Steelcase University plays a vital role in the evolution of
design-thinking capabilities at Steelcase Inc.
When is a chair not just a chair? When its nodea mobile, flexible
classroom seat that supports multiple teaching styles, room
configurations, and learner preferences. It includes a swivel seat,
book and backpack storage, and an adjustable work surface that
shows no preference between left and right handed students.
Node is a great example of the critical role that employee learning
and development plays within Steelcase Inc., the global leader in
workplace furniture manufacturing and environments that employs
11,000 people worldwide. Driving innovation is a critical business
issue of the company; node is the physical manifestation of a
multi-year corporate quest for greater innovation and growth in new
markets. Through a combination of training offerings, tools, and
resources, node was researched, developed, launched, and
successfully sold. Steelcase University was involved every step of
the way.
We work with our internal clients to understand their business
goals and performance gaps, says Faye Richardson-Green, director of
the Global Learning and Development Center of Expertise. We work
hard to understand their desired results and define what success
looks like for themsuch as cost reduction, revenue generation, and
productivity improvements.
In the case of James Hackett, president and chief executive
officer, the goal was to become a design-thinking company that
grows through innovation. Hackett asked the corporate learning
function to help continue and foster the evolution of
design-thinking capabilities at Steelcase.
We are extremely fortunate to have a CEO who is a strong believer
in and proponent of learning and development. We benefit immensely
from his support, says Richardson-Green, who notes that 90 percent
of Steelcase executives make public statements in support of
learning.
Laurent Bernard, vice president of global talent management at
Steelcase, adds, Aligning the company purpose, strategy, and
capabilities (cultural as well as technical) is a main challenge
for any company. We believe that learning and development within
our organization is a critical enabler that helps us provide value
to our customers all around the world.
Steelcase learning professionals spent nearly a year researching
and analyzing design-thinking methodologies, and then creating a
new design-thinking curriculum called Think. To teach it to the
rest of the company, Steelcase University designed and delivered a
three-part curriculum: Critical Thinking Model, Think Overview, and
Think Workshop.
The first course, Critical Thinking Model, is taught by Hackett and
other senior corporate leaders. In it, they outline the four
elements of the model: think, point of view, plan to implement, and
implement. Participants complete a written homework assignment in
which they apply the steps to a previous company project or
initiative; the assignment is graded by a senior company leader who
provides written feedback.
The second course, Think Overview, is offered online and provides
employees with a greater awareness of the Think process and tools.
It gives participants a common vocabulary and methodology.
The third course, Think Workshop, is a highly experiential,
fast-paced, three-day instructor-led experience. Teams must solve a
complex problem using the Think process and tools. The team
component is critical, Richardson-Green explains. It conveys that
we must embrace diversity of thought as a way to achieve the
breakthrough results our innovation strategy demands.
Steelcase University often uses external providers or internal
subject matter experts to facilitate workshops; however, it
departed from the usual by recruiting facilitators from the global
employee population for the three-day Think Workshop. Steelcase
University staff identified a set of competencies likely to predict
successful facilitators for this particular content. They
advertised the opportunity globally and were amazed at the
response, despite the requirement of a rigorous train-the-trainer
program and no additional compensation.
In creating both the design methodology and the learning that
supports it, Steelcase University staff worked with the new Think
process and tools. We approached the learning development as if it
were a design-thinking project, says Richardson-Green. We conducted
observations, used Think tools and methods, and used divergent
thinking to synthesize our learning about the user. It truly
challenged and stretched us, which gave us a great sense of
satisfaction.
Learners are satisfied too, giving the three-part curriculum high
marks. On a five-point scale, the project workshop has a learning
effectiveness rating of 4.27, a job impact rating of 4.07, and
return-on-investment rating of 4.34.
It didnt take long for all that learning and critical thinking to
be successfully applied to the product development process. Node
was the first product brought to market by Steelcase after
implementing the new design methodology. To create it, Steelcase
designers went back to the drawing board, re-examining their
previous assumptions about what a classroom chair is and could be.
They sought to design a product that would allow effortless
rearrangement of classrooms, and would accommodate small-group work
as well as lectures.
Once node was ready for launch, Steelcase University designed a
virtual classroom learning solution for the salesforce and
distribution network. It brought together a geographically
dispersed audience and enabled rapid deployment of training that
was necessitated by educational clients buying cycle. The process
of learning in conjunction with the product development process
proved successful when trained sales reps surpassed their goals in
the first year by nearly 30 percent.
Until the end of 2009, the learning organization at Steelcase was
separate from the human resources function; each area was headed by
a different vice president. Devising a global workforce strategy at
that time, the company integrated the functions into a Global
Talent Management practice that now oversees the entire employment
life cycle.
High-potential employee development is offered to about 10 percent
of the employee population, and is designed to sustain retention
and succession planning efforts. The L.E.A.D.E.R. Program is a
high-level, two-year executive development program overseen by a
talent development council and headed by Hackett. Group and
individual activities are designed to address developmental needs,
supplemented by readings, job shadowing and observation, and action
learning projects. Participants submit quarterly progress reports
that detail their development activities and the resulting
learning; these reports are reviewed by the talent development
council. Retention and promotion rates among this cohort are higher
than among nonparticipants, Richardson-Green reports.
The Steelcase University staff have had to find their own
performance-based solutions in the past year as well to positively
affect client satisfaction while lowering content cycle time. Faced
with the loss of two key employees and a simultaneous 12 percent
increase in total projects, staff instituted a new project
forecasting and capacity-planning process that helped reduce cycle
time by nearly one-third. And, being a workplace environment
solutions provider, what else did they do? They redesigned their
office space to better enable collaboration and innovative
thinking.