It’s been a few weeks since we posted the first Community Spotlight, which focused on the National Wood Flooring Association’s use of video to provide social proof in marketing its educational offerings. This time around, we’re shining the spotlight on CAI’s efforts with its The Management Advantage™ development tool.
I’ve referenced The Management Advantage on many occasions when talking with organizations about how to better articulate the value of their programming and even wrote about it in Leading the Learning Revolution. On the surface, there is, arguably, nothing unusual about it: The Management Advantage is simply a collection of certification programs addressing topical areas relevant to CAI’s audience. What I have always found remarkable, however, is the clarity with which CAI communicates about the tool and, by extension, the value that the the programs comprising the tool can provide. This is all concisely, yet powerfully captured in the visual below (available as a downloadable PDF on CAI’s Web page for the tool)
Here’s what I write about it in Leading the Learning Revolution:
The tool helps learners identify the knowledge and competencies they need based on their current role in their organization as well as the new knowledge and competencies they need to acquire as their careers progress. The Management Advantage thus serves the double purpose of providing learners with a coherent “narrative” for their learning and providing an important role for CAI in that narrative.
As Colleen Cunningham, CAI’s director (at that time – now vice president) of learning services, explains,
The feedback from our customers has been one of relief since CAI created The Management Advantage curriculum model. Rather than having them look at a list of courses on our website, we have made their lives much simpler by packaging the training content. As a result, they can easily see how the model lines up with their company’s organizational structure. They can then quickly assess which of their employees need which level of training within the model. In addition, the model showcases an uncomplicated career progression path for developing their employees.
What story can you tell, and how can you frame it in a way that provides a clear and easy path to value for your customers?
I contacted Colleen (who is a member of this community) before posting this and she shared that The Management Advantage continues to be a core part of – and key revenue driver for – CAI’s learning and development business. It’s one of the main things members ask about and has become an essential part of the brand.
Even if you don’t offer certifications or a curriculum as comprehensive as CAI’s, I think The Management Advantage is a great point of reference for thinking about how to organize and communicate the offerings you do have into a coherent, high-value narrative.
Comments, questions, and similar examples are all highly welcome!