The Action Learning Forum is designed to enhance the capacity of our vice presidents and top directors to create sustained competitive advantage for Cisco. The Action Learning Forum brings leaders together to solve real-time opportunities facing Cisco focusing on anticipating and shaping market transitions, creating the conditions for success in executing Cisco’s strategies, and role modeling the values and behaviors of a company built to lead. The program was launched in October 2006 and combines top-notch business school instruction and real-world strategic business projects.
Participants are tasked with developing financial models and go-to-market strategies for various business ideas submitted by Cisco employees—with the aim of creating the next $1 billion business unit at Cisco. To date 80 employees drawn from across the Asia Pacific, Canada, Emerging Markets, Europe, Japan, and the United States have participated. One important outcome of Cisco’s Action Learning Forum was the launch of a new global emerging technologies business unit in Bangalore, India.
