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4/9/2012 Dell Case Study | Organizational Learning learning event at Dell has a class size of one, lasts five to ten minutes and takes place w ithin ten minutes of when someone recognizes that he or she needs to know something. Dells goal is to reduce learning to its smallest, most useful increments and to put the learner in charge of the entire process (Tan, 2005). This goal is draw n from Dells direct to customer business model. One of the first items of the curriculum for a new Dell employee is the business model itself. John Cone believes all employees w ill make it at the company only by understanding how Dell does business (Tan, 2005).
Dell University has created an online course that explains the history of the Dell business model and how it works. Dell University offers over a hundred classes on topics such as quality, finance, writing softw are, and more than forty percent of the material is delivered in nontraditional formats. Nontraditional formats are referring to classes offered in a non-class environment. In fact Dell University does not have a physical location it is located on a more virtual hemisphere. John Cone implemented new strategies of learning at Dell. The new strategies revolve around making simple but powerful distinctions betw een three kinds of learning in the workplace. First there is what Cone calls learning to know the acquisition of general know ledge about the company and about its processes and systems. Then Cone explains, learning to dothe quick acquisition and immediate application of specific skills to do specific jobs. Finally there is learning to know and do the acquisition of both a big picture perspective and the pragmatic techniques needed to accomplish something (Tan, 2005). The overwhelming majority of traditional corporate education is learning to know . These categories help Dell to deliver a user-friendlier version of corporate learning. Most of Dell Universitys delivery mechanisms involve technology. One major learning to do priority is for every Dell employee to master the Internet. To assist, Dell University created a Web-based program called Know the Net. It is not a mandatory program but Dell employees can access the course if and when they choose. Michael Dell has voiced his support for the course, w hich would explain why so many cubicles at Dell display the companys version of an Internet diploma. Other classes offered, such as training for new , in-the-field sales reps, rely on a collection of multimedia tools for self-paced learning. The field kit comes in a cardboard box labeled In-a-box training for out-of-the-box times. Inside, new reps find videotapes with information on how to sell Dell products, a CD-ROM w ith product descriptions, and a video about benefits (ww w .Dell.com). Dell University has created similar learning tools for topics such as new hire orientation, customer service, and the giving of performance reviews. In 1998 Dell University won both the George Land W orld Class Innovator Award and the National Alliance of Businesss Corporate University of the Year Aw ard (ww w .Dell.com).
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