TO: ALL EMPLOYEES
FROM: Director of Training and Development
DATE: November 2, 2017
SUBJECT: Scheduled Social Learning Training Launch
Training Plan: For the upcoming training launch, a variety of social learning platforms will be utilized. Management has determined through careful research that all staff would benefit from a training program modeled in a social learning environment. Until now, training sessions have taken place in a more regimented, formal environment. These formal training sessions have taken time and planning, and lowered productivity during the course of the training, as focus was (rightfully) shifted away from production and onto training. Human resources has determined that a slightly different, but still related, concept will accomplish our training goals more efficiently, with fewer work hours lost to training and more productive time put in by employees. This training plan will allow for employees to continue their work day while simultaneously sharing knowledge and growing as a company. The concept is social learning, a training idea that most employees are already using, without addressing the training as such. Social learning is a more collaborative, relaxed method of sharing information, allowing employees to seek out new ideas and concepts through more varied channels, perhaps by looking over the partition to the co-worker in the next cubicle, or maybe even through a video chat with a counterpart in a branch office on the other side of the country.
Think of formal learning as riding in a carpool with another person driving. The driver makes all choices as to speed and direction and even destination. But with an informal or social learning program the individual sets the pace, controlling the speed with which he or she takes in new information, and the direction in which the learning progresses (Cross, 2007).
Participation in a training program such as the one that will launch in the coming weeks benefits all employees as well as the company as a whole. Positive attributes of the social learning platform include a psychological basis for learning that has been supported through extensive research and study, a reliable and continuous learning platform with which most employees are already comfortable, and the general positivity that stems from learning from and teaching peers through social interactions that have been occurring naturally already in the workplace. The autonomous nature of this learning plan is one of its most positive attributes. You can all learn in your comfort zone, from your own sources, and largely at your own pace.
Benefits: Social learning is of great benefit to employees as well as the company as a whole. Building necessary professional networks to gain ground in the race to the top of our profession is of vital importance, and it has been shown time and again that “social learning enhances corporate culture and fosters workplace collaboration.” (What Is Social Learning, and Why Is It Important for L&D?, 2017).
Employees who train in a social learning paradigm are employees who are building their own networking system, whereby those employees might rise more swiftly through the ranks and increase their own profile in the company. Social learning increases workplace camaraderie and participation, as well as product knowledge through social interactions that have been, are, and will continue to be happening in the office and around the world.
Tools: Among the tools utilized for the training program are Google Collaboration, Yammer, and Elgg. Certainly the use of private groups on Facebook and company wide email collaboration will continue, but with the enhancement of training programs through these different platforms, more full collaboration can be put into effect. Google Collaboration is a fast, simple collaborative tool whereby several people can create, view, and edit a document both synchronously and asynchronously, from wherever they may be. Yammer is a customizable, private social network in the vein of facebook, but both more secure and more tailored to the needs of the company. Finally, Elgg is a simple framework upon which the company might build, not only as an internal collaborative tool, but to increase our brand recognition through secure internal communications (Pappas, 2017).
Next Steps: All employees will be issued login information for the new platforms (Elgg, Google Collaborations, Yammer). It is expected that employees will either ensure that their personal social media accounts are business-appropriate, or create secondary, professional profiles for use during this and any upcoming trainings. Supporting our staff through a collaborative learning environment like the ones outlined above is a strong objective for the company, and in this way we will increase productivity, channel talents and knowledge in the right direction to support goal achievement, and provide the employee base with all the tools needed for a successful future. Building a strong company and training our employees for the next steps the company takes in the business world is priority one for this company, and we look forward to learning socially with all of you.
References
Cross, J. (2007). Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways That Inspire Innovation and Performance (Pfeiffer essential resources for training and HR professionals). Pfeiffer.
Edwin, H. (2014). 4 Important Reasons To Encourage Social Learning – eLearning Industry.eLearning Industry. Retrieved 1 November 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/4-important-reasons-encourage-social-learning
Pappas, C. (2017). Social Learning Tools Every Online Educator Should Know About – eLearning Industry. eLearning Industry. Retrieved 3 November 2017, from https://elearningindustry.com/social-learning-tools-every-online-educator-should-know-about
Social Learning 