631. Stacey Dietsch, Learning Journeys at McKinsey Academy

Show Notes:

Stacey  Dietsch talks about her 18-year tenure at McKinsey, focusing on human behavior and organizational performance. She highlights the importance of connecting investments in talent and culture to business performance and economic results.

The Creation of McKinsey Academy

Stacey emphasizes the role of learning in organizational change and the need for effective talent development. She discusses the creation of the McKinsey Academy, an external learning platform for clients. The Academy aims to translate McKinsey's internal training into offerings for clients, focusing on skill building, mindset shifts, and behavior change. Stacey explains that the Academy initially digitized content to scale impact and created learning journeys for clients. Stacey stresses the importance of grounding learning in business needs and connecting it to the flow of work.

The Structure of Learning Journeys

Stacey describes the structure of learning journeys, which include individual courses and bespoke, custom-developed learning for clients. The Academy focuses on leadership development, starting with leaders and connecting modules into learning journeys. The conversation turns to Will’s experience with McKinsey's leadership training, highlighting the practical, experiential nature of the workshops. Stacey reinforces the importance of practice and real-play scenarios in learning and development.

The McKinsey Management Program

When asked for specifics about the modules in the McKinsey management program, Stacey outlines modules related to setting strategy, developing organizational structures, managing talent, and leveraging technology. The Academy aims to create interactive learning experiences, even in digitized content, through cohorts and teaching assistants. Stacey also emphasizes the importance of peer learning and accountability in digital learning programs.

Academy Costs and the Competitive Edge

When asked about client reception to McKinsey's learning programs and the competitive landscape, Stacey explains the need to demonstrate McKinsey's content and add distinctive features like teaching assistants to justify the higher cost. The Academy aims to build once and use many times to keep costs down and stay competitive. Stacey highlights the importance of learning built with the client for their specific transformation needs.

Learning from the Science of Learning 

Turning to counterintuitive insights gained about the science of learning, Stacey shares that learning is an internal process that can be taught and that effective learning happens in the course of everyday work. She emphasizes the importance of learning to learn and learning to teach as foundational skills. Stacey discusses the role of curiosity, asking questions, and seeking feedback in continuous learning. She also talks about the relevance of modern talent development, and she explains the concept of skills-based talent strategy and the importance of knowing the workflow and tasks required for roles. And the discussion covers strategic workforce planning based on skill needs and the use of assessments to create onboarding learning journeys.

Opportunities and Challenges in HR

Stacey discusses the exciting opportunities and challenges in the HR talent field with the evolving nature of work. She emphasizes the importance of using AI to accelerate growth and do more and different work, not just drive efficiency. Stacey highlights the need to set organizational structures that enable people to work side by side with AI agents. 

Helping Clients Leverage AI

Stacey shares that she is working with various clients as an independent consultant, leveraging her McKinsey knowledge. She focuses on helping clients navigate the evolving AI landscape and prepare for the future of work. Stacey emphasizes the importance of talent strategy and the different interventions needed to set organizations up for success.

Timestamps:

 03:36: Development of the McKinsey Academy

06:01: McKinsey's Learning Journeys and Leadership Development 

09:04: Specific Modules and Interactive Learning 

14;43: Client Reception and Competitive Positioning

18:43: Insights into the Science of Learning 

23:03: Skills-Based Talent Strategy and Qual Cards 

30:32: Future of Work and AI 

34:24: Stacey's Current Practice as an Independent Consultant 

Links:

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/staceydietsch

This episode on Umbrex: https://umbrex.com/unleashed/episode-631-stacey-dietsch-learning-journeys-at-mckinsey-academy/

Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

*AI generated timestamps and show notes.