getAbstract brings a huge amount of knowledge, fresh ideas and new perspectives into our learning programs at Atlassian, and it does so in a simple and concise manner.
Founded in Sydney in 2002, Atlassian employs over 3,000 people worldwide. The creator of popular team collaboration software such as Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket and Trello, Atlassian helps teams around the world unleash their potential.
The rapidly growing company is adding a significant number of new employees every month. The People Team thus faces the daunting task of constantly integrating new Atlassians into the workforce. Digital Learning Manager B.J. Schone is always looking for ways to leverage limited resources to empower new employees to self-direct their development while simultaneously supporting current employees’ development. As Schone explains, “We want employees to own their own growth and be proactive with how they approach their professional development.”
The getAbstract solution provides added value to the company’s development efforts in several ways. getAbstract’s online library offers flexible access to relevant knowledge to employees at every level. “As a digital resource,” Schone explains, “getAbstract is accessible anytime and can be used by employees around the world.” Furthermore, seamless Single Sign-On (SSO) access to curated knowledge enables self-directed learning – one of Atlassian’s core personnel development objectives.
In collaboration with their Customer Success Manager, Atlassian was able to integrate getAbstract into several interfaces, allowing employees to find expert knowledge where they need it, and when they need it. A case in point is the seamless integration into their Degreed learning platform, which hosts components of their new manager development program “Manager First.” Schone explains, “Manager First is a self-serve program that learners can access on their own. We offer seven pathways covering topics that are critical for new managers.” Training modules for each competency are linked to reading recommendations curated by getAbstract’s Customer Success Manager. This allows for a direct transfer of knowledge.
Moreover, employees can access compressed business knowledge in Confluence, the collaboration wiki tool developed by Atlassian. At the same time, Atlassians can find company-specific topic channels on getAbstract’s homepage, with content related to company values and employees’ favorite reads. Schone adds, “getAbstract brings a huge amount of knowledge, fresh ideas and new perspectives into our learning programs at Atlassian, and it does so in a simple and concise manner.”
Atlassians prefer a more direct style of communication, and they try to avoid using email for internal communication. Instead, Atlassians turn to in-house blogs to share their ideas, which Schone describes as “a wonderful way to communicate.” Schone uses blog posts to share getAbstract content that he recommends for employees to read.
getAbstract effectively supports Atlassian’s effort to build and promote an autonomous learning culture. There is a high consumption of getAbstract within Atlassian – around 1,000 employees regularly use the learning resource. The platform allows young managers and experienced executives alike to find the expert knowledge they need. More and more, Atlassians are leveraging getAbstract’s mobile apps and audio format designed to facilitate learning on-the-go. “When I get coffee in the morning,” Schone relates, “I often hear people say how much they enjoy the service.”
