Learning is an Action Word: Using Learning as a Strategic Enablement Tool

About the Author

Kirsten Boileau

Partner at Logical Approach |  More PostsBio

Kirsten is a Partner and Practice Lead for Change Management and Revenue Acceleration at Logical Approach. An ICF-educated leadership coach and certified DISC facilitator, she helps organizations lead through change by building strong, connected teams and designing learning experiences that drive both adoption and revenue impact.

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In working with clients over the years, we’ve found that workforce adoption and learning as a strategic tool are consistently underestimated drivers of long-term success in transformation. Nowhere is this more apparent than in mergers and acquisitions, where well-designed learning programs can meaningfully shape integration, adoption, and long-term performance.

Learning isn’t Just an HR Function

Active, engaged learning is a strategic enabler that can determine the success or failure of a transformation. For C-level leaders navigating change, that means building an agile, knowledgeable workforce is essential to achieving business objectives.

Whether you’re integrating teams, redefining roles, or unifying culture post-merger, your people must be equipped not only with new knowledge but with the ability to apply it — fast and with confidence. That’s where interactive, action-oriented learning design comes in.

We all know that employee training is a crucial component of a successful business. However, making learning engaging and impactful is not only an “age-old” problem, but also an increasing one. With employees’ time being more and more constrained, and attention spans getting shorter, training that not only engages a learner but also creates an impact on the business is critical.

To make training sessions in a business environment truly engaging and impactful, organizations must adopt innovative approaches that cater to diverse learning styles.

Utilizing Interactive Learning Methods

At Logical Approach, our training sessions follow a highly conversational model. While there are moments when a lecture format is necessary to deliver core information, our approach is to structure content so that learning becomes a dialogue from the very start. Participants are invited to share their thoughts and opinions on a topic before key concepts are introduced, and this helps ensure they stay actively engaged with the material. By engaging learners from the outset, they become more active participants, the material resonates more deeply with them, and the approach appeals to a wider range of learning styles.

This isn’t the only methodology that needs to be incorporated into engaging training sessions. Additional tactics include simulations, role-playing activities, and hands-on exercises that encourage active participation.

All these tactics would be useless if the learning isn’t applicable to an employee’s daily experience. By offering immediately applicable, real-world scenarios, you not only make the learning experience more enjoyable but also facilitate a deeper understanding of the material. Interactive modules promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling participants to apply their knowledge in practical situations.

How do You Create Interactive Learning When You are Upskilling or ‘Future-skilling’?

Since you can’t really have the training be “immediately applicable”, this is where you need a Learning & Development consultant who brings a lot of creativity to the job. Leveraging technology like AI tools to allow participants to interact with “what might be” is a great option. Perhaps teaming up with technology partners in your space who are trying new things would be a great opportunity for both the tech provider to get immediate and ongoing feedback on their development, while your team gets to utilize the muscle they’ve trained to use.

Additionally, things like setting up coaching opportunities, allowing people to try new things without fear of failure, and in general allowing for innovative thinking, will take both your “immediately applicable” and the “futureproofing” training from theoretical to applicable.

Building the Right Learning Approach for Your Transformation

We guide organizations through the complexity of mergers and acquisitions with clarity, strategy, and purpose. In our experience, integrating targeted learning opportunities at pivotal moments in the transformation process contributes to more durable, successful outcomes. If your company is navigating a merger or acquisition and you’re unsure how to equip your people to thrive in the new environment, Logical Approach can help you design and implement learning experiences that are practical, engaging, and aligned to the outcomes that matter most to your business.

This piece is written for C-Suite leaders rethinking how learning is designed and implemented across their organization. Let’s talk.