Slide 1

Adaptable Strategies

Five Elements

Elements: Strategy

Strategy

A professional development program:

• Builds the firm’s knowledge

• Boosts business performance

• Advances mission and enhances culture

• Sparks innovation

The Learning Dynamic

_FIRM

_STAFF

_The

_Learning

_Dynamic

_CLIENTS

Slide 6

Elements: Assessment

Assessment

Long-range Plan

Strategic Issues

• Design excellence

• Desired clients

• Growth & transition

• Contribution to society

• Innovation

• Legacy

Assessment

Clients / Markets

Long-range Plan

Questions for Clients

• What new demands are your customers placing on you?

• How is your long-range plan changing for the next five years?

• What is your organization’s biggest challenge?

• What is your best source of information about trends in your industry?

Assessment

External Signals

Clients / Markets

Long-range Plan

Strategy

Thomas Stewart:

What emerging technologies or skills could undermine the value of our proprietary knowledge?

Assessment

Performance

External Signals

Clients / Markets

Long-range Plan

Performance

• Sales, hit rates

• Awards

• Peer reviews

• Surveys: Image, Values, Employee attitude

• R&D opportunities

Assessment

Staff

Review

Performance

External Signals

Clients / Markets

Long-range Plan

Staff Review

• Job descriptions

• Performance reviews

• Criteria for promotion

• Firm culture

• Career paths

Career Paths

LEADERSHIP

MANAGEMENT PATH

TECHNICAL PATH

Strategic Leadership

Innovation

Organization/Client Management

Externally-recognized Expertise

Mentor / Trainer

Program/Group Management

Internally-recognized Expertise

Coach

Project/Committee Management

Professional Registration

Team contributor

Self-management

Technical Competence

Slide 19

Elements: Planning & Design

Knowledge Sharing Approaches

Knowledge Sharing Approaches

The Involvement Model

© 2002 Blackridge, Ltd.

Slide 23

Elements: Implementation

Generations

What are the three most significant ways that generational differences are affecting your firm and its professional development program?

Personal Learning

Tom Peters: Everyone should…

• Be on a personal mastery path.

• Be engaged in a calling.

• Be devoted to learning every day.

• Eschew complacency.

• Take pride in new knowledge.

• Take research very seriously.

Slide 27

Slide 28

Elements: Evaluation & Improvement

Evaluation Levels

• Participant engagement

• Short-term participant performance

• Long-term participant performance

• Firm performance

Continuous Improvement