Social Learning?
You’ve probably already come across it without even realizing it. In fact, the concept is quite simple: instead of learning on your own, you learn together—or rather, through interaction with others. The key elements of this concept are sharing and interaction.
This model fits perfectly into the major trends in training. The challenges surrounding the digitization of training, the rise of e-learning, and platforms such as LMSs have opened up new formats for social learning. In fact, a study by the Brandon Hall Group reveals that by 2023, nearly 30% of companies had already adopted collaborative learning platforms. This shows just how appealing the concept is.
But like all good concepts, simply adding it to your strategy without challenging it can be ineffective... or even counter-productive. You need to understand the mechanics of this learning method, its advantages and adopt the right practices to reap its full benefits.
So, are you ready to transform your training courses?
Fasten your seatbelts, we'll tell you all about Social Learning and how to adopt it(effectively) to boost your teams' skills while strengthening the spirit of collaboration!
What is Social Learning?
Definition of Social Learning
The social learningor social learningis a model of collaborative learning based on interaction and observation between individuals.
Why do we do this? Because this is the easiest and most lasting way for human beings to acquire skills.
It was the work of psychologists such as the Canadian Albert Bandura that highlighted the social dimension of learning.
Some examples of Social Learning:
- Mentoring
- Peer Learning
- Collective Learning
- AFEST
- Informal knowledge sharing
"By observing others, we form an idea of how new behaviors are carried out, and later, this encoded information serves as a guide for action."
Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977
Social Learning & Collective Intelligence
This model differs from traditional, top-down learning by enabling learners to take a proactive role in their own education. It is based on the principles of collective intelligence (creativity, collaboration, communication, compassion, and collective reflection).
This method encourages informal exchanges among members of an organization through forums, discussion platforms, and collaborative workshops.
Social Learning & E-learning
The digitalization of training has created a new breeding ground for social learning. As tools such as LMSs, LXPs and other platforms have emerged, so have the possibilities for pooling and sharing. You can now integrate corporate social networks, forums and other spaces toenrich your traditional training courses.
💡Quick Tips : Need help with digitizing your training?
We break down the steps in our article “How to Successfully Digitize Your Training Programs.”
Social learning presupposes that your employees are able to pass on their knowledge!
The benefits of Social Learning for your company
Understanding the reasons for choosing social learning is the only way to fully embrace it. After all, proof is often the best motivation!
Optimizing the training experience and skills acquisition
Social learning puts employees - quite literally - at the heart of training, enabling them to learn through experience and exchange. This offers a unique opportunity to enrich external training with internal resources. For example, instead of being limited to training provided by service providers, which may be impersonal or far removed from your company's reality, employees can share their own experience and knowledge.
Improve learner satisfaction and knowledge retention
We learn better when we interact with others. What does this “better” actually mean? It refers not only to the ease with which we absorb knowledge, but also to improved retention of that knowledge. And this is all the more critical given that training content is quickly forgotten...
We forget almost 50% of the content of a training course after just a few days, and 90% after a month. A cold shower for any training manager.
But don't panic: there are plenty of tips. Or rather, there is one main tip that can take many forms: repetition. And social learning can serve as both a "repetition" and an "encoder" of information.
Staying competitive in your market
Adaptation is synonymous with survival, and the professional world is no exception to this Darwinian reality. The professional world is changing rapidly—very rapidly. Sometimes too rapidly… So, how can we preventskills from becoming obsolete? How can we ensure that our skill set remains in step with market dynamics? How can we effectively navigate the advent of new technologies? While not a magic bullet, social learning offers some interesting possibilities.
What if you already had this new core competency? Maybe not in the right place, or not widely enough publicized. But part of the answer is already there, in your workforce. For example, it could be that one of your sales people has mastered ChatGPT to perfection, and can pass this knowledge on to the marketing team. Sometimes (often), survival means capitalizing on what already exists!
Strengthen the sense of belonging and bonds between employees
Social learning means group and community, two very important words when it comes to human resources and team cohesion. Belonging is a major issue for HR, with the arrival of new generations and new practices on the job market.
For its part, social learning helps create a collaborative work environment where everyone feels heard and valued. This strengthens social bonds, which are particularly important in the era of remote work and physical distancing. By creating spaces for interaction and fostering mutual support, your company can foster a sense of belonging and build strong team cohesion. Because, in reality, social learning goes beyond the simple concept of “learning”: it is just as much a “social” tool!
Reduce the cost of training
As the saying goes: "what' s taken is no longer worth taking ". This principle is the reason why your costs will be reduced: by exploiting internal resources and skills, you avoid the systematic use of costly external service providers.
How can you integrate social learning into your training courses?
Introduce your employees to information and knowledge sharing
There can be no social learning without employees willing to share their knowledge, or to ask for it to be shared. And that's where things can get tricky: if you don't anticipate the human brakes behind this way of working, you run the risk of missing out on its benefits.
We need to encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills, both through communication and through concrete actions that go beyond setting up dedicated tools (we'll come back to this later in the article).
Training your staff to become facilitators or community leaders is essential to reinforce the social learning dynamic within your organization. As for communication, this needs to be done before, during and after certain projects: we talked about convincing through proof a little earlier; well, that's still the idea!
Create and manage learning communities
This brings us to a crucial point that is unfortunately all too often neglected: the creation of a learning community. These can be built around themes, business typologies or cross-functional issues. But you need a common base to ensure the group's coherence. If your community isn't federated by anything, its members won't interact.
Another sensitive element: interaction begets interaction. Or rather, relevant interaction begets (hopefully relevant) interaction. That's why you'll need to organize these communities and establish roles such as moderators, animators, theme managers and so on.
If you have an LMS or LXP, you will certainly have modules for building your learning communities.
🔎 Looking to find out more about LMS? Visit our article sifting through the advantages, features and key players of these tools!
Adopt new learning methods and practices
Training through informality:
Social learning differs from formal training and is part of everyday life. It revolves around interactions that aren’t necessarily planned… it’s usually informal. And that’s a good thing, since most of the skills we acquire come from informal learning. This is the well-known “70-20-10” model developed in the 1990s by three researchers: only 10% of our skills come from formal training, while 20% are acquired through social interactions and 70% through our direct experience. So, are you convinced of the added value of informal learning and social interactions?
Focus on microlearning:
Do you have 5 minutes to spare? Perfect—that’s exactly how long a microlearning module takes! These short modules are designed to maximize attention in a very short amount of time.
According to the 90/20/8 model, our ability to remain attentive is drastically reduced after 20 minutes. The solution? Fast, effective and engaging sessions. A study by Brandon Hall even showed that this method reduces training time by 60%, while maintaining the same results as longer courses.
Play the gamification game:
Social learning is based on sharing and exchanges among colleagues, but it can also be enhanced by methods that are widely used in training in general, such as gamification. This practice has proven effective, reinforcing the’acquisition and retention of skills, as well as the bonds between participants. Gamification is more than just a game—it’s a winning strategy for turning learning into a win-win adventure!
Gamification is a learning method that borrows the codes of games, such as points, missions and role-playing.
In the digital age... being digital :
To really benefit from the full added value of social learning, you need to think digital. And yes, again. There are many tools on the market for creating a dynamic learning community, from LMS/LXP to forums and corporate social networks!