The Company of the Future

How deep is David Bellshaw's commitment to Isaacson, Miller? Last May, when his wife accepted a medical residency at the University of California at San Francisco, Bellshaw had to make another decision: Would he leave the firm for a larger, more traditional head-hunting outfit in California - one that could pay him a lot of money? Or would he strike out on his own? In the end, Bellshaw says, the power of Isaacson, Miller's mission won out. He came up with a third option: He opened a new, West Coast office of the firm.

"It was a chance to do something that was interesting on a moral dimension, as well as an opportunity to build an office," he says. "The result is a blend of mission and market. With this job, I have all the mission of the best not-for-profits, and I also have all the rigors of the corporate world."

Learning Makes You Grow

In a knowledge-based economy, the new coin of the realm is learning. Want to build a business that can outlive its first good idea? Create a culture that values learning. Want to build a career that allows you to grow into new responsibilities? Maintain your hunger to learn - and join an organization where you'll be given the chance to learn continuously.

It's a proposition that fast companies have already figured out: Talented people join up in order to learn. Of course, part of the lure of learning goes back to the first "glue" - money. Learn more now, earn more in the future. But again, money is only part of the story. Talented people also want intellectual challenge: They like being explorers on the frontiers of the knowledge economy. And as apprentices have known for centuries, it's easiest to learn on the job - by working directly with people who can teach you and who are committed to the same goals you are.

Consider John Jordan, 40, director of electronic-commerce research at Ernst & Young LLP's Center for Business Innovation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The center, which houses 35 people on two floors in an office designed with the ultramodern look-and-feel of a learning laboratory, functions as an in-house research and brainstorming facility for the 82,000-person, $9.1 billion global accounting and consulting firm.

If learning is a core competency, then Jordan already possesses it. Consider his degrees: a BA from Duke in political science and history, an MA from Yale in ethics, an MA and a PhD from the University of Michigan in American studies. But all of that education left Jordan hungry for something else: an understanding of the real business world. He could have opted for independence - freelancing for several clients - or he could have chosen to pursue various consulting roles. At the center, Jordan found the perfect blend of intellectual stimulation and real-world application, and an environment that keeps him glued to interesting people.

Part of the learning comes from contact with supercharged experts. "Working here has given me a rich Rolodex," Jordan says. "I'm invited to participate in a lot of stimulating conversations that I wouldn't take part in otherwise." The center taps various fields to bring in visiting fellows: a neuroscientist, a science-fiction writer, a provocative business-school professor, a magazine editor. "It's a group that I could never assemble on my own," says Jordan.

Being part of a high-powered think tank hasn't deprived Jordan of his autonomy. He largely designs his own goals, and he works to achieve them at a comfortable pace. And he's enlarged the scope of his work. "The brand called John Jordan has limited viability," he admits. His new brand has a much wider appeal.

Another part of the learning comes from the quality of the problems that cross Jordan's desk every day. The center acts as a kind of filter - screening out trivial issues and letting through only the hardest conceptual challenges. "The institutional affiliation gives you the leverage to do things you couldn't do on your own," he says. "The learning curve is so steep - I'm learning too much here to make going out on my own an attractive option."

Jordan's boss is Chris Meyer, who is himself an accomplished learner: Meyer, 50, graduated from Brandeis University, studied economics for two years at the University of Pennsylvania in its PhD program, and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. As the director of the Center for Business Innovation, Meyer recruits people who want to learn from one another - a process that makes Ernst & Young a desirable place to work. "People are attracted to the company because working here helps them become better than they could be otherwise," says Meyer.

Through its cutting-edge innovations, the center also offers its people a window onto the future. "By coming here, you're learning not just how to identify the issues of the future but also how to do the work of the future," Meyer says. "Working in the knowledge economy requires the ability to recognize patterns, to share ideas with people inside and outside your organization, to maintain relationships with people who have common interests, and to pull value out of those relationships." Learning how to master those skills may be the most important kind of learning there is.