www.kockw.com
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 www.kockw.com

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

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 www.kockw.com

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

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

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

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

Readiness for a corporate university:
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The status of the HR function
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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 www.kockw.com

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

Myths about Corporate Universities:
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Renaming of the Training Department
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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!
www.kockw.com

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

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

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

What did Shell do then?
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Revisited their existing skill portfolios
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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 www.kockw.com

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

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

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

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