These study groups were something I enjoyed and was dedicated to; they wound up being a nice perk for my colleagues -- good for morale and good for hiring. So while there was a cost, good value was generated in exchange and there was solid consensus around our team that the study groups were more than worthwhile.

To reproduce this success, though, you shouldn't ordinarily look to someone in a line engineering role. Organizing these sessions is more of a management or onboarding and training task.

> ... but ultimately it costs $ to the company.

I think "ultimately" is an interesting choice of word here, because spending the money is actually more of a beginning than an end (which is why people do it).

You're increasing individual engagement, generating social capital within your team, and creating opportunities to benefit from untapped creativity... all of which are valuable, potentially extremely valuable.

Even the best investments incur short-term balance sheet deductions.

Sorry to be pedantic, but you are buying an asset with another asset there is no deduction on the balance sheet.