Integrated Learning

This White Paper follows on from Five Steps to Make Learning a Success in 2009, and takes a similar approach. It is written for L & D personnel intent on making an impact on their organization's success in the current period of economic difficulty.

The paper examines "integrated learning", an approach which goes beyond the idea of "blended learning". While blended learning focuses on the delivery mechanism of training, integrated learning focuses on the performance results of the organization. Everything is geared towards improving the effectiveness of those in frontline operations such as sales and production- the people who have the most effect on organizational success.

This approach to organizational learning is 'integrated' because it incorporates both the needs of individual learners and the goals of management while working across the organization. It has three characteristics:

Learning is integrated into the operations of the business, so that the L&D department works closely with operational management.

As a result, learning is focused on speed and results, and measures success according to management's KPIs, not the L&D department's level of activity.

It is supported by technical systems which are integrated both with each other, enabling rapid, effective working, and with other business systems and processes, making L&D integral to the business.

The current economic situation has seen cut backs throughout most organizations - especially in easy to cut costs such as travel - but not usually in the frontline. The frontline is where organizations will continue to invest, and it is for this reason that L&D should concentrate its efforts here.

Integrated learning does require technology support, but not a complete replacement of home-grown systems or pure Learning Management Systems. On the contrary, because integrated learning focuses on speed and results, it involves working with existing systems and processes as closely as possible. What matters is that any learning technology should be rapidly deployable, and not reliant on consultants for continued operation. Integrated learning is not about building complex systems it is about rapid results with business impact, and most of all about reaping the harvest of your decision to invest in any learning technology as quickly as possible.

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