Chief Learning Officer - September 2007 - (Page 60)

case study All People Come First Lisa Rummler Founded in 1958 by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, a retired high school principal, AARP long has championed the rights of the 50-plus population. The social changes AARP leads also benefit Americans in general — according to its Web site, the organization’s vision is “A society in which everyone ages with dignity and purpose and in which AARP helps people fulfill their goals and dreams.” To make this vision a reality, the organization relies on a workforce of about 2,300 — about 60 percent of which is at its national office in Washington, D.C. — as well as thousands of volunteers across the country. And building on a decidedly pro-education foundation (AARP evolved from the National Retired Teachers Association, which Andrus founded in 1947), the organization seeks to maximize the effectiveness of its large and dispersed workforce through myriad learning and development opportunities. AARP’s people strategy reflects the importance of enterprise education, Chief People Officer Ellie Hollander said. Developed based on the results of employee-opinion surveys, this strategy has helped AARP take a more strategic and holistic approach to its employees. One of the organization’s tenets is that a highly engaged workforce drives organizational performance. Hollander likened the phenomenon to a journey, one that began in 2002. “We created this model that helped us determine, at any given point, where we were, in terms of levels of engagement. We then defined where we wanted to be as an organization,” she said. The definition stands for all the cultural attributes and behaviors that AARP feels are critical to its success. Learning is a large part of that definition, Hollander said. “We continually learn and apply new knowledge and skills to all that we do,” she said. “It’s also building an environment in which learning is respected, encouraged and applied. It’s pursuing learning in self-development, exhibiting a commitment to continuous growth and improvement, assisting others to learn by offering coaching and feedback and so on.” To combat the difficulties that arise as a result of its dispersed workforce, AARP uses e-learning and many derivations thereof, including ebriefings, Web conferences and a learning portal. Beyond computers, Hollander said AARP conducts learning and development through “exchanges.” September 2007 I www.clomedia.com I Chief Learning Officer 60 http://www.clomedia.com

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

Editor's Letter Contents Letters to the Editor Strategies Selling up, Selling Down Take Five Imperatives Guest Editorial Learning Solutions Embarking on a Learning Journey Clo Profile Environment CIGNA Service Operations: Making Strategic Change Happen, and Making It Stick Tactics Black & Decker: On-Demand Learning Creation and Consumption Productivity The Army You Have Human Capital Holiday Inn Express: Delivering Critical Training Globally Case Study: Tegan Jones Business Intelligence Case Study: Lisa Rummler Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources In Conclusion

Chief Learning Officer - September 2007

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