There are many ways to make every corporate training program effective. One of them is social learning. This is a training strategy wherein the employee relies on their environment to stimulate the learning process.
The truth is, it can be difficult to use this in the workplace because it is an informal way of learning. However, if you know how to utilize it and control the activities and lessons, it can be highly effective. In fact, it will not only help the employee learn something new. It will also help shape their learning behaviors and preferences to be never-ending. If done correctly, it can instill a sense of self-learning that will continuously equip employees to perform efficiently through up-to-date and improved methods.
There are 6 reasons why social learning can be a great strategy to help training programs meet its goals.
- It promotes the 70/20/10 learning method. According to Wikipedia.org, this means learning happens in percentages: 70% challenging applications, 20% developmental relationships, 10% structured coursework and training. In some definitions, the 70% is defined as the practical implementation of the 10%. Obviously, interaction plays a very important role in learning. The best way to facilitate learning through interaction is in social learning.
- It can be empowering. When you are trained to utilize what you observe in your environment to make yourself productive, that will make you feel a sense of confidence in your abilities. Social learning helps you be more observant to your surroundings so you can identify what you can use to improve yourself.
- It connects learners with each other. When you learn from someone, you develop a sense of respect and trust. That improves your relationship – even among those who feel disengaged with each other.
- It promotes collaboration. The connection that results from social learning in training programs will boost teamwork and can help employees work more harmoniously with each other. With a unified workforce, you get to enjoy better output and productivity.
- It appeals to the younger generation. Another important reason why this is a great technique for corporate training programs is the fact that it is appealing to Millennials – which basically is the incoming workforce in the country. This generation is the most social among the others. After all, they came of age during the height of the digital age. The evidence lies in their use of social media. You can expect that social learning will hold their interest when it comes to work-related training.
- It encourages self-organization. Finally, social learning can help employees become more self-organized. By definition, this is simply a process where order and coordination will be strengthened during interactions. This can be useful in the workplace – where a diverse set of employees are forced to work together. Order and coordination are the best way to reach the common goals of the business.
Corporate training programs should not just focus on imparting new knowledge and skills in the workplace. It should also develop the right behavior and love for learning in the employees so they will always strive to improve themselves. The best way to do this is through social learning.
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