Chief Learning Officer - August 2007 - (Page 26)

clo profile Steelcase University’s George Wolfe: Promoting the True Value of Learning Kellye Whitney According to George Wolfe, learning is the key differentiator that helps a company climb to sucess. Positioning enterprise learning as a definitive advantage in the marketplace has helped more than one company propel its products, services or entire business past the competition. Take Steelcase Inc., for instance. The company was incorporated in 1912 as The Metal Office Furniture Co. and received its first patent in 1914 for a steel wastebasket — a product that reduced fire hazards (straw wastebaskets were commonly used at the time). Metal desks followed, and the company continued to advance its product and service offerings. Now, Steelcase is one of the largest office furniture manufacturers in the world, and it offers a portfolio of solutions to address the three core elements of an office environment: interior architecture, furniture and technology. Without learning as a key differentiator, the company might not have ascended to its current heights so quickly, said George Wolfe, Ph.D., vice president of global learning and development. Wolfe has been at Steelcase for more than a decade, but he began his career as an educator at both high school and university levels. He said he was pulled into the corporate learning space either contracted as a consultant or asked to participate in projects that later led to employment offers, or he was identified because of his experience and asked to join organizations. “For example, I worked about seven years for the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute, creating training programs for hotel companies globally,” Wolfe said. “I had a team of trainers and instructional designers, and we created programs specifically for the needs of hotel companies. Many of these led into professional certifications for hotel companies. “I was deeply involved in global training programs both in Europe and Asia-Pacific, and this was a primary attraction for Steelcase because at the time I joined the company, August 2007 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer 26 http://www.clomedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chief Learning Officer - August 2007

Chief Learning Officer - August 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.