In response to the rapidly evolving technological climate and ever-changing service industry, as well as our forward-thinking and innovative strategies toward access, convenience and care for our customers and patients, companies should implement a social learning component for employees to keep up with the new developments and encourage collaboration, problem-solving and buy-in of the endless changes throughout the organization. These new informal avenues of learning and exploring initiatives, software and best practices will help front-line managers stay relevant, productive and engage their teams to the next level.
Social learning is learning from peers and others inside and outside of an organization in different ways including formal and informal ways of learning. Social learning can include organic peer mentorship and Personal Learning Networks, or go-to people for questions, support, sounding board or information. It may also include social media avenues like the Facebook groups, iMessage group chat, lunches following meetings, community forums and more. In each of these channels, employees can share ideas, answer one another’s questions, and distribute content (Bozarth, 2010).
With social learning, managers and facilitators in particular can experience Mentor-Mentee relationships and learn how to use multiple resources and avenues to gather information, formulate plans and solve problems and in turn, through observation and interaction, learn to be an effective resource for others as well. Since filling the talent and succession pipeline is such a focus in order to create and continuously cultivate effective leaders, we should utilize the great leaders we have currently and leverage their knowledge and expertise through social learning to coach up our newer players within the company.
Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Youtube, offer unique opportunities for managers and team members to network and collaborate from long distances. Users can interact from experts and novices from all levels within and outside of an organization, industry or geographical location.
As an organization, the social learning culture could be kicked off through a networking meet and greet, allowing team members from different locations to mingle with their own counterparts and those from different levels in a non-work environment in order to establish relationships and trade stories, thoughts and contact information. This is the first step in assisting with network building among team members.
Social learning can be encouraged and implemented through word of mouth and exploring available tools and resources with fellow managers and our direct reports. “5 Minute Meetings” can be held to feature a different social learning tool available to team members and encourage usage. For instance, one day the featured tool may be the employee forums. On this day, the managers will review the weekly topic with team members, help them navigate to the site and then encourage them to read comments and questions left by peers and add their own input, pointing out responses from the Support Center and other corporate members that show the team members that upper management is listening and involved in the discourse. Another day, the managers may talk about personal networking and encourage assistants from different stores to meet for lunch and establish relationships, share contact information in order to have go-to people for questions and idea generation. Through exposure and education on the tools available, managers can encourage team members to broaden their horizons, build their networks and share ideas and best practices, ask and answer questions and establish cross-functional relationships that will increase innovation, productivity and creative solutions across all departments.
Sources: Bozarth, Jane. (2010). Social Media for Trainers: Techniques for Enhancing and Extending Learning. San Fransico, CA: Pfieffer.
Danielle's Social Learning Blog 