Does Social Learning Work in the Workplace?

Millions have learned how to use the internet to answer the simple questions that stump us in our day-to-day lives. It is so easy to check on our smart phone or computer to get more information on just about any topic. This is a form of learning that takes advantage of social media. The questions to ask in learning and development circles are:

1. Can social learning work as well in the workplace?
2. Is there transfer of training through what is learned this way?

The answer is “sure” as long as you set up your corporate social network properly and tend it regularly. You can set up forums on hot topics, post “how-to” videos and upload top answers to FAQs. Be sure you have a team that manages the network to review and refresh content and monitor the site to delete inappropriate or irrelevant material. Use social network rating systems to prioritize and highlight content that matters.  

Then measure the results and adjust along the way.