In France, whether at school or in business, we are used to using vertical learning methods. The knowledge is owned by a person (the teacher or the trainer), who transmits it to the learners. This traditional way is passive: the people who are training are just listening, and there are very few interactions. Here, we will focus on an innovative learning method, which draws its strength from the collective. It's about social learning. After defining it, we will detail its benefits and how you can implement it in your business.
What is social learning?
Definition
The” Social learning ”, which can be translated into French as” social learning ” is a learning method that is based on the horizontal sharing of knowledge and the co-construction of knowledge in two ways. Interactions between the various members of a group make it possible to enrich this learning.
To define it more simply, social learning refers to the fact oflearning with and thanks to others.
Social learning theory
In the years 1960-1970, the Canadian Albert Bandura, a researcher in social psychology, developed the theory of social learning. This reveals that learning “is based on the observation of behaviors carried out by others and the consideration of their consequences, in order to lead to thoughtful imitation”.
Based on an observation, we can therefore build our own models of behavior, which can generate new skills, beyond what has been observed. That is the whole point of social learning.
The benefits of social learning in business
The fact of implementing a social learning process in a company, i.e. the sharing of knowledge or skills between employees, has many advantages. Here are a few of them:
- Reduced training costs. You do not need to pay for external speakers or distance courses that are sometimes very expensive. Knowledge is shared and developed by employees.
- An attractive method and a high participation rate. Social learning makes it possible to offer interactive training, during which employees are active and not passive. This way of learning is generally very popular.
- A better cohesion within teams. The fact of co-constructing knowledge and interacting makes it possible to improve interactions between employees.
- One Rising engagement rate. Including your employees in this type of apprenticeship allows them to develop their skills, relationships with colleagues, but also recognition. These factors promote their engagement within your structure.
We can also anticipate an increase in productivity as a result of the implementation of social learning within a company. In fact, the Increase in competence And theinvolvement are two factors that play an important role in employee productivity.
How to set it up in business
The creation of learning groups
Even if social learning has many advantages, it can be difficult to establish spontaneously at the heart of a company. Managers, HR or managers can therefore actively participate in setting up the first workshops by:
- Defining the themes to be addressed and the objectives.
- Offering the employees most concerned the opportunity to participate.
- Designating one person in charge per subject. He will be responsible for facilitating discussions, organizing meetings, ensuring that everyone can express themselves, etc.
- Providing the tools needed for workshops. These may be video sharing tools if some participants are teleworking, or material resources (projectors, whiteboard, etc.).
Thus, even if the company does not provide training content, it can easily facilitate the organization of social learning.
The organization of Masterclass
You can also offer employees who wish to do so the opportunity to organize participatory masterclasses around a subject that they are particularly familiar with. The aim of the organizer is then both to share his knowledge on a subject, but also to learn from the other participants. Everyone can contribute their experience.
At Teamstarter for example, we regularly organize these types of events. Each employee can offer to organize a Masterclass on a subject that interests them, and people who want to learn register on our participatory budgeting platform. The latest ones were about marauds, the art of listening, the ego or even Web 3.
Social learning is a new innovative training method in business. It allows employees to share their knowledge on a subject and to learn actively from others. You can use it to increase the skills of your employees.
Sommaire
