Cambridge Group Methodology
Action learning versus training
The traditional approaches to developing leaders typically involve immersion in western-style classroom training with little or no follow-up. We often hear human resources managers talk about how their training programs are unpopular, ill-received, or ineffective. At many companies, training programs just don’t work. And it’s difficult to justify the expense of training to company leadership if there aren’t short- and long-term results. Why are so many companies struggling with this?
Our methodology is simple: tap into human nature to create a ‘pull’ for change; then get people into action and consistently give them coaching feedback to ensure that new skills and behaviors take hold. Every manager knows that getting people to change is difficult… if you follow the old rules. So we decided to do something different by creating the conditions in which people naturally engage in a change process. Our approach focuses on:
- Raising the performance bar in areas where people have to face new challenges and find new approaches to meet those challenges.
- Challenging people to move past their ‘comfort zones’ in order to get results.
- Providing ongoing feedback over time to ensure that new behaviors and skills take hold and people don’t revert back to their old winning formulas.
How is this approach different?
No more wasted days in the training classroom
– Learning and development happens in the process of taking real action and applying a powerful methodology, tools and distinctions to real-time challenges and dilemmas.
No more leaving people to ‘sink or swim’
– We create an ongoing structure of support through high impact coaching conversations. Coaching becomes part of people’s DNA. We help them use coaching as the way they lead and manage, not something they do at the end of a busy day.
No more waiting until someone is in crisis before they take charge of their development
– People connect their business aspirations to their personal aspirations and motivate themselves to change from the inside. We create a pull for change rather than trying to push it down people’s throats.
No more well intentioned training initiatives that aren’t connected to strategy or don’t produce measurable results
– We work side by side with leaders to ensure that the program is business connected and that they are fully involved. We work both one-on-one and in groups to produce results that are measurable. We’ll assess people’s capabilities up-front and at the end, and with you we’ll co-design projects that have a significant and tangible impact on the bottom-line.