The competitive advantage of running a Business Academy has been significant.
A Business Academy is an amazing tool to substantially advance a designated group of specialist co-workers on a chosen subject critical to a sponsor (client) through classic and modern learning methods.
A business academy's purpose may be a specific issue, challenge or bottleneck that needs resolve, improvement or radical re-thinking (e.g.: 'how will we market our new product more effectively', or: 'how can we increase sales by X percent', or 'What does it take to remain a leader in our market')
An academy will always be what YOU want it to be. But it certainly is less comfortable, more radical, sometime irritatingly disruptive and at times unconventional and experimental than other training initiatives you might have seen or tried before.
While there are no magic bullets in the business we are in a Business Academy is the closest thing we can offer. If you are ready to significantly scrutinise how you work today and you are looking for a co-worker - owned, mutually agreed new ways of how things are done better in the future then this is for you!
A Business Academy is as unique as you are and brings to your organisation a very specific high-impact series of bespoke learning and facilitation interventions which go far beyond a sequence of traditional training courses.
Expect a Business Academy's results to be substantial in value to your organisation because an academy does NOT bring to you from outside all the answers you may want to hear. An Academy is not meant to just be another knowledge or best-practice consumption forum. It rather hones and builds on its participants' existing subject matter expertise and autonomy.
An Academy certainly sets the stage offering a definition of its purpose and iron out knowledge gaps through taught elements.
Its true purpose however is to facilitate the existing wealth of knowledge and expertise of your very own people and steer it into the direction you set.
A Business Academy is run from, by and within the facilities of a sponsoring organisation and led by carefully selected external specialists. We can assist with the administration and management.
Its success is unthinkable without its client stakeholders' involvement and commitment. A Business Academy can be a sequence of themed and curated learning interventions (such as, but not limited to expert-led and/or blended courses). Elements may be taught or facilitated.
It may be scheduled in levels which build up on one another in terms of demand and complexity. Participants are encouraged work in groups or teams.
A Business Academy makes heavy use of a technique known as 'facilitation' where expert employees are facilitated by a neutral external subject matter facilitator towards prior agreed objectives.
It may be that a company's existing processes, know-how and common practices are put to the test and become subject to scrutiny in open and democratic debates.
It may be that an academy disrupts a sponsor's current work practices and something new, previously perhaps unthinkable, finds its way. In any case all participants commit to implementing their part of the change with responsibility and accountability.
Real success only happens when all relevant stakeholders fully support the initiative and take ownership in the academy development all the way to assisting with the delivery of the initiative and making sure its outcomes are implemented.
You are free to find any catchy name you like for your Business Academy.
- The Growth AcademyStill not sure what actually happened here. Everyone bought in and took ownership. We are seeing an incredible overall performance increase in our department. I admit this is the best we've ever done.
