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July 2007

Who Says CEOs Don't Value Learning?

This issue features McCormick & Company, the 15th major corporation whose CEO T+D has interviewed on the strategic value of learning.

The series, recently compiled into a book, A View from the Top: How CEOs Link Learning to Corporate Strategy, puts a big dent in the idea—sometimes expressed by frustrated trainers—that CEOs don’t know how vital employee learning and development is to an organization’s success. That has not been our experience at all. We have had no trouble finding CEOs who “get” the importance of learning, who are articulate about its value, and who take active roles in teaching others in their organizations.

McCormick Chairman and CEO Bob Lawless is a good example. He believes that “world-class companies develop their own talent,” and he heads the list of executives who teach at McCormick.

“We have committed to our employees that provided they get the appropriate training and development, they can become successors to all the leaders in this company.” McCormick stands out in the length of its commitment to leadership development. Its “multiple management boards”—extended opportunities for action learning—have been available to top talent for 75 years! Here managers learn to innovate, take risks, and make tough decisions while working on actual company products and services. Could that help explain why, after 100 years in business, the spice and flavoring company is still innovating?

In this issue, T+D also examines three promising developments: how Steelcase University is engineering workspaces to maximize learning, how the buyers of consulting services are raising the bar on the outcomes they expect, and how traditional mentoring is getting an extreme makeover thanks to technology.

No light summer reading here.

Pat Galagan
Executive Editor
pgalagan@astd.org

FEATURES

AT C-LEVEL
Growing Talent and Sales at McCormick
By Tony Bingham and Pat Galagan
T+D talked with McCormick Chairman and CEO Bob Lawless about how the spice company’s learning efforts support its key strategies.
FREE PDF

MANAGING LEARNING
The Company That Teaches Together Performs Together
By Rick Frattali
Believing that they can learn something from each other, employees at McCormick & Company embody a teaching organization.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

DESIGNING LEARNING
Leveraging the Learning Space
By George A. Wolfe
Steelcase University has put many years and significant resources into researching how space enhances learning.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

MEASURING AND EVALUATING
Catering to a More Sophisticated Clientele
By Jenni Jarventaus
Management consultants are finding that their clients are demanding real results.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

COACHING
Mentoring Makeover
By Laura Francis
Traditional mentoring is getting a face-lift. Technology is providing numerous benefits to this age-old developmental process.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

DESIGNING LEARNING
OnRamp to Success at Network Appliance
By Sanjiv Varma and Brian M. Collins
Good talent is hard to find, but it’s even more difficult to assimilate new hires into the corporate culture.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

Executive Summaries

DEPARTMENTS

INTELLIGENCE
Shopping for Serious Games
There are many different types of simulations available, so navigating the market can be difficult.
FREE PDF

RE:SEARCH
Senior Managers Absent From Training Table
A recent survey indicates that senior managers receive less training than their colleagues.
FREE PDF

TECHNOLOGY
Engaging Mini-Games Find Niche in Training
Quick, interactive simulations are meeting the training needs of businesses.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

FUNDAMENTALS
The Art of Test Creation
To create tests that are fair to both the individual and the organization, there are five general rules to follow.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

DEVELOPMENT
Turn Your Blind Spots into Assets
Blind spots are traits we fail to see that get in the way of our career goals.
PURCHASE ARTICLE

IN EVERY ISSUE

WHAT THINGS COST
What does it cost to rent Training Facilities?
FREE PDF

THE LONG VIEW
T+D profiles Beverly Kaye, founder and CEO of Career Systems International in Los Angeles.
FREE PDF

BOOKS
FREE PDF

BACK TO 2007 ARCHIVES

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