Situations Where Social Learning Wins Out

Social Learning Wins Out Situations Where Social Learning Wins Out

Social learning might not be a new idea, but that doesn't make it any less disruptive. In fact, it's a method that's becoming increasingly popular with every passing day - especially among unconventional thinking organisations.

Nowadays, more and more businesses are looking to train and educate their workforce in ways that reject the corporate learning methods we've been stuck with for decades. Instead of plonking employees in front of PCs and click-through presentations, companies are actually encouraging staff to share ideas as part of their training.

But does social learning actually pay dividends? Here are a few examples that suggest your business might be right to embrace it...

Collaboration and teamwork

Isolating employees for training courses does nothing for teamwork. At the very least, it breaks any momentum they might have gathered in group work projects. At worst, it undermines relationships with fellow workers and leaves individuals out of the loop.

Staff will begin to understand their fellow workmates' preferences and lines of thought by spending time with one another. Social learning brings teams together to acquire knowledge in a single space (physical or digital), allowing them to bounce ideas off each other to enhance the team bond.

By gathering new skills as a group, staff will continue to learn more about one another as well as new content - building a team that works superbly together to combat problems and produce superb final projects.

Communication between staff

Details can get lost in translation during a typical work day. Colleagues may mishear one another or simply make a statement that the other does not comprehend. Sometimes a vital word is left off the end of an email.

It's often due to genuine mistakes, but allowing information to slip through the cracks can hamper your business - especially in the hundred-miles-an-hour working environments many operate in today.

Social learning helps to enhance communication methods between staff. In their respective hunts for knowledge, they will quickly develop an understanding of how important it is to accurately (and quickly) relay information to one another. Subsequently, they will incorporate these newfound talents into workplace routine - enhancing productivity, efficiency and precision.

Engagement in learning

Corporate-style learning has created an air of tedium around workplace training. Staff are rarely eager to leap on educational programmes if they can help it. Many want the knowledge, but few want to sit in front of a computer all day to learn the information.

This is another instance where social learning proves fruitful: it injects a sense of fun and entertainment into the mix that's so lacking in corporate training. With this learning method, staff get to solve problems by working alongside one another, drawing on respective strengths and guiding each other along the way.

Uncover hidden knowledge

There's no way of knowing the true depth of staff knowledge until you unlock it via social learning. Your employees have likely picked up much information outside the workplace and harbour several interests; that's a lot of experience you're not tapping into.

Staff might not think to share this knowledge under normal circumstances. However, if you put a social learning platform in front of them, they're given the opportunity to document ideas and skills that prove invaluable to their colleagues and your business.

Social learning gives employees freedom and encouragement to support their colleagues in an open-minded, unpressured setting. It's light and fun for those involved, as well as incredibly beneficial.

Learn with Mobile is a perfect example of software that allows businesses to conduct social learning with aplomb. Discover all the possibilities today.

If you're looking to educate in a fresh, affordable, and rewarding way, check out fully mobile responsive e-learning solutions using Learn with Mobile. Get started for free right now, or call the Ambidect team on +44 (0)1260 221292 if you have any questions.