As social impact strategy consultants, we’ve learned that the most effective corporate strategies are the ones that are rooted in a strong learning culture. Consider the case of Capital + SAFI, a Bolivian-based, mid-size asset management firm with over $500M in assets under management. The firm cares deeply about creating shared value, building economic value for their investors while addressing societal problems and challenges in Latin America through their investments. While many firms seem content to simply collaborate with a strategy consulting team, Capital + SAFI dug in further with FSG to cultivate a strong learning culture during the engagement. The CEO and the entire leadership team were intentional and transparent about their desire to build processes, approaches, and structures for learning during the strategy development process. Some of the outcomes on strategy development from centering learning included:

  • Deep understanding of each individual’s role in strategy implementation and tailored accountability mechanisms for execution
  • Reduced time between conceptualization and implementation, increasing efficiency of processes
  • Real-time testing of the strategy implications by staff for continuous refinement and feedback

Below, we outline the foundational steps Capital + SAFI employed to pair strategy with learning to realize the most effective outcomes of strategy development.

According to FSG Senior Advisor and former President of the American Evaluation Association Hallie Preskill, key activities that enable a learning culture include: engaging in reflection, engaging in dialogue, asking questions, identifying values, challenging assumptions, and seeking feedback. In addition to these activities, there often needs to be intentional enabling efforts to (1) investing in building staff capacity and learning muscle, (2) create or modify organizational processes and structures to support learning, and (3) organizational leaders with a vision for learning.

Read the full article about learning culture by Allison Kaika, Gabriella Cova, and Nikhil Bumb at FSG.