The Learning Edge: How Smart Managers and Smart Companies Stay Ahead

Today, more than ever before, knowledge is power, and organizations facing global competitive pressure must consistently harness this power and maximize employee learning to survive. "The Learning Edge" responds to this new market reality with a dynamic, concrete approach managers and executives can use to take charge of their own futures, by turning on-the-job experiences into learning opportunities, and discovering how to lead others to grow and learn. This guide shows that the competitive advantange for today's forward-looking managers lies at the point where work and learning converge to produce greater productivity. It explains where the best learning occurs, discloses what managers must learn to add value to their organization, and presents a five-step process for "becoming your best at work" by: mastering the art of intentional learning; performing a learning audit; building developmental learning teams; motivating employees to stretch and take risks; and growing on the job despite the lack of top-level support. It also offers insights into the way top executives are currently using "learning through experience" to develop their managers and executives, and how successful companies, including DuPont, Kodak, Motorola and Hewlett Packard, are creating learning organizations that respond to ever-shortening product and technology cycles and changing consumer preferences.