In 1961, this leafy suburb found itself hosting an initiative that was, at the time, at the cutting edge of organisational learning and development: a 'corporate university'. It was in the unlikely setting of the basement of Elk Grove Village McDonald's, that Fred Turner, then its VP of operations and later McDonald's CEO, founded Hamburger University - a pioneering initiative Turner instinctively knew was right for the firm's future.
Today, many organisations worldwide have embraced the concept of a corporate university. And, although they may brand themselves 'academies', 'business schools' and 'institutes', the vast majority of these fall into one of two categories: defined by their ethos and the scope of their impact.
The first category I call the 'pragmatic institution' - focused on ensuring the alignment of learning and development activities with organisational objectives and values. A key driver for them is an enhanced return on investment and their creation is often little more than a re-branding of established programmes.
However, the power of these pragmatic institutions is implied in the title - they are firmly set on delivering organisational outcomes and it is this unswerving focus that has led to the creation and delivery of programmes of the highest quality.
The second category takes this to the next level by creating 'aspirational institutions'. These share the qualities of pragmatic institutions, but enhance professional standing of employees by awarding external qualifications, often delivered in partnership with leading universities.
Such aspirational institutions, therefore, have an ethos of mutuality - good for the business and good for the individual - that sets them apart from their pragmatic cousins.
Another major feature of these institutions is that they seek to create networks within the organisation, networks which facilitate the flow of tacit knowledge across geographic and functional boundaries. However, the greatest strength of 'corporate universities' is that they support a culture where every employee aspires to progress and develop.
For the past 50 years, pragmatic and aspirational institutions have peopled the landscape. What I find particularly exciting is the emergence of a third category of corporate university, a new breed of institution which could rewrite an organisation's relations with its employees and the communities in which it operates.
They're 'transformational institutions' - ones whose influence extends beyond the boundaries of the organisation. They share the qualities of the pragmatic and aspirational institutions, but also set out to deliver on wider social needs and issues: numeracy and literacy, core workplace skills, environmental education, work experience, volunteering schemes and so on.
This new generation of corporate university has the potential to transform the lives of individuals and communities. There is a clear organisational benefit too, both in terms of stakeholder engagement and in embedding a learning culture.
Turner has a simple philosophy: "work hard, use your common sense, and don't be afraid to trust your instincts."
His instinct about the importance of corporate universities has proved to be spot on and the one he founded 50 years ago in Elk Grove Village is today housed in a 130,000 sq ft, purpose-built facility on an 80-acre campus near Chicago, with satellite campuses in the UK, Australia, Germany, China, Japan and Brazil.
That instinct served him well in his career - Turner eventually became senior chairman of McDonald's global business.
So if your instinct is telling you that your corporate university might benefit from broadening its scope, trust it. As Turner would no doubt tell you, you are probably right.
David Fairhurst is chief people
officer, Europe at McDonald's
