Chief Learning Officer - August 2007 - (Page 4) editor’s letter Being First is a Blast Feeling adventurous? A few weeks ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) issued a call for civilian volunteers to take part in a 520-day mission to Mars simulation in 2008 and 2009. Its purpose is to investigate the human ramifications of travel to the Red Planet. ESA has teamed up with the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems for the simulation, called Mars500. It will take place inside a special facility in Moscow and replicate the mission profile of a real voyage to Mars. The crew will be confined to the ship for nearly two years and isolated from any contact with Earth, except radio communications with ground support. If you’re tempted to sign up for Mars500, you can find an application at www.spaceflight.esa.int/callforcandidates. Although I’m opting for terra firma, I suspect the romantic prospect of such a bold experiment holds a strong fascination for even the most down-to-earth and unadventurous among us. There is something about charting territory, blazing a trail, venturing where no one has gone before that thrills the human spirit. The world loves a pioneer. Being first (so the thinking goes) confers some kind of advantage, and society tends to reward pathfinders with status. In the business world, the concept has been distilled into what is known as first-mover advantage. By being first to create and deliver the next big thing, an enterprise allegedly earns a huge competitive edge over its rivals. This simple concept finds its way into many management styles and philosophies, as well. Consider one of the key planks in current business strategy: innovation. Prevailing wisdom says companies should constantly seek to innovate and develop processes that enable them to stay ahead of the competition. Getting there first, however, isn’t a guarantee of success — speed might be a big thing, but it’s not the only thing. First-mover status shouldn’t be a strategy in and of itself because being a pioneer is not without its drawbacks. There is the investment risk: pouring time, money and effort into a new idea only to discover it doesn’t deliver on the promise. Lots of firsts fail spectacularly. It’s estimated only about one in 100 Silicon Valley start-ups survives for more than two years. And as the saying goes, the first guy on the beach usually gets shot. It’s often the ones following in the pioneer’s tracks who get it right. Both the risks and the rewards of being first frame the pioneer legacy inherited by enterprise learning leaders in the 21st century. Breakthrough technology, advances in cognitive science and the spread of globalization have created a brave new world of workforce development. Vendors that offer sophisticated learning management systems, mobile content-delivery capabilities and virtual simulations are just some of the pioneers staking claim to a share of this vast territory. It’s up to chief learning officers to explore all the options, develop a smart learning strategy and position their organizations ahead of the competition without putting them at risk. Fortunately, the learning community has its own version of the scouting expedition. It’s “The New Frontier” — the Fall 2007 CLO Symposium scheduled for Oct. 1-3 at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz. The program focuses on the destiny of the industry, as well as the chief learning officer’s strategic role. During three days of keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities, attendees can discover the latest research and techniques, forge important professional connections and capitalize on the lessons learned by earlier learning pioneers. If you’re intent on taking your workforce development initiatives where they’ve never gone before, I urge you to join the industry trailblazers in Tucson. Just go to www.cloevents.com to find program details and register. It definitely will be worth the voyage. In the meantime, if you’ve got some pioneering ideas of your own to share (or you’re preparing to rocket to Mars), be sure to let me know at Norm@CLOmedia.com. August 2007 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer 4 Norm Kamikow Editor in Chief norm@clomedia.com http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/callforcandidates http://www.cloevents.com http://www.clomedia.com
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