A few months ago, I stepped into our CEO’s office with an idea that had been floating around in my head for a few days. The premise was simple: What if we could build a simple framework to share all of the knowledge and expertise we’re accumulating as digital marketers? Wouldn’t Pravda Media Group be a better place if everyone could freely and openly share their insights?
Beginning of an idea
I’ve been curious and interested in the idea of education for some time now, inspiring me to think about how can we better exploit and make use of all the knowledge we acquire during our work.
Throughout our work with clients, we’re learning a lot about a variety of topics, systems and tools. Each of us, from content writers to engagement managers, to data analysts and marketing managers, has their own unique set of skills.
If we could all share our knowhow and teach each other about the tools and processes that get us through our days, we could work together and boost our overall performance. It wasn’t long until I received the green light to go ahead and build this process within the company.
Birth of the University
After some lengthy brainstorming sessions and experimenting with different formats (doing a podcast, webinar, writing guides, etc.) we decided to kick off the University initiative as an internal employee training and education program, beginning with a weekly company session where we take turns presenting a topic of our choice.
Essentially, it’s a class where everyone shares their knowledge and more importantly, receives feedback, in order to spark a discussion surrounding the various topics. After my initial idea, I went on to learn that similar initiatives have been successfully launched in some of the most creative companies in the world. (i.e Pixar, Apple) as described by co-founder and president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation, Ed Catmull, in his excellent book Creativity Inc.
Class is now in session
The discussion portion of the process is essential as it allows us to rethink and question the processes and reasoning behind our work. Everything is up for an open debate and scrutiny; no ideas are omitted, and everything is put on the table. This is designed to create an environment where we are comfortable questioning and examining each others’ work processes, tools, and services.
The goal is to nurture and maintain a culture of learning and exploration over time, as well as improve our own work.
We’re really excited about our new PMG University initiative and look forward to sharing our knowledge with you.
Do you have a similar process in place at your company? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comment section below, or Tweet at us @PravdaMG!
All Enroll! How We Created The PMG University
January 28, 2015
Yarin Hochman
A few months ago, I stepped into our CEO’s office with an idea that had been floating around in my head for a few days. The premise was simple: What if we could build a simple framework to share all of the knowledge and expertise we’re accumulating as digital marketers? Wouldn’t Pravda Media Group be a better place if everyone could freely and openly share their insights?
Beginning of an idea
I’ve been curious and interested in the idea of education for some time now, inspiring me to think about how can we better exploit and make use of all the knowledge we acquire during our work.
Throughout our work with clients, we’re learning a lot about a variety of topics, systems and tools. Each of us, from content writers to engagement managers, to data analysts and marketing managers, has their own unique set of skills.
If we could all share our knowhow and teach each other about the tools and processes that get us through our days, we could work together and boost our overall performance. It wasn’t long until I received the green light to go ahead and build this process within the company.
Birth of the University
After some lengthy brainstorming sessions and experimenting with different formats (doing a podcast, webinar, writing guides, etc.) we decided to kick off the University initiative as an internal employee training and education program, beginning with a weekly company session where we take turns presenting a topic of our choice.
Essentially, it’s a class where everyone shares their knowledge and more importantly, receives feedback, in order to spark a discussion surrounding the various topics. After my initial idea, I went on to learn that similar initiatives have been successfully launched in some of the most creative companies in the world. (i.e Pixar, Apple) as described by co-founder and president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation, Ed Catmull, in his excellent book Creativity Inc.
Class is now in session
The discussion portion of the process is essential as it allows us to rethink and question the processes and reasoning behind our work. Everything is up for an open debate and scrutiny; no ideas are omitted, and everything is put on the table. This is designed to create an environment where we are comfortable questioning and examining each others’ work processes, tools, and services.
The goal is to nurture and maintain a culture of learning and exploration over time, as well as improve our own work.
We’re really excited about our new PMG University initiative and look forward to sharing our knowledge with you.
Do you have a similar process in place at your company? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comment section below, or Tweet at us @PravdaMG!