A Learning Expedition, often referred to as a study tour, is an immersion in a different ecosystem. It’s an opportunity to get out of the office and meet inspiring people. It allows you to delve deeper into a theme and understand the different trends developing there. It’s a real journey into the future, and at Alcimed, that’s our specialty! In this article, Alcimed looks back at 3 tips for a high-impact learning journey!
First and foremost, you need to define precise, measurable objectives for this moment of exchange and inspiration. Indeed, the objectives of a learning expedition must be in line with the needs of the participants, and must respond to the company’s specific issues.
Consequently, the choice of participants (counterparts in other industries, institutions, start-ups, etc.) is another key element in the success of a learning expedition. It’s important to select participants with a strong motivation to learn and discover new horizons, as well as complementary skills and knowledge. But it’s also important to select people whose profiles are in line with the objectives set, and who will enable you to discover experiences, practices, or models that are relevant to your business or organization.
It’s vital to have people who share a common base (openness to the outside world, appetite for innovation, etc.), even if they work in different sectors. What’s more, favoring different sectors can lead to more new ideas than choosing people from the same ecosystem.
To give your team a totally immersive experience, it’s crucial to take care of the organization in favor of a place conducive to sharing. In practice, this means:
Encouraging dialogue and the creation of links is the core value of this experience. It’s essential to punctuate the “supervised” exchanges with informal times to create a bond within the group, with an emphasis on conviviality.
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To ensure that your learning expedition is a resounding success, and that it continues to inspire and leave its mark beyond the end of the trip, it’s important to capitalize on the experience.
To do this, an outside eye is needed to synthesize the exchanges, analyze the various courses of action revealed, and raise opportunities for improvement, partnership, and business for each of the parties; this can be done, for example, in the form of a logbook. The latter can be used to present the findings of the exploration to all members of the organization, and to put into practice the lessons learned during the expedition. It can also be used to spotlight the participants, highlighting their involvement while promoting new, more outward-looking ways of learning.
Last but not least, a learning expedition opens you up to new visions and broadens your horizons by getting off the beaten track. It’s a real breath of fresh air for participants, with concrete benefits that can be put into practice. Our team can support you in organizing a learning expedition and meet other players to exchange ideas on a chosen theme, gain insight into a complex or innovative environment and learn from experience. Don’t hesitate to contact our team!
About the author,
Candice, Senior Consultant in Alcimed’s Energy Environment Mobility team in France
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