The Benefits of Corporate University To start things off, the benefits that organisations claim to gain from their

corporate universities are many and varied. According to Taylor and Phillips (2002), they propose that a corporate university can provide some or all of the stated benefits to an organisation. Among the benefits comprises of the ability to increase the rate of learning within the company to match the increased rate of change in the environment, the ability to respond to the challenges of globalization including the use of technology, the ability to align business goals and learning strategies, to centrally direct coordinate a locally owned activity, to aid maintenance of a corporate culture even when spread over diverse local culture and last but not least, to focus all organisation members on the key role of learning and knowledge in creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. Apart from that, the establishment of a corporate university can facilitate the establishment of knowledge management system. For example, the establishment of a corporate university provides a focus and commitment to learning from which a learning culture can be established. In addition, teaching in a corporate university can contribute to raise self esteem, and it is recognition within the organisation as being a source of expert knowledge. Most corporate universities can differentiate themselves from their training department roots by having courses designed and delivered by the organisations staff for the organisations staff. Being a member of faculty therefore implies that someone has a knowledge based integral to the organisation which needs to be shared and developed further. Corporate universities can also help shape an organisations culture. The Motorola University, for example, operates under the right knowledge, right now slogan. This said, a corporate university can and should be a driver for change. Sir Christopher Ball is quoted as having said existing systems produce existing results. If something different is required the system must be changed (Jenner, 1999). Furthermore, as well as driving change, a corporate university can spread best practice. The existence of a corporate university contributes to the people processes by helping to attract talent (Collin, 1999). Recruiting and retaining the right calibre of staff is likely to become more and more difficult in the future as skills shortages arise in certain areas and demand for such skills increases. Individuals currently see themselves as responsible for their own careers rather than depending on their employing organisation to look after their future. This means that organisations that offer them development opportunities which will maintain their employability, and

ensure they do not become deskilled through their work routines, will be more attractive to them than those that do not. The existence of some form of corporate university structure can help reassure staff that their development is taken seriously in the organisation and that they will be challenged and updated as part of the organisations normal working practices.