From Silence to Dialogue: How Vattenfall Connects Leadership and Learning through Social Learning

What do you do when executives have difficulty getting involved in leadership development?

When conversations about changes in leadership fail? And when traditional learning solutions simply don't catch on?

At Vattenfall, this challenge was seized as an opportunity. An opportunity to connect leadership, learning and technology in an innovative way. By cleverly deploying Social Learning via the StreamLXP platform, Vattenfall brought all executives into the conversation for the first time at once - and not just within country boundaries, but organization-wide.

"Social Learning is a vehicle to get the conversation going among executives within Vattenfall, which was not possible in traditional ways."
- Roland Ennulat

Why change was needed

Vattenfall is in the midst of energy transition. And that transition requires different leadership: more connected, more flexible and focused on collaboration across teams and countries. But how do you get all those leaders to move with you? How do you get them to talk about their role in this change?

The old approach did not work. Classroom training only reached part of the target group, motivation was variable and learning efficiency low. There was too little knowledge sharing, too little involvement, and above all, too little connection.

A new learning concept: learning as dialogue

Together with François Walgering of Next Learning Valley, Vattenfall decided to do things differently. Not send, but connect. Not train, but start the conversation. The result was a Social Learning intervention in which managers - spread across several countries - shared experiences, questions and insights with each other via a digital platform.

In the middle of their work week, in their own context. Directly connected to practice and to each other. With the StreamLXP platform, this learning process was supported with interactive content, peer discussions and space for reflection. This created a new learning experience that did much more than just transfer knowledge - it created ownership and collective awareness.

What it yielded

• For the first time, all Vattenfall executives could be reached at once
• Leaders engaged in substantive discussions about their role in the energy transition
• Valuable insights were shared across national borders, with direct returns for HR
• Engagement was high despite (or because of) the innovative approach

It turned out to be a bold move for an organization with German roots, but a successful one.

What this says about learning

This intervention shows that learning is not always about instruction. Sometimes it's about creating the right context in which people get moving. Using Social Learning smartly - with technology as an enabler - creates space for real conversations. Conversations that would otherwise not happen, but are essential for growth and change.

Data played a key role here. Thanks to learning analytics, it became visible where interaction started, what themes were alive, and where additional support was needed. Learning thus became not only more personal, but also more strategic.

And now on

After this first successful intervention, Vattenfall is investigating how Social Learning can be used more broadly within the organization. Not only for leadership, but also for reskilling, onboarding and collaboration between departments. The tone has been set. This approach has been proven to work - even in an organization that has traditionally been less open to this type of learning experiment.

Curious about the possibilities?

Are you also wondering how to create true engagement in leadership, culture or development? Make an appointment with François Walgering of Next Learning Valley. Together we will explore how Social Learning can make a difference in your organization.