LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader, Organizations have long realized that learning is a key to staying competitive, That's why there are so many programs devoted to it—from corporate universities to e-leaming and management training. But how many ‘organizations have taken the next logical step, and put learning at the center of their strategy? In this issue we look inside organizations that are coordinating the myriad ways thelr employees learn, to ensure they are being applied for maximum benefit. |n Becoming a tearning organization at Oracle, Ibrahim Gogus describes how knowledge management, innovation management, and the corporate university hhave been integrated into one initiative, The key is that ‘each program retains its separate identity, with managers meeting regularly to identify areas for crossover and collaboration. Gogus also provides great insight into ‘measuring the impact of what ate often highly intangible ‘outcomes, such as increased knowledge sharing and the added value of innovation. Measurement is at the heart of Tata Stee!’ learning ative, Integrating KM to create a learning “organization at Tata Steel describes how India's largest steel company uses an index based on the Balanced Scorecard to measure its many learning programs, including benchmarking training and job rotation. The company spreads learning throughout the organization through the use of “historians” who document the key lessons from task-force projects. All initiatives support ‘one central goal: “When one person learns, the rest of the organization learns with them.” Acchance to improve In Abetter way to link sharing to your strategy Ashley Braganza tells the story of a utility company that learned Making the leap to a learning organization from its mistakes. A project to build an IT system to help siloed departments share information was floundering. Braganza describes how the company turned it around by linking the sharing initiative directly to the customer service strategy. Instant collaboration This issue also has case studies on two of the hottest topics in business right now —instant messaging and ‘outsourcing. in Expertise is one click away with instant ‘messaging, Erick Thompson of the St. Paul Companies ‘shows how the company turned the traditional “technology follows-requirements-assessment” strategy (its head. “No one said, ‘This isa business requirement,” he writes, “it was added to the virtual community package to see iit would be useful. Within, 48 months it's become a required tool.” Value-added outsourcing at Lloyd's and BAE ‘Systems proposes a new model for outsourcing. Rather than cutting off an important part of the organization and {osing vital intellectual capital in the process, the “Enterprise Partnership Mode! creates a new company with responsibilty to shareholders. The authors, including researchers from Oxford University and the University of Missouri, describe how the model worked at two of the UK's mast prominent organizations. Aso in tis issue, you'll get tips on ensuring RO! on portals, measuring e-learning, and how to turn KM skeptics into evangelists. hope you find a lotto learn from,Copyright © 2003 EBSCO Publishing