A Guide to Leading and Learning in Turbulent Times

The economy is moving through a significant downturn and headed for an extended period of growth that will bring tumultuous change. On one side of this equation, budgets and staff are being cut in many learning organizations, which affects how training is delivered to operational units. On the other side, the earmarks of growth can be seen in an increase in consumer spending, increased housing starts and a stock market that is trending up.

This degree of change requires the chief learning officer to think differently. CLOs must quickly comprehend the significance of these mega-changes and find creative and innovative ways to bridge the skill gaps that can result. That often requires learning leaders to adapt learning delivery strategies if they intend to continue to bring measurable results to their operational components. Failure to adapt in time may hamper the CLO’s ability to deliver essential learning in a competitive and high-stakes marketplace.

To fully grasp the magnitude of change that affects the private sector, learning leaders need look no further than the many mergers, acquisitions and spinoffs in 2011. For example, Cisco Systems acquired six companies, Bristol-Myers Squibb acquired ZymoGenetics, Google acquired two companies and Facebook acquired five firms.

Reuters reported a frenzy of activity at the start of 2011 and cited the estimated value of worldwide takeovers to be $352 billion, up 78 percent from 2010. Then, near the end of 2011, business unit spinoffs were front and center.

Another reliable metric of growth, and therefore a lens into the depth of this economic upheaval, is the number of patents being issued. According to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records, there were 219,614 patents for inventions issued by the end of 2010. This was a 31 percent increase over the relatively static years of 2006-2009.

Post-Change Strategy

Government is also going through changes. Congress is putting federal agencies on a crash diet with a plan to shed billions of dollars during the next several years. In the face of impending budget cuts, most local, state and federal agencies are making plans to downsize by offering buyouts or early retirements. This downsizing will inevitably result in a number of programs being eliminated, while others will be combined through reorganizations in an effort to reach greater efficiency. This reshaping process will bring forth new workforce communication challenges. Similar to the private sector, federal CLOs will see traditional boundaries crumble and new organizational relationships created.