Between preconceived ideas and reality in the field, the Learning Expedition is particularly relevant in the context of acollective intelligence approach. Let's decipher a format that has been renewed and democratised and which is generating unprecedented enthusiasm!
What is a Learning Expedition? What are its objectives and benefits?
What is a Learning Expedition?
A Learning Expedition, "LEX" or "learning journey" is a journey of inspiration whose objective is to discover new practices, new ways of doing things, new technologies. The aim? To transpose teaching to a given context and/or problem.
This trip takes place between members of the same team or organisation. It takes place over a short period of time (1/2 day to 5 days), in a small group (10 to 30 people), in France or abroad.
Initially reserved for an "elite" (COMEX/CODIR), the Learning Expedition has been democratised in recent years to middle management. It thus meets internal, HR, business and innovation challenges.
Good reasons to organise a LEX
There are many good reasons for this, as Ruben Fitoussi, co-founder of Future Agency, an innovative experience agency specialising in Learning Expeditions, explains.
Indeed, there are 4 types of LEX, with different objectives and customer benefits. LEX can be :
- Themes to project oneself into the future of a sector and/or an industry, to have a clear vision of trends and innovations, to reassure oneself in the face of change;
- Decision-making to align a vision, redefine a business strategy, develop a strategic roadmap;
- Inspiration to acculturate, inspire and engage employees around a company project; animate and reward a community;
- Events to guide and optimise customers' time at a trade fair with a tailor-made itinerary and meetings (Viva Tech for example).
It all depends on your problem! The spectrum is very wide, and the examples are numerous. For example, a creative and local deconfinement organised to reward the Hopscotch Travel teams, or a LEX on blockchain to understand this innovative technology for the CODIR of Natixis.
Finally, the journey into the future that is a LEX also has different faces...
An à la carte format, from physical to digital
No need to take a plane to take off! Learning Expeditions have adapted to the times (reduction of the carbon footprint of employees, hybrid work, etc.). They are now mostly held locally, in inspiring locations. They can also take place in your living room through a virtual world tour of innovation!
Digital Learning Expeditions have become the big winners of the containment era! Ruben Fitoussi shares with us the tricks to transpose these inspiring and immersive experiences into a successful virtual journey:
Whether the LEX is physical, digital or hybrid, the winning recipe remains the same. It is a clever combination of :
- Meetings with inspiring actors (startups, large groups, academics...) to shake up and share good practices;
- Visits to innovative places and ecosystems to boost the creativity of teams;
- Workshops / group workshops to apply the lessons learned to your business and think about the next steps.
This side step therefore allows a multitude of contexts, practices and visions to be experienced in a short time and at limited cost (depending on its format).
Inspiration for collective intelligence
This immersive tool is also a formidable lever for stimulating and increasing the collective intelligence and ideation potential of your teams. In particular, thanks to the collective sessions that punctuate and/or conclude this learning journey.
Indeed, these workshops or collective intelligence workshops are led by facilitators who mainly use the Design Thinking*. They accompany the participants in generating ideas adapted to their problems. For example: How can you transpose these lessons to your context? What are the first concrete actions to implement? How can you spread the energy of the Learning Expedition internally?
These are the aims of this stimulating and invigorating journey!
an agile, people-centred method that aims to solve a problem efficiently, generating ideas and turning them into concrete projects quickly
Read also: 3 ideas to animate the collaborative innovation
