CASE STUDY: Using NewMindsets as an organization-wide learning resource
© NewMindsets 2004
The Situation and Project Objectives:
A major public service organization is seeking to develop staff competencies to meet the needs of a volatile and changing environment through a variety of blended learning and organizational development initiatives. Public pressure to deliver more with less has created a dilemma where the organization must find new ways to upgrade skills faster, more effectively, at greatly reduced costs and transform the leadership and corporate culture at all levels. NewMindsets is being used in conjunction with other learning resources as a comprehensive online learning portal to satisfy multiple learning needs simultaneously.
Implementation Approach:
NewMindsets supports the following action-learning activities:
- Self-directed learning to execute performance-based Personal Learning Plans and competency improvement: The NewMindsets system provides direct and easy access to leadership and management development learning resources and action-oriented job supports that can be used to achieve employee learning objectives resulting from competency gap analysis and '360' feedback.
- Classroom and workshop support: The online resources support course modules and workshops, e.g. for pre-course preparation and post-class assignments. This helps to generate maximum benefit from face to face learning time, enhances the retention of learning and provides focused job supports for practical application and continued learning back on the job.
- "Peer learning" partnerships: Trusted colleagues and learning partners use the online resources as tools for improving personal competencies and finding significant breakthroughs in difficult situations. The sharing of online notebooks and learning experiences generates new individual, team and organizational knowledge.
- Formal and informal coaching/mentoring: Coaches or mentors are able to select 'just in time' resources targeted at specific competence development needs (e.g. Delegating; Communicating effectively; Picking your battles Dealing with resistance;)
- Team projects / team learning: Team leaders use the online materials as a common learning platform e.g. for helping teams develop shared ground-rules, tackle barriers to effectiveness, and deal with conflict in constructive ways.
- Organizational development and other action projects: The system is also being used to support and revitalize organizational change projects as the need arises.
Achievements:
- An extremely cost effective approach to action learning with demonstrated high usage of online learning as an integrated job support.
- Employees are being provided with the learning tools required to upgrade leadership and management competencies and deliver on the objectives in their performance improvement plans.
- The emergence of a network of peer to peer and team learning initiatives is having an impact on the organization's informal learning and grassroots culture.
- The NewMindsets element of the project is now in second-phase development and will soon be the subject of independent detailed evaluation by the university-based learning consortium overseeing the project.
- The consortium estimates that it is several years ahead of its original schedule in terms of the e-learning dimension of this project as the result of using the NewMindsets system as its online learning base.
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