Air France, Bertelsmann, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, ING, EADS, Merck, Novartis, Swiss Life, UBS, LOreal, and others. The author is the founder and Chairperson of the organization. Many of the companies providing cases are members of this network. We expect that featured companies as well as most other members will purchase a significant number of copies to distribute among their leaders, for a total of 5000-6000 special sales copies. Links Strategy and Learning: The Smart Enterprise takes a different approach in that the book provides an interdisciplinary perspective linking strategy, organization, and learning and it connects these with in-depth lessons from the experience of world-class players that cover a broad spectrum of transformational learning projects. The book does not recommend a specific right or wrong model. It rather illustrates the richness of possible approaches in different contexts, based on a holistic understanding of learning, innovation, and change. Instructors Guide: Features a robust IG, which will include a test bank, chapter-by-chapter teaching guides, and lesson plans.
About the Author
Roland Deiser is an internationally recognized expert on strategy, organizational change, and innovation, with a focus on building strategic capabilities into large-scale systems. His professional work is strongly rooted both in both academia and practice. He is the founder Executive Chairman of the European Corporate Learning Forum (ECLF).and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School of Communication. Dr. Deiser has more than 20 years experience as advisor to multinational corporations and government agencies as well as to innovative emerging companies, both in the U.S. and Europe. He has been teaching at various universities on both sides of the Atlantic and is the author of more than 30 articles in academic and professional journals and books. Dr. Deiser served as the Founding Dean of DaimlerChryslers Corporate University, which he helped to design and implement. In this capacity, he was responsible for the companys global activities in the area of top executive education, knowledge management, and strategy dialogue. He resides in Los Angeles, CA.