The Monroe Street Journal

Issue date: 3/10/03 Section: Day in the Life

Issamy Watanabe, MBA1

On Friday, November 22, Gabrielle O'Carroll and I had the opportunity to visit Root Learning, as part of the Day in the Life program. Root Learning is a communication, learning, and change management-consulting company based in Maumee, Ohio, with offices in Chicago and London. They have different learning solutions that can be completely customized to each client. The basis of their work is the extraordinary mix of talents in the staff - business professionals, educators, instructional designers, and creative artists.

As soon as we got to Root Learning, Tom Crawford, our host, introduced us to the company and to our agenda. During the tour through the company, he said that they just had an internal Olympics... inside the office! Can you imagine? This is a very good representation of their culture: a fun and creative environment, where energetic people work hard to meet their goals.

The main product of the company is the RootMap, a learning process based on a 'mental map visual' that allows everyone in the client organization - from the CEO to the shop floor operator - to understand and respond to vital economic, competitive, productivity, and customer issues. The main idea is, "Tell me; I'll forget. Show me, and I may remember. But involve me, and I'll understand." We had a session using the 'Transforming HR' RootMap, and it is fascinating how much I remember. The details discussed, such as changes in working hours, HR roles and responsibilities and the new challenges, are still fresh in my memory.

The RootMap development process is very similar to the development process of software - planning, specification, prototype, testing, and production. It was amazing to see how information can be translated into a RootMap, and the process and technologies used in this work. In the last stage of development, the drawing is extremely detailed and seems to be a piece of art.

Root Learning is also entering the e-learning market. eSolutions captured a lot of the RootMap experience, and it seems to be an excellent tool for large companies and for cost-reduction times. All the associates were very excited about this new business and its possibilities.

Overall, the company has been extremely successful in attending clients' needs. This is translated into both repeating customers and new customers, reached through word of mouth. However, increasing this growth rate has been difficult, considering the economic crisis. In order to grow even further, Root Learning is participating in specialized conferences to increase brand awareness and working on an international expansion in Europe, which will help the company expand its potential market - showing commitment to the region, as well as local cultural understanding, and facilitating relations with local companies.

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