Go to the case in the text on page 315:Exercising Strategy: Formal and Self-Directed Learning at LINKEDIN
.You should summarize the case. Then answer the questions on page 315. Case analysis must be detailed (more than 300 words),
EXERCISING STRATEGY
Formal and Self-Directed Learning at LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet, with more than 450 million members. LinkedIn strives to create economic opportunity for every person in the world and strives to helps its employees transform themselves by developing their knowledge and skills. Transformation and collaboration are key parts of LinkedIn’s culture. At LinkedIn, onboarding includes a New Hire Roadmap, which provides a weekly list of things that new employees have to do to become productive during their first 30 days on the job. The Transformation Plan gives employees the opportunity to improve in their current job and consider their future career. At LinkedIn, 70% of the way that employees learn is self-directed. That is, employees access information when they need it, in the context of how they perform their job or how they want to move in their career. Most content is available online. Through LearnIn, employees can search for relevant learning content. Thirty percent of learning includes classroom training and working in teams to solve real problems. For example, a month-long program called Conscious Business focuses on effective collaboration, improving work relationships, problem solving, and acting with integrity. Employees learn through interacting in teams, watching videos, completing knowledge checks, and engaging in practice activities that involve genuine business situations. They share ideas using discussion boards and meet weekly with a facilitator to discuss what they have learned.
QUESTIONS
Is LinkedIn’s approach to training strategic? Why or why not?
At LinkedIn, 70% of training is informal and self-directed and 30% is formal, including classroom training and working in teams. Do you think this is the right mix for LinkedIn? Why? Should all companies adopt the same mix? Why or why not?