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MIT Sloan Management Review has rebuilt their site using a Wordpress platform and is integrating two blogs within it – one of them focused on innovation.  This is a self-declared work in progress and they are seeking feedback in order to optimize it for their readers.  Go have a look and let them know what you think.

MIT SMR has produced some great material/thinking on approaches to learning, development, knowledge management, learning communities, new-hire integration, leadership development, workspace design and, of course, innovation.  This latest iteration of theirs displays an internal commitment to eat their own dog food.

Incidentally our entire site is built on Wordpress and we’ve really enjoyed its versatility as a Content Management System [CMS].  I’m looking forward to seeing the results of MIT’s new progressive efforts.

Are you wondering how we’ll transition from our current work trends to the eco-friendly paperless offices of the future?  I’m on a mission to store everything I can paperlessly(?) yet always feel a tug to print it out when I’m going to be using it b/c of the familiar sense of having tactile things on my desk.

Take 6 minutes to watch the video below for a sneak peek at a beta version of how our digital desktops will continue to evolve in a way that aligns with how we’re comfortable working:

CNET recently reported a story about the forthcoming Apple University.  Apple has recruited Joel Podolny [former dean of Yale's University's School of Management] to be the Vice President and Dean of the new Apple U.

In typical Apple style, not much is known about what this will incorporate although the author of the CNET article linked above speculates on a few different areas.

If you read this blog you know I’m already a big fan of Apple’s current approach to learning.  What I’ve focused on in my writing about them has mainly been the inclusion of their value-chain [namely their customers] into their learning strategy.  With the addition of Podolny at the helm of the newly formed Apple U I suspect the learning experience for those at the hub of the Apple value-chain [the employees] is about to get a whole lot better.

P.S.  On a semantic note I’m wondering why the uber-progressive Apple is using the [IMHO] passe moniker ‘University’?…and calling Podolny the Dean instead of Chief Learning Officer [CLO]?

The New York Jets new training facility profiled recently in Fast Company shows that workspace design doesn’t have to be just for office workers.

The Jets have completely revamped their complex to reinvigorate both players and all other team members.  The slideshow via the link above is well worth the look – some highlights are the entrance shaped like the stadium tunnel [shown above], light slits meant to evoke yard lines, Exec offices overlooking the field and a high-tech system for coaches to access films.

Just goes to show that surroundings can play a big part in how people do their jobs – no matter what it is.

What changes could be made to the workspace in your organization to better reflect how work gets done?

A few months ago I blogged about Apple’s inclusion of their customers into their learning strategy because they assess their entire value-chain and how learning can enhance it…

I recently received an email with the above image/message embedded in it – to me this is further fodder re: Apple’s investment in the learning of its Mac users. A powerful strategy in a market where most are trying to compete on low-cost with what’s becoming a commodity (computers).

Instead Apple has decided to keep it’s prices at a premium and customers expect it. In return they get things such as one-to-one training which has the dual-benefit of teaching Apple’s customers how to use their underdog product and making them loyal Apple buyers. I’ll bet the majority of questions asked of Apple’s customer trainers are somewhat, dare I say, basic, based on what the average user is trying to accomplish. Computers have advanced to the point that everyday users should be able to accomplish what they want without a technical background – if Apple can make these tasks easier for the low-tech folks out there then they have a winning strategy.

Offering a classes to their customers for a very low price certainly isn’t a profit center for Apple – teaching them to use their products will certainly help sustain sales in the future, though, and that’s what Apple’s betting on with their strategy to invest in the learning of their customers.

Apple’s just taken one more step in the direction of putting learning into the hands of customers eager to learn how to use devices in the information age – self-directed learning at its finest.

How would it affect your organization if your customers were better able to utilize your product or service?

ASTD Developing Great Managers Conference

CLO Webinar: Cost-Effective, Customized Management Training