A learning organization is a company that encourages the learning of its employees. Corporate training is an area that is no longer up for discussion in 2022. One learning organization needs to diversify the tools to engage and retain employees to train. With the pandemic, companies had to respond quickly to the difficulties of isolating employees. According to a study done by Gallup, 51% of employees are not actively engaged in their online training. The Social learning is one of the solutions to reduce this figure.
Social learning: definition and historical feedback
Psychologist Albert Bandura theorized the concept of social learning in the 1970s. He called it thecollaborative learning. Albert Bandura started from the following premise: individuals remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 70% of what they write and 90% of what they do! So, so-called traditional top-down learning methods do not allow you to learn the way you should. The passive individual is an individual who will not be able to develop skills optimally. So, it was necessary to develop new learning methods, including social learning. Social learning makes it possible to interact between colleagues and to train by doing a mutual transfer of skills. By reducing the top-down aspect of training and by making each learner master of their knowledge, the employee and the company benefit.
What forms does social learning take?
Social learning, therefore the transfer of knowledge and skills via social interactions within the same company, is possible in various ways:
- the social sharing : some training platforms are developing social functionalities within their solutions to share content and exchange
- The Gamification : engaging and motivating learners more involves the use of fun and attractive content in which they will compete
- The forums and discussion platforms : the emergence of tools such as Slack or Teams to deepen the training courses previously carried out between employees
How to set it up within the company?
For social learning to be the pillar of the learning organization, it remains to know how to implement it within the company. To do this, a certain number of brief steps must be carried out:
- by defining groups
- by setting specific goals
- by appointing a manager who can oversee the exchanges and who will share his expertise
- by providing tools and information between collaborators
To make your business a learning organization, don't forget to include your field populations in the training loop! These populations have very specific needs and constraints, which can be addressed through social learning. So How to train your field teams through social learning ?
The future of corporate apprenticeship?
The vast majority of companies plan to increase investment in social learning. In particular because companies are aware that social learning is a fundamental tool for learners be trained in the most effective way possible. The sharing of knowledge, the restoration of skills, mutual assistance and communication in general are significant aspects of the success of employee training..
Companies do well to bet on social learning to extend the skills of their employees, because in addition to being less expensive, this method based on transmission makes it possible to acquire new knowledge much more effectively. Employees prefer to exchange and share their knowledge with each other rather than being stuck behind a screen all day without social interaction. This method is more interactive and engaging. A learning culture and a real sense of belonging still need to be developed for social learning to be a founding tool from now on.
