Working Backwards: Bridging Instructional Design and Enterprise Learning Strategy for Business Transformation

The evolution from traditional instructional design (ID) to the more holistic learning experience design (LXD) marked a significant step toward expanding learning beyond training interventions and centering it on learners’ experiences. However, a missing link often remains: Connecting learning initiatives directly to tangible business outcomes.

This session presents an expansive approach to developing strategic learning architectures anchored in real business scenarios and objectives. “Working backwards,” we will pinpoint business markers such as transformation goals, seasonal shifts, or product or service launches, and use them as the springboards for crafting an overarching learning architecture and strategy.

As we dissect real-world examples of learning architectures and strategies, we will evaluate the business challenges faced and the learning, technological, and talent solutions employed to address these challenges. We will glean from this strategies for designing learning experiences that are in sync with key business markers and for aligning instructional events, learning experiences, and change management interventions strategically to maximize learning outcomes and drive business impact.

Key takeaways include:

• Employing a ‘working backwards’ approach to align learning strategies and architectures with core business objectives, ensuring tangible business impact
• Identifying pivotal business markers to anchor a robust learning architecture and strategy
• Gaining insights from a diverse array of examples and case studies to refine or formulate your organization’s learning strategy, making it more responsive to business needs and transformations