A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

To meet the next generation of business needs, corporations need to create strategic educational approaches that:

• reflect core business objectives and organizational philosophy

• align with the mission of educational entities

• create systemic educational change

Approaches that are not connected to a strategy (for example, computer donations without teacher training) can deplete resources without providing any forward motion. They are not usually sustained over time and have limited impact.

In contrast, engaging in strategic approaches will:

• provide new opportunities

• coordinate and build upon previous efforts

• create a self-sustaining momentum

• align toward a common purpose

Businesses must develop their educational partnerships with the same degree of strategic thinking that they use to advance any business objective or new product and service. This graphic of the landscape of corporate involvement from Section One shows that educational approaches are more strategic when they are linked to business and school objectives. Also, these approaches are more strategic when there is more overlap and connection among them. These linkages create a synergy that promotes the on-going relationships and continued focus needed to sustain efforts over time.

For companies just developing or implementing their educational approaches, remember that creating strategic educational approaches is a process that occurs over time. Be patient. You are to be commended for venturing into this important area and utilizing a careful planning process.

Motivators and Barriers: Weighing the Pros and Cons

What factors will propel your company to be more strategic in its educational approaches? What barriers might interfere with your efforts to move forward in a strategic direction? If you can link your strategic educational approaches to business and school objectives, you may be able to leverage additional support for your efforts. For example, if your company wants to be an employer of choice, it will be important to join your educational approaches with this business value.

There are various reasons why your company may be motivated to be more strategic in its educational approaches. These may be related, for example, to:

• profit,

• management, or

• corporate culture.

Profit-related reasons are connected directly to the bottom line. Some companies have become involved in educational approaches due to their need for a skilled workforce. They see a direct link between school curricula/academic standards and the quality of their workforce entrants. Your company may be motivated to engage in educational approaches if you can demonstrate that the benefits exceed the costs and add value to key business objectives.

Companies need employees who can adapt to the changing workforce. Today's employees must be flexible and able to work in teams. They must incorporate life-long learning into their career paths and expect to continually upgrade their skills. If employees arrive at the workplace without these needed skills, businesses must train them to bring them up to par. If managers understand how support of educational systems impacts their labor pool, they may be more motivated to support educational approaches.

Corporations realize that employees are their greatest asset and number one resource. Research demonstrates that employers who support their employees can create a culture that reaps loyalty and productivity. Employees have indicated that getting involved in educational concerns is a major priority. Corporate support of educational approaches sends a strong message that the company is committed to its employees and cares about them as people. In addition, this commitment projects a favorable impression in the community about the values and priorities of your company.

Barriers are those factors that can inhibit company support for strategic educational approaches. Although you cannot eradicate all barriers, identifying them can avoid or minimize their negative effects on your company's commitment to educational concerns. Some potential barriers to consider include:

• costs

• limited understanding of the importance of educational concerns to your company

• perceptions of educational approaches as unrelated to the work at hand or interfering with productivity

• corporate culture

• absence of leaders or champions for educational issues

Some individuals or departments may view educational approaches as too costly, in terms of money, time or resources. Others may not understand how your company will benefit from getting involved in educational initiatives and may view educational approaches as extraneous or unrelated to your company's mission and values. Some managers view time away from work as a negative event and are unaware of the positive rewards, such as loyalty or increased productivity which may occur as a result. Your company culture may not be supportive of employee involvement in education. Although you may have an educational leave policy, employees who take advantage of this policy may be overlooked for promotions or viewed as uncommitted. There may not be individuals who can drive these efforts with the enthusiasm and commitment needed for action. These are just some of the barriers that can interfere with your company moving ahead to create strategic educational approaches.

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[Case Examples: Employee Involvement]

[Case Examples: Strategic Educational Approaches]