The Future of Business Learning

As a provider of learning programmes, we work in close partnerships with L&D and HR functions and are always keen to identify and understand changes and developments within the industry.  

Earlier this year we launched our third biennial study on the Future of Business Learning, with a specific focus on changes in Learning and Development by 2020.  We received responses from a great range of world-renowned organisations including BP, Hewlett-Packard, John Lewis, Mars, Unilever and Vodafone.

Culture is not the Culprit – Am I am missing something?

There was an interesting article on organisational culture in the Harvard Business Review of April 2016, by Jay W. Lorsch and Emily McTague. 

I had been meaning to write a blog piece on this when the June edition arrived on my doorstep today.  There is a follow up with some comments from readers and a response from the authors. 

The front page of HBR in April, which heavily promotes the article, says ‘You can’t fix culture just focus on your business and the rest will follow.’  At MTP we have long held the view that strategy is the key to business success, both the formulation of a strategy and its implementation. 

Thriving through cultural differences

"You’re wrong" "It doesn’t work like that"  "I don’t agree with you" 

These were just some of the challenges I received on the first morning of a three day training programme I was delivering.  All came from one participant.  She was very loud, assertive and began to dominate proceedings.  The more she challenged the more my other participants became quieter – especially the Japanese guy on the front table who had not uttered a word.

‘Black Box Thinking’ by Matthew Syed revisited

We recently reviewed the book Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed. 

Two unrelated events have encouraged us to write a little more about this excellent book. 

3rd Biennial L&D Survey

As a provider of learning programmes which works in close partnerships with L&D and HR functions in major organisations, we are always keen to identify and understand changes and developments within the industry.  

We have launched our third biennial study on the Future of Business Learning, with a specific focus on changes in Learning and Development by 2020. 

Black Box Thinking - book review

Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed

This is an excellent, highly readable, book and seems to us at MTP to have much relevance for those engaged in management learning. 

The key message is that ‘Black Box Thinkers’ are not afraid to face up to their mistakes.  In fact, they see failure as the very best way to learn. 

Bad romance in the chemical industry

An article in this week’s Economist considers the proposed merger of two chemicals giants, Dow Chemical and DuPont. 

The rationale for the merger is cost cutting through economies of scale resulting from the merger.  However, the article points out that these may not appear in the bottom line as competitor businesses are also cutting costs. 

Disrupting Mr Disrupter

The Schumpeter column (our favourite column in The Economist) this week discusses innovation and, in particular, the views of Clay Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School, who is often cited as the world’s most influential management guru.