The ideal guidance system should itself learn and grow over
time. It should accumulate the “best practices” for each organiza-
tion, based on the real-world experiences of its users. Such best
practices would have the advantage of being specific to the organi-
zation and its culture and proven in actual application.
To satisfy this principle, the guidance system must have a
mechanism to capture these best practices and a simple way to add
them to the database and indexes. An example of such a system is
Meridian Global’s GlobalSmart program, which is designed to pro-
vide tips and insights executives need to be effective in cultures dif-
ferent than their own.^9 The system continues to get smarter not
only as a result of research by the company but also by inviting
executives experienced in transnational business to contribute
ideas and insights. These are checked, edited, and added to the
database so that over time the system becomes increasingly rich,
deep, and specific. Similarly, in our work with Home Depot’s Store
Manager Learning Forum, we ask each store manager to identify
his or her most effective action during a three-month follow-up
period. These best practices then become the source of GuideMe
items for subsequent groups, which accelerates organizational
learning and knowledge dissemination.
ConclusionThe digital revolution and the electronic media it has spawned
offer new and exciting opportunities for disseminating knowledge.
We believe that in the field of management development, more
effective knowledge dissemination is at least as important as new
knowledge generation.
In this chapter, we have outlined opportunities and principles
for applying information technology to leadership development
guidance. New systems and constructs are needed to make the
information available at the time and place it is needed and to
make it more specific and more concise. We believe strongly that
improved knowledge application, especially in the postprogram
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