Last updated: 13 January 2010

A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO SOCIAL LEARNING
The case for social learning
 

Why should you start using social learning strategically within your organisation?  Why not just stick with asynchronous, self-paced self-study online courses? Here is a summary of reasons for both the Learning Case and the Business Case

1. The Learning Case

   • More and more individuals are using social media for working, playing and learning; it's time to embrace social media concepts and harness them for productive use in the organisation.

   • There is less and less enthusiasm for formal courses and more and more individuals and groups are addressing their own learning needs using social media. 

   • Social media savvy users - Gen Y and older - now expect to see social media use within the workplace and for learning , as this presentation, Meet Charlene, by Janet Clarey (a Brandon-Hall analyst), shows,

     
     
      

   • social learning is a more natural approach to learning - we are all social beings

   • social media helps to merge learning with working which means that it is embedded in the workflow, where it is most effective.

   • most learning in the organisation (70%-90%) is informal - ie it takes place outside formal structured learning; this can now be supported and promoted much more effectively than before using social media

2. The Business Case

   • improved performance and productivity of teams through enhanced communication and collaboration

   • improved performance and productivity of individuals through information and knowledge sharing via communities of practice, 

   • social learning can be achieved in a cost-effective manner; it doesn't require huge investment in social tools and systems

   • cost-effective innovation

   • improvements in bottom line performance

On the next page we look at some examples of strategic use of social media for workplace learning

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Reading List

• Social Media & Businesses