"Corporate U's: High Value or Hot Air?"
Training
September 2002, pp. 60-64
It is estimated that 2,000 companies now have their own corporate universities. This article discusses how a number of them are trying to run them in such a way that they clearly add value to the business. Several corporate universities are discussed in some depth, including General Motors University, Sprint's University of Excellence, Motorola University, Veritas University, and Bechtel University. There is also a case discussion of Hewlett-Packard, which purposely does not have anything they call a university.
The article also provides a list of do's and don'ts for adding value to a corporate university: (1) DO prune your offerings every year-Are the courses and services strategic at this point? Should they be automated or off-loaded because they take away from the university's strategic focus?; (2) DO have a close relationship with the CEO and top management-Ultimately, they are your primary stakeholders; (3) DO keep it "edgy"-Focus on pushing the envelope, and hire someone else to provide "me too" training; (4) DON'T get hung up on the numbers-Focus instead on what makes the company more successful; (5) DON'T get hung up in smile sheets-Employee learning expectations are important, but not the ultimate goal. Keep your eye on the business need driving the skill requirement; and (6) DON'T build in rigidity-Business changes overnight. Stay flexible so you can quickly adapt to your senior management's needs.
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