Cohort Based Learning at Skansa

Dear Reader ,

Here's a very interesting article on , "Cohort Based Learning".

Enjoy the dynamics that flows from it as in lessons of learning.

Regards,
A.S.Prasad.


Cohort-Based Learning at Skanska
by Scott Blanchard and David Witt

In 2007, the leadership development team at Skanska faced a challenge: How could the construction and project development company create a mini-MBA experience for an initial group of 35 executives from various business units around the world?

The answer was to use a cohort group approach, split into five separate sub-teams, and design a curriculum that includes action learning projects.

Now about to graduate its fifth cohort group, Skanska's executive development program has trained more than 150 of the company's highest-potential executives.

One of the key success factors for the program has been making sure executive development training matches the organization's key needs.

For Skanska's leadership development team this means matching program objectives with the company's goals to build strategic business leaders and people managers who: Lead change, seek new ways to approach business challenges and lead the changes needed within Skanska USA.

a) Develop people to think innovatively about business.

b) Through innovation, approach projects and their work with fresh ideas on how to accomplish them profitably.

c) Understand the business landscape and market conditions.

d) Network within and across business units for business opportunities and creative solutions.

e) Want to be great bosses.

Using a five-month training design featuring two intensive one-week classroom sessions with a six-week break for an at-home assignment, the Skanska learning team created an in-depth classroom experience combined with an action learning component to allow participants to reflect on and apply what they learned.

One of the keys to the program has been splitting the 35 participants into five diverse teams that work on individual projects as well as a larger overall research assignment.

The individual assignments include identifying which aspects of company culture support - or present barriers to - leadership development, as well as writing case studies about personal dilemmas they face. Both of these are then presented to the team.

"It's another opportunity for the team to work together providing perspective and feedback so participants take the education and apply it to themselves immediately and personally," said John Benson, Skanska's senior director of leadership development.

"It is taking what you've learned and applying it to a personal situation, which is a great way to cement the learning."

On the last day of the program, teams are given a large, final action learning project.

Using business issues identified by senior leadership, with support from a C-level team sponsor, each group has two months to work on the issue and provide recommendations in a presentation to the top 24 members of U.S. senior management.

"It's a high-risk, high-reward scenario," Benson explained. "Every team presents to their boss and their boss' boss. Senior management listens to each presentation, makes decisions on the five proposals and decides which to move forward on.

"In some cases, the company moves forward with the team's proposal in its entirety. In other cases, certain parts of a team's proposal are accepted and moved forward or none of the proposals or recommendations are approved."

Using real-life business issues has helped the Skanska learning team build an executive development program that creates connections and solves business issues.

Action learning also has helped Skanska meet its goal to provide leaders with skills they perceive as valuable for future success.

In a 2008 study conducted by The Learning Alliance, 83 percent of executive respondents said they learned new skills that were not only relevant to their work but also produced results.


[About the Authors: Scott Blanchard is executive vice president and David Witt is program director for The Ken Blanchard Companies, a provider of training and organizational development services.]