Steelcase: A Culture of Learning

In my never ending quest for knowledge about design, I came across the Steelcase Web site last year.  It was there I learned of Mark Greiner's blog workit.  workit also was a stop on a Starship Cruiser mission, one of my all time favorite voyages.  That day we were in search of a sense of place.

A few minutes at Steelcase's site pegs the red line on my this-is-a-company-that-values-knowledge meter.  Heck, it breaks the glass.  The entire site radiates this thought and for me it was not anything specific.  From the main site I find Mark's blog and his post on people and culture.  Mark's observations reinforce my perceptions of Steelcase as a knowledge-based company.

James P. Hackett's article, Preparing for the Perfect Product Launch, in the April edition of Harvard Business Review, caused me once again to dwell on the learning culture of Steelcase.  (Unfortunately HBR requires a paid subscription to view this article online).  Jim, who is the company's CEO, describes a critical thinking process that his associates go through before launching a product.  This process which Jim teaches at their corporate university, combines deep thinking with execution. 

Why don't I hire a training company to teach managers critical thinking?  The answer is simple: The lesson sticks better when the CEO teaches it.

The critical thinking course not only is of value to new product development, it helps managers working within groups, reach decisions and come to informed agreements. 

The course is based on four phases:

• Think
• Set the Point of View
• Plan Implementation
• Implement

Think

• Ponder
• Query
• Read and research
• Network
• Document

Set the Point of View

• Conduct a collegial, open-minded discussion
• Determine the direction
• Assign an owner for the point of view
• Stay the course

Plan Implementation

• Clarify, refine
• Consider all stakeholders
• Practice, practice, practice

Implement

• Select a spokesperson
• Play to win
• Celebrate the victory

Each of these phase subsets is rigorous and involved.  But from this snapshot one can easily discern the seriousness that Steelcase places upon the learning process.  Combine intent with content, add discipline and surround it with interested associates and you have a culture of learning.

Comments

[Rosa Say]

I so agree Dave, that “The lesson sticks better when the CEO teaches it.” Unfortunately, it’s the rare CEO who will actually teach, committing themselves to learning how to do so (thus people like me have a booming business in doing it for them :-)

[dave]

I was thinking of you in both aspects as well Rosa!