Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/94708
HRO Today Forum Europe for cost efficiency measures. To some extent, this was due to the ease with which such expenditure could be cut. But there were also issues around credibility—how could one demonstrate that the leadership development was really worthwhile? The rise of social media and crowd power is changing this paradigm. No longer can organisations hide behind smoke screens. Their every decision is quickly brought to light—especially if it has negative impacts. This means that organisations must ensure that all their staff share the core values and make decisions that are aligned with organisational strategy and policy. It is, to a certain extent, part of the risk management process, but it goes beyond that. To remain competitive, organisations have to publicly demonstrate their investment in people (both internal and external), their positive social impact, and the reductions made in their ecological footprint. Takeovers and mergers add even more challenges to the development of a "one organisation, one vision, one set of values" paradigm, and leadership development is becoming a fundamental keystone in ensuring successful mergers. The increasing complexity of decision making requires substantially more investment in ensuring that everyone is on the same page, and this is reflected in how such initiatives are becoming perceived as investments rather than mere costs. Example: Merck merged with Schering-Plough in 2009, creating the world's second largest healthcare company. In addition to the worsening economic situation, the company was faced with a rapidly changing environment within the pharmaceutical industry, an increased product portfolio, a more diverse distribution network, and an increasing influence of emerging markets. Partnering with The Wharton School, Merck developed a 12-month programme which integrated "leader teaching leaders" sessions, residential modules (including one held in Mumbai), action learning, and an on-demand virtual learning platform. According to Merck, the programme has had many successful outcomes, including: a new approach to selling in emerging markets; faster decision-making processes; more customer-centric approaches in new markets; the building of organisational networks; and especially the influencing of leadership behaviours in line with business goals and strategy. Trend 3: From classroom to creativity. During the past decade, there has developed an almost overwhelming range of learning practises and technologies. Yes, the expert and senior manager presentations are still important; but increasingly, online simulations and business games, internships, coaching, job rotation, business-critical action projects, webinars, networking through knowledge portals, and many other techniques are being added to the mix. The "digital native" generation has high expectations of good- quality and wide-ranging resources. Knowledge acquisition is insufficient for them—they require involvement, entertainment, and above all action as an integral part of their learning. Certainly these expectations create pressure on L&D professionals to devise creative, entertaining interventions. Beyond that, the participants themselves are easily encouraged to be creative in their own learning, using their innate networking and investigative abilities. Example: BAE Systems, Inc. (the U.S. subsidiary of BAE) selected the Saïd Business School as its partner, and together they designed a programme for the company's "bright graduates" that would help them develop global mindsets. The programme included "discovery visits" and "learning journeys" which brought the participants into contact with victims of torture, human trafficking, and political oppression; provided "The Apprentice"-style challenges in foreign cities; and used telepresence technology on a virtual platform. The participants additionally created their own "learning spaces" on social media platforms. Of the three cohorts run to date, 32 per cent of the participants have already been promoted, and another 18 per cent have taken on new roles. The long-term impact will probably be considerable throughout BAE Systems, Inc. Taken separately, each of these trends is perhaps a mere incremental step in terms of the evolution in leadership development. However, taken together they add a great deal of complexity to the whole process of leadership development from initial business case through design and implementation to the evaluation of the impact of such programmes. Jan Kingsley is executive director of the Association for Professionals in the field of Executive Learning (ASPEL) and can be reached at jan.kingsley@aspel.org. During the HRO Today Forum Europe in Dublin (November 13-15), Kinglsley will share experiences and views to develop a more comprehensive vision of how leadership development is evolving. FALL 2012 | www.hroglobal.com [17]