Sustainable competitive advantage through faster learning

Fast and effective learning cycles require a solid connection to strategy, shared methodologies and tools, and an ability to mobilize people behind focussed improvement efforts. Beware of management fads. Isolate and evaluate the new elements carefully, and make an enlightened decision about whether or not it fits your culture and can be a valuable addition to your learning strategy. Many organizations make it to « good enough ». Few organizations cross the chasm from good to great. While the specific recipe required to do so may be debatable, rigor is definitely a part of it. From business model to customer focus, from process management to team empowerment, from systems thinking to analysis of variation, no sustainable learning, i.e. no sustainable strategic advantage is possible without it.