Frans van Heerden Consultant Kuwait Oil Company

“If I have to solve a problem, I will spend 80% of my time understanding it and twenty percent of my available time to solve it” Albert Einstein

Word is derived from the Latin: ‘ universitas et scholarium ” Which means: “community of teachers and scholars”

Defined “ A corporate university is an educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its mission by conducting activities that cultivate individual and organizational learning, knowledge and wisdom” Allen, M

Training DepartmentAspectCorporate University Limited access. Classroom bound. Time specific Access to learning content Learning content can be accessed almost anywhere Primarily aimed at own staff Audience Is flexible and can include service providers Used to upgrade technical and business skills Learning content Upgrade competencies with a wide range of available on line learning Typically re-active Time focus Mostly pro - active One time learning events at scheduled times Frequency of learning events Continuous learning events at any time “Part of the business” Part of HR Operation Operates as a separate business unit Improve knowledge and skills in short term Outcomes Increase overall performance Tactical Terms of reference Strategic alignment of business units

Functions of Corporate universities:  Needs assessments  Designing of learning processes  Delivering learning content  Embracing and delivering e-learning and blended learning  Strategic change interventions  Culture change interventions  Combat corporate amnesia

Limitations of e-Learning  Is not a panacea to corporate learning  Brick and mortar structures are part of the learning process  “One-size-fit-all” is not the answer  Blended learning inevitable

The strategic contribution of Corporate universities:  Reinforcing and perpetuating behavior  Managing change  Driving and shaping the organization  The ethos of a “university”

Readiness for a corporate university:  The status of the HR function  Clear understanding of the roles, functions and responsibilities of the different elements of an existing HR function  An existing, effective and efficient learning management system (Limited “red-tape”)  Well developed information technology support system  A well developed learning quality system

Readiness for a corporate university:  An unequivocal and total company support for a Corporate University  Aligned business units and the minimum of ulterior political motives  Credible gap analysis processes  A strong and healthy learning culture  A robust and evolving organization strategy

Myths about Corporate Universities:  Renaming of the Training Department  E-learning institution  Limited utilization and to the exclusive use of the elite leadership of the organization  A static unit, processes and organism  Corporate universities are all the same. No!

Background:  Established the corporate university 2000  Had a need to work hard at Knowledge Management and improve how they deal with it  They respond to their need for:  Skilled  Flexible  Global workforce

Drivers for change:  Change in exploration and production  Uncertain oil market  Continued and accelerated development of new technologies  A global workforce  Changes in the need for individual development  The need for meaningful partnerships in the world of learning  The need for skilled, flexible and global workforce

The response of Shell:  Established “ Exploration and Production Open University ”  Provided the facilities to learn( buildings, processes, systems an methodologies  Inclusion of other major players in the industry

What did Shell do then?  Revisited their existing skill portfolios  Continuous efforts to update it and test it for its relevancy  Had a global view of it – discipline specific leaders all over the world all evaluated and refined.  Senior members of staff refined the skill portfolios  A global network Shell Skill Pool Managers contributed to a global approach to the skill issues

What did Shell do then?  Skill Pool Managers worked closely with operating and line units  Accept that learning is a process and not an event  Have established a strong link between working and learning  Preparation for the learning event ensured that learners were all on the same standard when the actual learning commence  Distinguished clearly between Instructor led and Technology based learning

The contribution of Shell  Provides a reference point  Allows for benchmarking  A clear example of how the Corporate University integrates with day to day business activities.

Quo Vadis?  It is not a passing fad nor a fashion  Global competitiveness will be have its roots in these institutions  One size will not and can not fit all  Traditional education processes is failing industries

Questions