Co-Design in L&D: A Smarter Way to Align Stakeholders & Improve Results

Key Takeaways:

Engaging stakeholders through co-design enhances the relevance and alignment of learning solutions across the organization.

Collaborative planning fosters shared ownership, transparency, and trust between L&D professionals and stakeholders.

Early stakeholder involvement and structured input lead to more effective, contextually appropriate learning initiatives.

Connecting learning decisions to business outcomes helps secure advocacy and long-term impact for L&D programs.

L&D professionals often sit at the intersection of multiple organizational priorities, each shaped by shifting business needs, employee expectations, and strategic goals. Yet too often, L&D decisions are made in isolation, relying on assumptions about what stakeholders want or what learners need. A more effective approach involves deliberately engaging stakeholders as partners in the design process. By adopting a co-design mindset, L&D professionals not only create stronger learning solutions but also build deeper alignment across teams, functions, and leadership levels.

What Co-Design Looks Like in Practice

Co-design is rooted in shared ownership. Instead of treating stakeholders as people who simply approve, fund, or request training, L&D professionals involve them throughout the planning and decision-making process. This means collaborating with subject matter experts and other stakeholders who understand the daily realities of the work, such as managers who see performance challenges firsthand, employees who live the workflow experience, and leaders who can articulate strategic priorities. Working alongside them provides clarity about goals, constraints, and success measures, and it reduces the disconnect that sometimes emerges when L&D rolls out solutions that do not align with organizational expectations.

Strengthening Organizational Alignment

A co-design approach strengthens organizational alignment. When stakeholders help shape the direction of a learning initiative, they are more likely to understand its rationale and become advocates within their own teams. Alignment is not only about agreeing on the content of your L&D program; it is about building a shared understanding of the problem, the desired future state, and the criteria for success. L&D professionals can facilitate this process by asking questions that uncover assumptions, illuminate differing perspectives, and connect learning goals to organizational priorities. This collaborative exploration helps everyone recognize that L&D decisions are part of a larger ecosystem of performance, culture, and strategy.

Designing for Relevance and Context

One of the biggest benefits of co-design is improved relevance. Stakeholders can help identify contextual factors that influence performance, such as workflow constraints, technology challenges, cultural dynamics, and the informal norms that shape how work actually gets done. These insights allow L&D professionals to design interventions that fit the environment rather than sit on top of it. When learning experiences reflect real work, employees are more likely to participate and apply what they learn.

Building Trust Through Transparency

Another advantage is increased trust. When stakeholders are invited into the design process, they see that L&D is not operating behind the scenes but is actively working to understand their needs and the realities of the business. This transparency encourages open communication and strengthens the partnership. It also allows L&D to negotiate expectations. Some requests may not align with business goals, or training may not be the right solution at all. Engaging stakeholders early and connecting needs assessments to evaluations, creates space for honest conversations about what learning can and cannot accomplish, which prevents misalignment later in the project.

The Role of the L&D Facilitator

To use co-design effectively, L&D professionals must also be thoughtful facilitators. This means guiding discussions, synthesizing information, and balancing stakeholder needs with sound learning principles. Stakeholders may have strong opinions about formats, tools, or content, and L&D must help translate those preferences into decisions that support performance outcomes. Facilitation is not about pleasing every voice; it is about navigating perspectives to strengthen alignment and ensure the design meets organizational goals.

Below are several tips to help L&D professionals integrate co-design into their work:

Invite stakeholders early. Do not wait until the design is nearly complete. Engage stakeholders when defining the problem, identifying goals, and selecting success measures. Early involvement creates shared ownership and reduces rework. It also allows L&D professionals to uncover hidden constraints or contextual factors that influence design decisions. When stakeholders help shape the direction from the beginning, they feel more invested in supporting implementation and adoption.
Create structured opportunities for input. Use focus groups, workshops, or collaborative planning sessions that allow stakeholders to articulate needs, challenges, and expectations. Structure keeps discussions productive and ensures that all voices are heard. Well-designed input sessions also prevent dominant voices from steering decisions in unproductive ways.
Connect learning decisions to business outcomes. Help stakeholders see how their input links to performance goals and organizational priorities. When they understand the larger purpose, they are more likely to support the process. Clear connections between learning and business results also help stakeholders advocate for the initiative within their own teams. This step reinforces the message that learning is not an isolated activity but a strategic lever for improving performance.
Share drafts and iterate openly. Let stakeholders review early concepts and prototypes. This not only surfaces issues quickly but also builds transparency and trust. Showing work in progress signals that L&D values partnership rather than presenting finished solutions for approval. It also gives stakeholders permission to offer meaningful feedback before decisions are locked in. Iteration encourages continuous improvement and strengthens the final product through shared insight.

By approaching learning design as a collaborative effort rather than a standalone function, L&D professionals position themselves as true partners in organizational success. Co-design strengthens alignment, elevates the relevance of solutions, and builds trust across teams by ensuring that decisions reflect real needs and shared priorities. When stakeholders are invited into the process, they not only shape stronger learning experiences but also become advocates for implementation and long-term impact. As L&D continues to support complex and evolving organizational goals, a commitment to transparent, inclusive design will remain one of the most powerful ways to drive meaningful performance improvement.

Co-design is powerful—but only when supported by a strong, strategic foundation. Take your next step toward high-impact learning with the Litmos L&D Blueprint Guide, packed with tools to help you align stakeholders, clarify goals, and architect solutions that drive performance.

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