How to adopt ecosystem thinking to improve learning

Adopting ecosystem thinking can change the way you create, deliver and measure learning initiatives. But what is it exactly? And how can you begin to incorporate ecosystem thinking into your learning projects? Why is it an important approach and what do you need to consider to begin leveraging its components to improve learning? Let’s start with a definition.

Ecosystem thinking in the context of learning and development isn’t just a lens. It’s a practical approach to holistic, interdependence system design, development and implementation that not only ensures effective learning experiences, but also the efficient support of those experiences behind the scenes.

An interdisciplinary approach to training and development

Contrast an interdisciplinary approach to training and development with that of the often-popular, one-off training mindset that many organizations adopt and settle for, and it can seem overwhelming to try to make a change. But it’s not. Rather than focusing on just the content creation of good learning experiences, considering the ecosystem in which the learning happens changes everything. Even the most novice learning professional knows that learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but it can be difficult to prevent it from doing just that.

When you incorporate ecosystem thinking into learning development, it creates connection, flow, sustainability and the learning inactive naturally becomes scalable. This isn’t about overcomplicating a one-off course, or even a weekend workshop. Those initiatives have their place in a broader learning ecosystem. But if you don’t have a learning ecosystem, those courses and workshops fall flat.

When learners are overwhelmed, tech stacks are fragmented and organizations are struggling to identify and measure impact, it shows. Let’s work on fixing that by incorporating ecosystem thinking.

Courses alone are not enough

There’s no doubt that offering a one-off course or a standalone training package isn’t enough. Organizations continue to be frustrated by the lack of impact training has. Some not fully understanding that a one-touch solution isn’t enough. The hope is there, to be sure, but it’s not enough. The limitations of a course-first strategy in business means that the opportunity to create deep, rich experiences is lost. Without the structured support that can improve a learning initiative, organizations will continue to be disappointed in their efforts.

Take this client example. They asked me to create a course using their existing slide decks from a master coaching program they offered. They’d delivered the program several times in person with good results. But they were struggling to turn that program into an evergreen experience.

After a consultation, I pointed out that they were getting bogged down with creating the course. They saw it as a one-off product. They weren’t able to see how the product created its own ecosystem. And how it also integrated with the rest of the business ecosystem they had created. They thought they wanted and needed a siloed experience, but when I pointed out that they needed to consider the internal and external implications of such a course, they shifted gears. What resulted was a full-stack learning experience that began with a introductory course. Then, they moved the learner through an intermediate program. Finally, a mastery-level solution that was built into the existing business, not just on top of it.

New pathways for learning

When we create pathways for people to learn, regardless of application, it becomes easier to see how learning is not just one-and-done. There’s a process and progress that needs to be made for it to stick and have meaning. But for organizations, there is even more to consider. Taking a top-down approach to the existing ecosystem means you can see all of the moving pieces. It also means you get to consider how those moving pieces can change and shift. How can they meet the needs of the new programming? And what’s more, you can make informed decisions. You don’t always have to put out fires that pop up because you added something new to the mix

The DLS Method™ leverages ecosystem thinking

A learning ecosystem doesn’t just consider the learners and the people responsible for creating the learning. Ecosystem thinking means that people, processes, programs and platforms are considered. Ecosystem thinking means consideration of how people impact programs and how programs impact processes. It considers how processes impact platforms and how platforms are used by people and so on. It’s an integration of the existing with the new and it works beautifully when executed correctly.

The DLS Method™ created and used by Deveaux Learning Solutions leverages these four pillars of consideration through the lens of 12 unique disciplines and approaches to learning design, development and delivery. These include consulting and planning, stakeholders and alignment, employee knowledge and training, documentation and reporting, workflows and automation and systems thinking. It also includes instructional design, curriculum development, adult education, learning management systems, launch support and maintenance. It’s a fulsome approach to learning solutions that results in bigger, better and more efficient learning environments.

How to shift into ecosystem thinking

It’s excited to image a new way of developing learning initiatives. After all, some of the tried and true methods of trying to get people to learn are getting a little tired. Plus, people are getting a little tired of having to always do the same things. With ecosystem thinking, you can begin to shift the approach to learning design, development and delivery, and change the way people feel and interact with those learning environments.

Giving clear, actionable steps that not only help learners, but support staff understand and can maintain is important. When you’re looking at the existing learning initiatives you offer, ask yourself some questions about the people, processes, programs and platforms being used.

Questions to help move the needle toward ecosystem thinking

• Are the right people in place to support the desired outcomes of this learning program?
• What processes need to be created in order to streamline the delivery of this learning program?
• How many other programs are impacted by the development and delivery of this new initiative?
• What platforms need to be updated as a result of rolling this new intiative out?

The easiest way to imagine change on the front lines of learning is to imagine what a newly revised or created initiative looks like from the top down: how is the entire ecosystem impacted by the learning?

I worked with a client that required a new learning management system for their organization. They hadn’t considered how their existing procedures and processes would be impacted by the change over and we had to schedule training for internal purposes to help staff become familiar with the new learning management system. Otherwise, they would have come up short when a learner had a question or ran into trouble with the tech. Arming the right people with the right processes for the right programs using the right platforms matters. But you can’t do one without considering the implications of the other.

The business case for ecosystem thinking

If you try to imagine all of the moving pieces beyond just creating and delivery training, you might start to feel overwhelmed. After all, most organizations are already short staffed, over worked and frustrated with limited resources and support. Doesn’t adding more to the pile create more problems? No and no. In fact, hitting pause for a moment to consider how a more robust, support ecosystem can improve learning doesn’t just make things better for students, it makes things better for the entire company.

By implementing preventative systems into your learning ecosystem, you’re getting ahead of future issues. For example, instead of always having to pull reports when they are asked for, you can automate regular reports using the right systems. This not only cuts down on work in the moment, but makes it easier to find information when you need it.

What’s more, when you have proper documentation of processes, everyone understands what needs to happen and can access the information if there are questions. This reduces information-ownership and improves communication. This is especially important when your organization delivers training. What if the keeper of the information isn’t available? What if they are sick? Those aren’t just the kind of questions you need to ask at a holistic business level, but a training level as well.

Putting ecosystem thinking to work for you

The most important thing to know about ecosystem thinking is that it doesn’t require a lot of people to implement or maintain. In fact, ecosystem thinking can be leveraged and used by one-person teams. Deveaux Learning Solutions uses ecosystem thinking to develop, delivery and maintain training of all shapes and sizes. It starts by asking better questions in the right context, rather than assigning ownership.

This kind of approach to learning development is unique because it encompasses an entire organization’s goals and outcomes, while ensuring a fulsome, meaningful experience for the learning. After 25 years of creating courses and figuring out the best ways to get the best results, Deveaux Learning Solutions works with clients to capture multiple data points and make decisions that move everything forward.

This isn’t the only way to ensure great learning experiences, but by incorporating ecosystem thinking into your learning projects, it is the best way to ensure all facets of a business are considered in the learning experience. And that’s something you won’t see anywhere else.