Companies pride themselves in the stock of knowledge they have attained throughout the years and often clamor to claim that as the basis of their expertise in any given discipline. And it’s no surprise why they do this. The US Air Force asserts that it maintains air superiority in any given theatre it operates under, and with good reason as it is in the “business” of dominating the maelstrom and virulence of the not so friendly skies within its mission areas.
It may therefore be surprising to know that the US Air Force has also had a burgeoning cyber security arm for some time now in order to ensure it can continue to maintain air superiority. Regardless of where the need to pivot comes from, it is only made possible because the Air Force is committed to constant learning, so much so that it dedicates tens of billions a year of its budget to Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E).
Learning allows companies to pivot when necessary
Companies operate in an ever-increasing dynamic landscape that makes it a necessity for these organizations to adopt the ability to learn in order to maintain a competitive edge via their core competencies. Investing in the creation of a learning environment allows companies to pivot quickly when new market developments strike.
I remember being part of multiple tiger teams that were assembled to solve technical issues that were complex and rare. More often than not, the teams would consist of engineers with decades’ worth of experience. While these brilliant engineers knew their specialties inside and out, the body of knowledge they learned long ago had evolved to the point of becoming unrecognizable. As a result, their contributions were limited to older issues and the problems at hand either continued or were only partially solved.
Staves off corporate rigor mortis & provides competitive advantage
A recent study by McKinsey discovered that, as of 2022, most companies listed in the S&P 500 only have an 18-year lifespan (down from a 61-year lifespan back in 1961). A commitment to organizational learning can significantly increase the current corporate lifespan by providing a means to discover new methods of providing services and products to the shifting needs of the customers it serves. Just like learning creates new neural pathways in individuals and keeps the mind healthy, corporate learning creates new pathways of accomplishing the strategic vision for the long term.
In fact, Edward Deming, the autodidact and prophetic founder of the Total Quality Movement that spurred so much of Japan’s economic growth following the second World War, started studying system dynamics well into his 90s. Deming eschewed the parochial view that companies often take that asserts that once the company is an expert at whatever it is it does, it earns a permanent title in that set of disciplines, period.
Not only can lifelong learning yield a longer corporate lifespan, but the ability to learn can become another and exclusive core competency in and of itself to those companies willing to make that investment.
Questions to consider
How much do you emphasize learning in your organization in terms of dollars budgeted for RDT&E efforts and hours allotted to the practice of learning?
Are you reaping the benefits of organizational learning by applying what is learned in a pragmatic approach with hooks that yield value or are learning events isolated and exercises in the theoretical?
What would it mean if you could gain 5%, 10% or 15% market share by simply applying new approaches to those areas your company is already considered expert in?