Reimagining the Corporate University

An evolution is taking place in corporate training and learning today. Corporate universities and talent development models must adapt to the challenges faced by companies and employees in an environment of constant transformation.

From digital innovation to accelerated globalization, companies are experiencing profound change – and employees must also shift and build their competencies to adapt to these trends. Recognizing these challenges, BPI group, a global management and HR consulting firm with expertise in change management, interviewed 37 corporate university leaders for their perspectives: 84% report that their company’s corporate university model will radically evolve by 2020.

BPI group published these survey results at the recent U-Spring conference – the first European event dedicated to corporate universities, learning, and talent development.

Key Takeaways: Corporate University Survey

• 84% of corporate university leaders report that their model will radically change by 2020.
• Short-term constraints, financial and technological issues are the primary factors driving this evolution.
• The emergence of digital technologies and innovative teaching methods are the two greatest factors in the transformation of organizational learning.
• Corporate university leaders are concerned by the growing demands of VPHRs and CEOs as buyers of training programs, motivated by efficiency, learning transformation, a focus on employee responsibility, and innovation.

As we consider the need and opportunity to redesign our models of organizational learning, what role will corporate universities play? Is it possible for universities to evolve beyond their original focus on leadership, culture, and organizational change, to a more democratic purpose? Can we shift the values and focus of corporate learning to the development of competencies to improve employees’ self-fulfillment and professional future? To address these questions, we must revisit the purpose of the corporate university.

What are corporate universities for?

Whether they are specialized or not, manifest as campuses, academies, or schools, corporate universities vary today in their form, status, and organizational design - but they all have ambitious goals to meet. Corporate universities today have several obligations to fulfill: develop and retain talent, develop competencies, support organizational transformation, strengthen values and corporate culture, reinforce well-being at work and also, more recently, improve an employee’s employability beyond their current organization, and encourage personal accountability for one’s own career.

Designing a new, more adaptable learning model

What are the latest tools that can be leveraged to redesign corporate universities? How can organizations maximize the potential of the universalization and personalization available with digital technology? Corporate university leaders reported e-learning, gamification, and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) among the most relevant methods available today – and 84% state that digital technology has had a major impact on their methods.

The corporate university today is only one component of a broader initiative to cultivate new ways of organizational learning through smart digital solutions, to meet each individual where they are. To learn more about corporate university leaders’ perspectives on the future of organizational learning, check out the results of BPI group’s 2016 Corporate University Survey.