The Next Generation of Corporate Universities

1. The Next Generation of Corporate Universities Mark Allen, Ph.D. Learning 2010 Orlando, FL, October 25, 2010 mallen@pepperdine.edu

2. The Next Generation of Corporate Universities • Introductions • What is a corporate university? • Traditional corporate university functions • Next generation corporate university functions • Discussion and questions

3. Definition of a Corporate University • “A corporate university is an educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its mission by conducting activities that cultivate individual and organizational learning, knowledge, and wisdom.” Source: Allen, The Corporate University Handbook (2002), p. 9.

4. Definition of a Corporate University • “A corporate university is an educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its mission by conducting activities that cultivate individual and organizational learning, knowledge, and wisdom.” Source: Allen, The Corporate University Handbook (2002), p. 9.

5. Definition of a Corporate University • “A corporate university is an educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its mission by conducting activities that cultivate individual and organizational learning, knowledge, and wisdom.” Source: Allen, The Corporate University Handbook (2002), p. 9.

6. Definition of a Corporate University • “A corporate university is an educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its mission by conducting activities that cultivate individual and organizational learning, knowledge, and wisdom.” Source: Allen, The Corporate University Handbook (2002), p. 9.

7. Traditional Corporate University Activities • Conduct needs assessments • Design training programs • Deliver training programs • Design executive/managerial development programs • Deliver executive/managerial development programs

8. Traditional Corporate University Activities (continued) • Assess technology options • Deliver e-learning or blended learning programs • Hire vendors to deliver programs • Manage vendor relationships

9. E-Learning, Blended Learning, and Technology Options • Make sure you put the learning into your e-learning solution • Beware of one size fits all • Remember the affective domain • The Parable of the White Castle

10. Traditional Corporate University Activities (continued) • Market programs internally • Possibly market programs externally • Vendors, suppliers, customers, outsiders • Brand your corporate university • Evaluate programs • Evaluate the corporate university

11. Measurement and Evaluation • Important for helping to improve your offerings • Essential for determining and demonstrating the value of a corporate university • Might be critical for justifying your existence • Can be done for individual programs and for the corporate university

12. What Should You Measure? • The perfect answer to that question: • IT DEPENDS! • It depends on the answer to the question: WHY DO YOU HAVE A CORPORATE UNIVERSITY? • If you can answer that question, you can measure it • If you can’t answer that question, then measurement isn’t your biggest problem

13. Next Generation Corporate University Activities • Strategic hiring* • New employee orientation • Succession planning • Culture change • Fostering an ethical environment • Strategic change

14. Next Generation Corporate University Activities (continued) • Manage partnerships and strategic alliances with universities and other entities • Career planning* • Mentoring • Executive coaching

15. Next Generation Corporate University Activities (continued) • Research and Development • Library • Museum or Heritage Center • Knowledge Management • Wisdom Management*

16. Wisdom Management: The Knowledge Continuum Wisdom Knowledge Information Data

17. The Wisdom Management Problem • 60-90% of all job-related skills and knowledge acquired in a program are not being implemented on the job. • Jack Phillips • This is a 90 billion dollar problem in the US alone each year!

18. Wisdom Management “Wisdom management is a planned and systematic process by which an organization manages how its employees use and apply their knowledge and skills in ways that benefit the organization.” Allen, M., “The Next Generation of Corporate Universities” (Pfeiffer, 2007).

19. What Corporate Universities Don’t Do • Degree programs • It is estimated that there are over 5,000 corporate universities in the US, plus hundreds more in Canada • A study (Thompson, 2000) went in search of degree-granting corporate universities in North America and found fewer than 10 • Academic research

20. Discussion and Questions • Your thoughts? • Disagree? • Agree? • Questions?

21. Closing Thoughts • Education is expensive, but ignorance is prohibitively expensive.—Frank Anderson, former President, Defense Acquisition University.

22. Closing Thoughts • The question is not, “What if I educate them and they leave?” It is, “What if I don’t educate them and they stay?”

23. The Next Generation of Corporate Universities Mark Allen, Ph.D. Learning 2010 Orlando, FL, October 25, 2010 mallen@pepperdine.edu