Unearthing Hidden Stories to Build Learning Content

 

The Challenge

This organisation faced a significant challenge: the L&D team was overwhelmed with their existing responsibilities and had neither the time nor capacity to create original learning materials. Meanwhile, a wealth of untapped stories—rich with potential for impactful learning—remained buried within the business.

 

Training programmes relied heavily on external cases and materials. While these resources provided valuable insights into industry trends and practices, they missed an important opportunity: to learn from the organisation’s own experiences. Leveraging internal stories would not only make the training more relevant but also help build a sense of ownership and pride within the workforce.

 

The Solution

To address this challenge, we introduced a Case Development Programme that empowered employees to uncover and develop their own stories as learning tools. Rather than relying solely on the overstretched L&D team, the programme brought together employees from diverse departments to take the lead in content creation.

 

Participants embarked on a journey of discovery, identifying compelling stories and protagonists within their departments. They conducted in-depth interviews to capture authentic, personal narratives and researched the context, including market conditions, competitors, and the internal business environment. The cases they created were well-written, original, and deeply relevant to the organisation’s unique challenges and culture.

 

This process wasn’t just about writing. Participants also developed teaching notes for their cases. These notes outlined how each case could be used for training, enabling not only the authors but also other facilitators to teach the material effectively. This added layer of work pushed participants to think beyond the story itself and consider the management principles and frameworks that could be extracted. They learned how to connect the story to actionable insights and create opportunities for meaningful discussions and reflection.

 

Importantly, this programme was conducted part-time. Participants continued their full-time roles while working on their cases. Because research and case development take time, the programme was spread over several months. This structure allowed participants to reflect deeply, refine their ideas, and engage thoughtfully with their stories.

 

The Impact

The results of the programme went far beyond expectations. The case studies became highly effective learning tools, offering real-world insights and relatable narratives. Training sessions using these cases were elevated by the participation of the protagonists, who shared their first-hand experiences and debriefed learners on the decisions, challenges, and outcomes described in the cases.

 

The teaching notes added another dimension of value. They ensured that the material could be scaled and delivered by multiple facilitators across the organisation. This made the programme sustainable and gave participants a deeper understanding of teaching methodologies, management concepts, and facilitation skills.

 

Beyond Content

The programme achieved much more than content creation. It fostered a deeper understanding of the organisation, encouraged participants to surface untold stories, and helped them extract valuable lessons from their experiences. Participants felt a sense of ownership over their work and pride in contributing to the organisation’s learning culture.

 

This was about more than just learning from stories—it was about building leadership, ownership, and a culture of shared knowledge. Participants grew as individuals, recognising their ability to contribute to the organisation’s growth and development in meaningful ways.

 

The Results

The Case Development Programme was a resounding success. Participants were proud of the original, high-quality cases they created. Business leaders appreciated seeing their departments’ hidden gems brought to light, and protagonists valued the opportunity to share their experiences. The L&D team benefited from a growing library of unique, tailored training materials, which could be used repeatedly across the organisation.

 

Perhaps most importantly, the programme created a culture of learning that was rooted in the organisation’s own stories and experiences. It transformed learning into something personal, impactful, and sustainable, while showcasing the potential of employees to contribute to the organisation’s growth and success.

 

This initiative demonstrated that with the right structure, support, and time to reflect, employees can become powerful contributors to a thriving learning ecosystem.