From Time Away to Learn … to Learning all the Time

When I was asked to lead learning at Accenture three years ago, we realised that we were at a major inflection point. Our business had changed over the past decade, as we offered a suite of strategy, consulting, technology and operations services for our clients globally. The axis of talent had also shifted…we now had major employee bases in countries all around the world. It became evident that our time tested and traditional approach of training and building culture from one epicentre - our famous corporate university in St Charles, Illinois - was due for a rethink.

We sat back to reflect. We were determined to find a solution that would, quite simply, revolutionize learning at Accenture.

Our starting point was this - we were, are and will always be a talent-driven organization. We say that learning is in our DNA. It is often the reason people join Accenture and why they choose to stay.

We know that people learn through a variety of ways. When we set aside time to leave the workplace and immerse ourselves in a learning environment, free from distractions, new synaptic connections form in the brain. Human-to-human contact energizes us; meeting people from different backgrounds provokes curiosity. We feel challenged and inspired. We learn.

Our daily activities provide unique opportunities to learn as well. We have all grown by observing others who are adept at tasks we seek to master…from interacting with senior client executives to creating macros in a spreadsheet (OK, I admit I am yet to learn that one!). The point is that we learn on the job and from people who lead us - every single day.

Our solution – Accenture Connected Learning

The solution we came up with distilled all this down into a simple phrase coined by a dear colleague - one that has become our new mantra: Time Away to Learn…and Learning All the Time. In essence, it is about thoughtfully blending unique learning experiences for our people by way of classrooms, on-the job opportunities, and bite-sized expert content which they can access at their convenience. We call it Accenture Connected Learning.

Accenture Connected Learning is powered by a couple of major innovations – both physical and digital. The first of these, our ‘Connected Classrooms’, allow people in multiple locations to participate in immersive and highly interactive training sessions with global experts around the world. It is about being in a classroom, and collaborating with colleagues from other locations as if they were in the same room!

The feedback so far has been extremely positive. “It almost feels like you’re all sitting in the same room and interacting with each other face to face,” said one student.

Faculty which largely comprises our leadership, are finding that cross-location learning greatly supports cross-cultural teaming. “Once the participants were enabled to use the table-level technology, they were just so excited to answer questions,” one told us. “Whether it was here in Bangalore, Manila or Dalian, people were eager to answer and that was a very good feeling.”

But we did not stop there. Another big innovation - Learning Boards - takes learning to an altogether different level by enabling our subject matter experts to share the most current knowledge with people who need it. It offers expert curated content to our people who can access it from their laptops, smartphones or tablets.

People can follow learning boards on topics they are interested in, and they can share them with others that would benefit as well. Learning boards cater to different learning styles of people – with content that ranges from thought leadership articles or research, blogs, videos to links to external massive open online courses (MOOCs) and self-study courses. Learning is rapid, self-paced and on demand.

Within just a few months of their introduction, we already have over 300 active Learning Boards which have been accessed by over 40,000 people! New ones are sprouting every day.

Accenture Connected Learning is at the heart of democratising learning at Accenture…by giving great learning to our people from leading experts, and allowing them greater freedom in the what, how and when they would like to learn. For an organisation of over 300,000 people (and growing!), it is a really powerful way of embedding a culture of continuous learning.

Bringing on the future

Could your organisation gain from a similar approach? We believe so. There are three aspects to consider if you are embarking on a new learning strategy.

The first is the importance of grounding learning strategy in the organisation’s business strategy so it is focused on current and future capabilities. When used as a strategic asset, learning is a key enabler for driving growth by accelerating specialised and differentiated skills for competitive advantage.

The second is endorsement of the new learning direction by leaders at the very top. A successful learning strategy requires targeted investments in physical and technical infrastructure. But even more significant is the change in mindset and behaviour to embrace new ways of learning which can only be achieved when authentically role modelled by leadership.

Finally, there is great power in harnessing the inherent expertise of talent within the organisation. Equipping line leaders with tools and techniques to share their knowledge and current developments in their field is hugely relevant for their colleagues and carries credibility in the workforce. Solutions enabled by digital technologies and built on human centred design can go a long way in achieving this.

We believe the time has come to truly democratise learning. Do you?