[Editor’s Note: Those eager to read the preview chapter or buy the book can skip the introduction below and find sample chapter and pre-order information at the end of this post.]
As many of you already know, the workplace is going through a large-scale transition with digitization, automation, and acceleration. Critical skills and expertise are imperative for companies and their employees to succeed in the future, and the most forward-thinking companies are being proactive in adapting to the shift in the workforce.
We’ve spent the last 12 months researching, gathering the stories of many thoughtful organizations, and writing the truths you need to know about living, working and growing teams that excel in this new age of work. We’re excited to announce that our new book, The Expertise Economy is finally complete.
What’s in the book
In this book, we provide the latest scientific research on how people really learn with concrete examples from companies in both Silicon Valley and worldwide who are driving the conversation about how to create experts and align learning innovation with business strategy.
We offer seven guiding principles to help build the skills that are critical to an organization’s success, now and in the future:
Make learning a competitive advantage: Companies that build a culture where learning is part of the overall strategy—and something that people love and want to do—will have a clear advantage
Embrace personalized learning: Technology enables personalized learning, a key factor in helping people integrate learning with their own work
Combat content overload: Curate the abundance of learning resources available to help employees learn what they need, when they need it
Understand the power of peers: Implement strategies to learn from each other and tap into the knowledge and experience of those around you
Succeed with the right technology: Determine which new innovative approaches to learning are right, and create learning ecosystems to help employees succeed
Analyze your employees’ skills with data and insights: Using data analytics when creating strategies around reskilling and upskilling your workforce is critical
Make skills and expertise count: Use the Skills Quotient, or SQ, to measure and understand what skills your employees have and what skills they need and apply it to recruiting, mentoring, and promotions, and how to close the gap and find the next internal opportunity
We also include interviews with executives from top companies like Google, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Unilever, NASA, and MasterCard; thought leaders in learning and education like Sal Khan and Todd Rose; as well as Thinkers50 list-makers Clayton Christensen, Daniel Pink, and Whitney Johnson.
The Expertise Economy dares you to let go of outdated and traditional ways of closing the skills gap, and challenges CEOs and business leaders to embrace the urgency of re-skilling and upskilling the workforce.
The reviews are in!
Don’t just take our word for it. Below are some of the early reviews.
"Disruption in any industry is a process, not a one-time event. With so much change on the horizon, Kelly and David highlight the imperative firms have to harness learning to stay in the game."
―Clayton Christensen, Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, New York Times bestselling author, The Innovators Dilemma
"Everyone agrees that learning provides a competitive edge in an outsourced, automated economy. But what's the essential next step? In The Expertise Economy, Kelly Palmer and David Blake make a persuasive case that companies play a huge role in shaping the future of learning. This excellent book offers practical and evidence-based insights that can help CEOs and other business leaders challenge the status quo."
―Daniel H. Pink, author, WHEN and DRIVE
"The opportunity to scale new learning curves at work is an intrinsic career value for an ever-increasing slice of the workforce, and an imperative for organizations who want to stay in the game, much less ahead of it. The Expertise Economy offers a framework for leaders to future-proof the skills of their people and organizations."
―Whitney Johnson, Thinkers50 Leading Management Thinker, bestselling author, Build an A Team and Disrupt Yourself
"Brilliant, timely and significant, this book blows the lid off the learning theories of the past!"
―Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education
"The Expertise Economy makes clear the importance of skills in the corporate world. For most companies, understanding what skills your employees have, what skills they need, and their agility in learning new skills, will bring a competitive edge in the future."
―Nancy Duarte, CEO Duarte Inc., bestselling author, Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences
"Timely, clever, and useful insights on how learning enables individuals and organizations to flourish in a rapidly changing world. Anyone or any company seeking to learn how to learn will savor these insights and master these principles."
―Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, Partner RPL Group, bestselling author, and Thinkers50 Hall of Fame: World-leading Business Thinker
"The Expertise Economy is must-read for anyone who cares about the future of their workforce and organization."
―Nick van Dam PhD, McKinsey & Company Partner, Chief Learning Officer, Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Nyenrode, and IE University, Founder, e-Learning for Kids Foundation
"Learning has always been one of the secret weapons of the world's highest performing companies. Kelly and David's book unlocks this secret and is filled with advice on how to make learning a competitive advantage for any company."
―Josh Bersin, Industry Analyst and Founder, Bersin by Deloitte
"The Expertise Economy shows how companies can use learning and skills as key differentiators to stay ahead of the competition and ultimately help close the widening skills gap."
―Jaime Casap, Education Evangelist, Google
"The Expertise Economy is a unicorn among business books. It presents a human and business reason to address the skills gap in a holistic way with suggestions for how universities, companies and individuals can work together to prepare for the future workplace."
―Jeanne Meister, Partner, Future Workplace, Co-author, The 2020 Workplace and The Future Workplace Experience
“Technological change is going to make the skills of the workforce all the more critical for corporate success. This insightful and persuasive book shows how technology itself can be used to identify, provide and measure the skills that individuals need to thrive. The technological revolution will transform corporate learning and this book suggests how. This is a smart book about creating a smart workforce.”
—Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics, London Business School, Coauthor, The 100-Year Life
Those want to see for themselves can access a sample chapter below.
Thank you for your time and support.
Kelly and Dave