From Isolation to Collaboration: The Benefits of Incorporating Social Learning in Corporate Training

‘Working nine to five, what a way to make a living. Barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving.’ These iconic lyrics from Dolly Parton's song "9 to 5" perfectly encapsulate the struggles that many adult learners face in the workplace. Traditional training methods can be boring, tedious and ineffective, leaving employees feeling unengaged and unproductive. But what if there was a way to make learning fun, collaborative, and effective??

So, have you heard of social learning?

Social learning is like learning through osmosis but with a more active approach. You're not just soaking up information from your surroundings; you're actively seeking out knowledge and skills from those around you.?

According to Psychologist Albert Bandura, the father of social learning theory, people learn through observation, imitation, and modelling of behaviours from others in social situations. The social learning theory emphasises the role of internal factors like motivation, self-regulation, and self-efficacy. And highlights the importance of social context and the influence of mentors in shaping behaviours. In Bandura’s experiments, learners watched a perpetual role model aggressively attack a Bobo doll, and then they were given the opportunity to play with the doll themselves. The learners who observed the aggressive behaviour were more likely to imitate it, showing that people can learn through observation.

But enough of the theoretical talk. Let's see social learning in action. Watch this video explaining Bandura's Bobo Beatdown experiments: Bobo Beatdown Experiments.

The social learning theory provides a framework for understanding how social learning works in the workplace, where employees learn from their colleagues, peers and mentors through observation, discussion and collaboration.

Now that you know what social learning is, you’re ready to understand better why it matters.

Why use social learning in your workplace?

• First off, it's a match made in heaven with the modern workforce's learning style. You know how millennials are always on their phones, scrolling through social media, and digesting bite-sized pieces of information? That's exactly how social learning works! You can provide your employees with the instant gratification they crave, while still delivering meaningful training.
• Not only is it more engaging, but it can also be more cost-effective. By leveraging existing technology and resources, you can create a social learning culture without breaking the bank. It's like hitting two birds with one stone - saving money and providing quality training.
• Additionally, with user-generated content in social learning, you can save some serious dough by letting your learners create and curate the knowledge for free. And the best part? It sticks around even after they've moved on to greener pastures.
• Let's not forget about the benefits of building a sense of community and collaboration within the workplace. Social learning encourages employees to share their knowledge and experiences, leading to a more supportive and engaged workforce. Plus, who doesn't love a little bit of team bonding?
• But wait, there's more! Social learning brings together diverse perspectives, leading to more effective problem-solving and decision-making. When your team collaborates, they bring their unique experiences and ideas to the table, which can lead to some seriously creative solutions.

Let’s look at a hypothetical and a very rudimentary example of social learning changing things at a workplace.

Meet John, the project manager at a tech startup. John noticed his team was struggling with some tasks, so he decided to take matters into his own hands and organise a social learning session to help his team learn from each other using some cool tech tools.

He, along with his learning consultant, set polled the team to find out what they wanted to learn. The response was unanimous: "Best practices for project management." So, they came up with a social learning initiative for the team that would be centrally anchored from their Learning Experience Platform (LXP).?

This included multiple Fireside Chats where John invited a few project management pros from his team to share their tips and experiences. The session was hosted and recorded on their favourite video conference platform that was integrated with their LXP. Team members could ask questions, share insights, and engage in lively discussions. John even added a bit of gamification to spice things up, like asking everyone to share their best project management joke. The poll feature was also useful as they could instantly see which strategies were the most popular. The LXP helped record the session for future use and also captured data on learner engagement.

Thanks to John's tech-savvy approach, the social learning session was a smashing success! The team members were able to apply the new knowledge they gained to their work. In the future, members of John’s team or other employees from the organisation could use the social features of the LXP to share their lessons learned, takeaways, tips and tricks to further build new user generated content on this topic.

John is so happy with the outcome that he's planning to organise more social learning sessions in the future, so his team can continue to grow and learn from each other while having a little fun on the side.

With the benefits of social learning, it's no surprise that companies want to incorporate social learning into their corporate training and development programs. Here’s how you can do it

These are some DelphianLogic approved ways L&D can adopt social learning into their training programs:

1. Using chat platforms: Who says Slack or Microsoft Teams are just for work conversations? L&D can create communities of practice where employees can connect, share ideas and resources, and learn from each other.
2. Social features within learning platforms: Learning doesn't have to be a solitary experience. Encourage learners to use the discussion forums, rating systems, and personalised recommendations in platforms like Udemy, Coursera, DelphianLogic’s Learning Experience Platform, or LinkedIn Learning to create a sense of community among learners.
3. Poll questions: Want to engage learners and get real-time feedback? Use tools like Mentimeter, Kahoot, or Poll Everywhere to create interactive polls that encourage learners to think and engage.
4. Gamification: Who doesn't love a little healthy competition? Add points, badges, or leaderboards to your training programs to encourage learners to complete modules and engage with the content.
5. Company forums or intranet: Your company forums or intranet sites can be more than just a place to share cat videos. Create dedicated learning forums or sections to encourage employees to share their knowledge and learn from each other.
6. Social learning communities: Bring together employees with similar interests or job roles to share best practices, discuss challenges, and learn from each other.
7. Peer-to-peer learning: Nothing beats learning from a colleague who knows the ins and outs of the job. Encourage employees to share their expertise and teach each other through mentoring or coaching programs.
8. Incorporating social learning into existing training programs: Don't throw out your old training programs just yet. Incorporate social learning elements like discussion forums or group activities to encourage learners to interact and learn from each other.
9. Talk to DelphianLogic Experts: If you are struggling to add an element of fun to your learning strategy. DelphianLogic can help you incorporate social learning into various activities and goals that need encouragement for better results. We'll guide you through the process step-by-step and show you how to make learning engaging and enjoyable for your employees.

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