Chief Learning Officer - July 2008 - (Page 4)

EDITOR’S LETTER Spilling the Beans About Diversity I found a fascinating story while browsing online the other day. In my wanderings, I happened upon a site for former Cornell University agriculture students. I learned that for more than 30 years, Cornell has offered a “living laboratory” of ﬁeld study in agricultural development involving a two-week trip to the tropics. Former student Jim Briggs, now a cooperative extension agent, posted several anecdotes to the site about his experiences on these trips. One really struck me. While visiting the Puebla area of Mexico one year, Briggs and his fellow students stopped at the home of a campesino to talk about the challenges of farming in the region. From one of the farmer’s woven baskets, Briggs picked out 17 “distinctly different” beans and determined that the farmer grew not one, but three separate species: common beans, scarlet runner beans and lima beans. “We asked him why he grew so many different types of beans,” Briggs wrote. “He responded that some years it was wet and some years were dry . . . some varieties could tolerate drought better than others and some could tolerate wet conditions. In some years insect pests caused serious problems and some varieties withstood insect damage better than others. Also, his wife liked the different types of beans for various dishes that she prepared. His remarks were a clear summary of the value of diversity.” When it comes to the issue of diversity, the leap from beans to business is not as big as you might think. Diversity and inclusion have risen to the top of the “critical issues” list for organizations trying to do business in a global marketplace. And in the process of applying a more multicultural approach to building the workforce, many have discovered a positive impact on organizational effectiveness, efﬁciency and the bottom line. According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 senior HR and learning executives, commissioned by Novations Group, a global consulting organization based in Boston, nearly three-quarters of employers now accept that “diversity efforts make a deﬁnite contribution to the bottom line by improving performance and building new leadership.” However, the study also revealed “pervasive uncertainty on how to leverage the beneﬁts of diversity.” Despite senior management’s commitment to corporate diversity as a 21st-century business imperative, 25 percent of the organizations surveyed apparently don’t know beans about how to apply it effectively. 4 Chief Learning Ofﬁcer • July 2008 • www.clomedia.com In an article written about the survey, Mike Hyter, author of The Power of Inclusion and Novations CEO and president, observed, “Many employers who believe in diversity admit they’re not sure how to implement it, make it work on the ground or maximize the beneﬁts in business terms.” Perhaps you already have heard, but help is on the way. In September, we will launch a new magazine to address the challenges and opportunities provided by a global and diverse workforce. Diversity Executive magazine will help organizational leaders move beyond awareness of the beneﬁts of diversity to action and strategic impact. Using leading-edge research and real-life case studies, Diversity Executive will focus on proven strategies for leveraging diversity and inclusion for organizational gain. But in addition to data demonstrating the powerful impact diversity delivers to the bottom line, the magazine will provide valuable information, insights and inspiration speciﬁcally geared to those throughout the organization working to create a diverse and inclusive corporate culture. As we have with Chief Learning Ofﬁcer magazine, we have assembled an impressive body of industry thought leaders to help us plan our editorial strategy. Our Editorial Advisory Board includes people such as strategic diversity pioneer R. Roosevelt Thomas of the American Institute for Managing Diversity; Pat Harris, McDonald’s global chief diversity ofﬁcer; Kelly Baker, General Mills vice president of corporate diversity; Denise Lynn, American Airlines’ vice president of diversity and leadership strategies; and Robert Rodriguez, assistant dean of Kaplan University and author of Latino Talent. I am very excited about this new addition to our portfolio and the opportunity to develop it into a leading resource for global businesses. I hope you will help us pass the word within your organization. For a preview of what we have planned for Diversity Executive, please visit www.diversity-executive.com. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas for this important new publication. Norm Kamikow Editor in Chief norm@clomedia.com http://www.diversity-executive.com http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - July 2008

Chief Learning Officer - July 2008 Contents Imperatives Selling Up, Selling Down Strategies Take Five A Customer-Driven Approach to Molding Tomorrow’s Leaders The Home Depot: Accelerated Leadership CLO Profile Birth of a Salesman: Selling Learning to Solve Business Issues Selling Learning’s Potential at Siemens Transform Corporate Learning With a User Network Wiki Training Increases Productivity for RMC Vanguard Mortgage Lessons From the Feds: Mapping Learning to Strategic Initiatives Department of Labor Centralizes Content Synchronous and Asynchronous: What’s in a Name? Coping With Cultural Barriers to E-Learning The Manager’s Responsibility for Employee Learning Case Study Business Intelligence In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - July 2008

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