The Best of Two Worlds!

“DEX” means “digital” and “experiential“: We potentialize emotional, experiential learning through the use of digital tools.

Why? To enable relevant, sustainable learning that supports personal and professional development!

In contrast to most providers of digital learning processes, we believe in the essential necessity of emotional learning and face-to-face interaction to build trust with your colleagues and create sustainable behavior change.

And in contrast to most providers of experiential learning (f. i. outdoor) programs, we believe that sustainable learning happens exactly in the context – and needs to be supported there – that it relates to: the working environment. Otherwise, the strong triggers and emotional anchors created during experiential workshops too often fade away with no effect.

Hence, we developed four programs that we would like to present to you in more detail. A short description you will find here: DEX Programs

This week we will start with the

Program for Beginning Leaders: “The Challenge”

It is aimed at High Potentials and Talents that have no personal leadership experience yet and are making their first steps in this journey.

Different Workshops

We accompany them for 6 to 18 months with 3 to 6 workshops. Half of those are primarily experiential. That means their focus is on trust building as well as experiencing and practicing leadership. The other workshops primarily deliver content – although there is no strict separation of those two approaches. Thus, there will always be a certain mixture of methods.

Online Platform “DEX Portal”

Everything is embedded into our online learning platform “DEX Portal”. There, participants can find materials and resources for learning and inspiration – especially before the kick-off workshop. These could be videos, podcasts or articles. There is room for exchange via a chat function, but also – and this sets us apart from most other learning platforms on the market – the possibility to co-create their individual as well as the group learning process. On one hand this happens via scheduling meetings and discussions, sharing of resources, work aids and insights from application at work.  On the other, by creating transparency about one’s own progress or that of smaller learning or practice groups.

Application at Work creates Relevance!

For this to happen, first it is important that the supervising managers perceive themselves as stakeholders in the development process of their staff. They then define individual learning goals and milestones jointly with each staff member.

They are also responsible for providing time and opportunity for their staff to actually apply what they have learned. Another point – which is essential but often disregarded – is the time needed for reflection to internalize the learnings. Partly this is done with the supervising managers themselves. But it also happens in practice groups as well as through feedback of colleagues who themselves are not participating in the program.

Learning while Working throughout the Whole Process

Only the purposeful usage of the different program elements experiential and content learning, application and reflection makes true development of competencies possible.

The traditional – but even today still widely used – approach to deliver knowledge and leave its application to chance or the willingness of the participants, only works with approx. 15% of the learners (see R. O. Brinkerhoff). That also means that 85% of the investment is not connected to any results!

To ensure that learnings are not applied only once or twice but turn into routine behavior and thus into competencies, we steadily increase the challenge level throughout the whole process. This makes it easier to stay engaged and develop skills!

Here a visual representation of the process:

If you have any questions or interest, please contact us at: management@dextraining.de

Munich/Germany: +49 89 388 99 749, Cologne/Germany +49 221 169 18467