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THE ROLE OF
KELLY PROFFER
DR. SEAN SPEAR
AET/562
AUGUST 31, 2015

VIEW PRESENTATION ON LIVEBINDERS:

HTTP://WWW.LIVEBINDERS.COM/PLAY/PLAY?ID=1793757&PRESENT=TRUE

INTRODUCTION
ACCORDING TO AUTHOR TONY BINGHAM, THE NEW SOCIAL LEARNING IS A POWERFUL APPROACH TO SHARING AND
DISCOVERING A WHOLE ARRAY OF OPTIONSLEADING TO MORE INFORMED DECISION MAKING AA MORE INTIMATE, EXPANSIVE,
AND DYNAMIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURE AND CONTEXT IN WHICH WE WORK(BINGHAM, 2010, P. 6). IN TODAYS
WORK ENVIRONMENT EMPLOYEES TEND TO LEARN MORE FROM EACH OTHER THAN THEY DO IN A TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM
SETTING. HOWEVER, MANY TIMES EMPLOYEES ARE LOCATED AT DIFFERENT GEOLOGICAL LOCATIONS AND FACE-TO-FACE
COMMUNICATION IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. SOCIAL MEDIA ALLOWS FOR INTERACTIVE SOCIAL LEARNING TO TAKE PLACE
BETWEEN EMPLOYEES NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
THIS PRESENTATION WILL FOCUS ON WHAT SOCIAL LEARNING IS AND HOW PARTICIPATION PLAYS A HUGE ROLE IN
MAKING SOCIAL LEARNING SUCCESSFUL. IT WILL DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE TRAINER IN A SOCIAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
AND HOW SOCIAL LEARNING IMPROVES KNOWLEDGE AND THE TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE. IT WILL DISCUSS THE BENEFITS
AND BARRIERS TO CREATING A SOCIAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ORGANIZATION. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST IT WILL
DISCUSS HOW SOCIAL LEARNING CHANGES ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND FOSTERS RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES.

SOCIAL LEARNING
THE DEFINITION OF SOCIAL LEARNING IS, LEARNING WITH AND FROM OTHERS (BINGHAM, 2010, P. 6). SOCIAL LEARNING IS NOT NEW. IT
HAS BEEN AROUND AS LONG AS THERE HAS BEEN LANGUAGE AND SOMETHING TO LEARN. THE DEFINITION OF SOCIAL LEARNING PRETTY MUCH
INDICATES THAT THERE MUST BE PARTICIPATION FOR ALL PARTIES TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. SOCIAL MEDIA ALLOWS COLLABORATION
AND PARTICIPATION NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE, NOT JUST BEING IN THE SAME CLASSROOM OR OFFICE. SOCIAL MEDIA IS NEW. IN THE PAST,
MOST INTERNET-BASED TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDED ONLY 1-TO-1 COMMUNICATION. SOCIAL MEDIA IS DESIGNED TO BE USED BY THREE OR MORE
PEOPLE (BINGHAM, 2010). IT ALLOWS MANY PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE AND COLLABORATE REGARDLESS OF GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. PEOPLE
IN AFRICA CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE SAME CONVERSATION AS PEOPLE IN CHILE. ACCORDING TO AUTHOR TONY BINGHAM THE NEW SOCIAL
LEARNING IS A,
POWERFUL APPROACH TO SHARING AND DISCOVERING A WHOLE ARRAY OF OPTIONSSOME OF WHICH WE MAY NOT EVEN KNOW WE
NEEDLEADING TO MORE INFORMED DECISION MAKING AND A MORE INTIMATE, EXPANSIVE, AND DYNAMIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CULTURE AND CONTEXT IN WHICH WE WORK (BINGHAM, 2010, P. 6).
THIS LEARNING, SHARING, AND DISCOVERY CANNOT TAKE PLACE UNLESS THERE IS PARTICIPATION FROM EVERYONE INVOLVED. YOU CANNOT
HAVE SOCIAL LEARNING WITHOUT BEING SOCIAL FIRST.

BENEFITS OF A SOCIAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

AS MANY KNOW FUNDING FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS OFTEN THE FIRST TO BE CUT IN LARGE ORGANIZATIONS. HOWEVER, THIS MOVE
IS MOST ALWAYS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO THE COMPANY. ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD ALWAYS BE LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS TO HELP
EMPLOYEES LEARN AND GROW THROUGH DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARE:
INCREASE THE COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR TEAM
MAKE EMPLOYEES FEEL SATISFIED
ENHANCE YOUR COMPANYS REPUTATION
ATTRACT MORE QUALIFIED CANDIDATES
BOLSTER YOUR RETENTION STRATEGY
MAKE SUCCESSION PLANNING EASIER (HALF, 2015, P. 1).
THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY BENEFITS THAT INVESTING IN EMPLOYEES HELPS MEET ORGANIZATIONS GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD LOOK FOR PROGRAMS THAT, HARNESS THE VALUE OF INTERNAL EMPLOYEE RESOURCES TO DEVELOP OTHERS, WHICH
SAVES TIME, COST, AND INCREASE OVERALL EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION (MERRICK, N.D., P. 2). ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO FIND NEW WAYS TO
HARNESS THE VAST KNOWLEDGE OF ITS EMPLOYEES TO HELP DEVELOP OTHERS. SOCIAL LEARNING HELPS IN RETAINING ORGANIZATIONAL
KNOWLEDGE, SOLVING COMPLEX PROBLEMS COLLABORATIVELY, AND ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION (LAUBY, 2012, P. 1).
GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED TALENT MANAGEMENT EXPERT MEGHAN BIRO BELIEVES SOCIAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES TRANSFORMS CULTURE AND
LEADERSHIP WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS. BIRO HAS A BELIEF THAT COMMUNITY, MORE THAN ANY OTHER FACTOR, WILL TRANSFORM THE ROLE
OF LEADERS AND INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF WORKPLACES (BIRO, 2012, P. 1). BIRO ENCOURAGES CORPORATE LEADERSHIP TO GET ON
BOARD WITH ONLINE SOCIAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES AND TO SPONSOR THEM IN THEIR ORGANIZATIONS AND TO, LEARN AGAIN, YOURSELF,
WHAT IT MEANS TO LEARN, AND BRING THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION WITH YOU (BIRO, 2012, P. 1).

BARRIERS OF A SOCIAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT - SIMPLY CREATING A SOCIAL LEARNING NETWORK DOES NOT GUARANTEE SUCCESS. THERE ARE GOING TO BE BARRIERS ALONG THE WAY. THREE CATEGORIES THAT INHIBIT SUCCESS ARE ORGANIZATIONAL INHIBITORS, CULTURAL INHIBITORS, AND PEDAGOGICAL INHIBITORS (BARTLETT-BRAGG, 2009).

ORGANIZATIONAL INHIBITORS
ORGANIZATIONAL INHIBITORS CAN BE BROKEN INTO
TWO CATEGORIES: ORGANIZATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE.
MANY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE FIREWALLS THAT
PROHIBIT REACHING SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS ON WORK
COMPUTERS. THEY ALSO PROHIBIT STREAMING
VIDEO WHICH WOULD INHIBIT THE USE OF YOUTUBE
AND OTHER VIDEO SHARING TOOLS IN THE SOCIAL
LEARNING NETWORK. ALSO, LARGE ORGANIZATIONS
WHO HAVE SEVERAL USERS ON SERVERS CAN
EXPERIENCE SLOW INTERNET CONNECTIONS THAT
MIGHT FREEZE UP WITH THE AMOUNT OF USERS.
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE CAN ALSO CREATE A
BARRIER TO A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL LEARNING
PLATFORM. IN SOME ORGANIZATIONS KNOWLEDGE IS
POWER AND THEY WHO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE HAVE
THE POWER. THERE IS NOT A CULTURE OF SHARING
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES BETWEEN EMPLOYEES,
ESPECIALLY FROM THE TOP DOWN. LEADERS WHO
FOCUS ONLY ON MEASUREABLE RETURN ON
INVESTMENT COULD ALSO INHIBIT SUCH A PLATFORM.

INDIVIDUAL INHIBITORS
THE SECOND INHIBITOR IS INDIVIDUAL
INHIBITORS. JUST BECAUSE THE SOCIAL
LEARNING PLATFORM IS THERE DOES NOT
MEAN EMPLOYEES WILL USE IT. THEY MAY FEEL
A LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN CONTRIBUTING TO
DISCUSSIONS OR MAY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE
WITH HOW TO USE THE NEW TECHNOLOGY.
SOME EMPLOYEES MAY HAVE A DEPENDENCY
ON TRAINERS OR SUPERIORS FOR ANSWERS
AND DIRECTION AND MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY
TURNING TO CO-WORKERS FOR DIRECTION.
THE LAST BARRIER WOULD BE EMPLOYEES
WHO HAVE TROUBLE WITH TIME MANAGEMENT
AND SPEND TOO MUCH TIME BEING SOCIAL
AND NOT ENOUGH TIME WORKING. HOWEVER,
A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY AND GUIDELINES
WOULD HELP DIRECT EMPLOYEES ON HOW
MUCH TIME IS APPROPRIATE.

PEDAGOGICAL INHIBITORS
THE LAST CATEGORY IS PEDAGOGICAL
INHIBITORS. ACCORDING TO EDUCATOR ANNE
BARTLETT-BRAGG, EDUCATORS EXISTING
PEDAGOGICAL FRAMEWORKS WHERE THE
ROLE OF THE EDUCATOR HAS BEEN INFLUENCED
BY TRADITIONAL FORMAL STUDIES OR
ORGANIZATIONAL TRAINING STRUCTURES, IT
CAN NEGATIVELY IMPACT LEARNERS
PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL AND INFORMAL
LEARNING ACTIVITIES (BARTLETT-BRAGG,
2009, P. 19)

FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS
PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SOCIAL CREATURES EVEN FROM THE VERY
BEGINNING. WE ARE NATURALLY DRIVEN TO SHARE, COMMUNICATE, AND TO
LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. WITH THE ADVANCES OF TECHNOLOGY WE ARE
WITNESSING, A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN OUR COLLECTIVE THINKING,
COLLABORATION, AND CAPACITY TO GROW (BOZARTH, 2010, P. 12). SOCIAL
MEDIA IS BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO SHARE, COLLABORATE, BUILD
KNOWLEDGE, NETWORK, AND CREATE SOCIAL LEARNING NETWORKS
(BARTLETT-BRAGG, 2009).
SOCIAL LEARNING IS OFTEN ABOUT COLLABORATION BETWEEN
EMPLOYEES IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS. COLLABORATING
WITH OTHERS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY HELPS EMPLOYEES FEEL GOOD ABOUT
THEMSELVES AND WHAT THEY DO. EMPLOYEES CAN SHARE IN THE
EXPERIENCES OF OTHER EMPLOYEES AND FEEL NEEDED. COLLABORATION OFTEN
BUILDS A STRONG SENSE OF TEAM EVEN IF THE TEAM IS A WORLD APART.
EMPLOYEES ARE MORE LIKELY TO STAY AT A JOB OR COMPANY LONGER WHEN
THEY HAVE STRONG BONDS WITH OTHERS AROUND THEM AND FEEL THEY ARE A
PART OF SOMETHING IMPORTANT (HILL, 2015, P. 1)

KNOWLEDGE THAT IS ACQUIRED BUT RARELY USED IS OFTEN FORGOTTEN. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TIME AND TIME AGAIN IN FORMAL
TRAININGS. EMPLOYEES SIT IN A CLASSROOM OR ON A TELECONFERENCE AND LISTEN TO A TRAINER EXPLAIN A NEW TOOL AND WHY IT IS
IMPORTANT, THERE MIGHT BE A LITTLE PRACTICE, AND THEN ITS BACK TO WORK AND BACK TO DOING THE THINGS LIKE THEY HAVE
ALWAYS BEEN DONE. THERE IS LITTLE FOLLOW-UP AND THE INFORMATION IS SOON FORGOTTEN. KNOWLEDGE IS BEST RETAINED WHEN IT
IS SHARED. WHEN SHARED, WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED MIXES WITH WHAT OTHERS HAVE LEARNED, THEN RIPPLES OUT, TRANSFORMING
ORGANIZATIONS, ENTERPRISES, ECOSYSTEMS, AND THE SOCIETY AROUND US (BINGHAM & CONNER, 2015, P. 70).
GAINING KNOWLEDGE OR LEARNING IS OFTEN A SOCIAL ACT. AUTHOR ETIENNE WENGER SAID, BY HEARING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES
OF OTHERS, YOUR MASH UP SNIPPETS OF DATA, ADD THEM TO YOUR OWN, AND FIT THEM INTO YOUR SENSE OF WHO YOU ARE WHAT YOU
CAN DO TOGETHER AND WITH OTHERS (BINGHAM & CONNER, 2015, P. 70). TO GAIN AND RETAIN KNOWLEDGE WE MUST SHARE IT WITH
OTHERS. AFTER FORMAL TRAINING OCCURS, TRAINERS CAN START DISCUSSION BOARDS AND ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO SHARE
THOUGHTS, AHA MOMENTS, AND EXPERIENCES. OTHERS CAN READ OTHERS EXPERIENCES AND ADD THEM TO THEIR OWN TO
STRENGTHEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND THEN USE WHAT THEY HAVE LEARNED IN THEIR JOBS.

IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE

SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

CRITICS TO NEW SOCIAL LEARNING PLATFORMS WILL COME UP WILL ALL SORTS OF EXCUSES SUCH AS EMPLOYEES WILL POST INAPPROPRIATE THINGS,
EMPLOYEES WILL POST INCORRECT THINGS, AND IT CANNOT BE GOVERNED. SOMEONE SHOULD INFORM THESE CRITICS THAT ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS
THE CIA, WELLS FARGO, AND THE MAYO CLINIC UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA EVEN THOUGH THEIR DATA IS HIGHLY SENSITIVE (BINGHAM, 2010). USED
CORRECTLY SOCIAL MEDIA CAN HAVE A GREAT BENEFIT ON AN ORGANIZATION. HOWEVER, IF NOT MANAGED WELL IT CAN CREATE LEGAL, FINANCIAL, AND
PERSONAL RISKS. BEFORE THE START OF ANY SOCIAL LEARNING PLATFORM USING SOCIAL MEDIA IS IN PLACE AN ACCOUNTABILITY AND USAGE POLICY.

AN EFFECTIVE SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY GENERALLY DOES THE FOLLOWING:

DEFINES WHAT THE ORGANIZATION MEANS WHEN IT REFERS TO SOCIAL NETWORKING.
ESTABLISHES A CLEAR AND DEFINED PURPOSE FOR THE POLICY.
COMMUNICATES BENEFITS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING AND OF HAVING A POLICY.
PROVIDES A CLEAR PLATFORM FOR EDUCATING EMPLOYEES.
TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION ANY LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF NOT FOLLOWING LAWS.
REFERS TO PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AT RISK.
TALKS ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY IN TERMS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING.
ESTABLISHES EXPECTED BEHAVIORAL NORMS IN THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING.
PROVIDES GUIDANCE REGARDING SOCIAL NETWORKING THAT COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORGANIZATION, EMPLOYEES OR CUSTOMERS. SOME
EMPLOYERS MAY PROHIBIT POSTING OF COMPANY INFORMATION ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES WITHOUT THE EMPLOYERS EXPLICIT CONSENT.

OUTLINES DISCIPLINARY MEASURES THE EMPLOYER WILL TAKE IF EMPLOYEES VIOLATE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY (SHRM, 2012, P. 1).

THE ROLE OF THE TRAINER

FOR YEARS THE ROLE OF THE TRAINER HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FORMAL ONE. TRAINERS HAVE BEEN
TASKED WITH FORMAL TRAINING. USUALLY STARTING WITH NEW HIRE TRAINING AND ORIENTATION.
ALONG THE WAY A NEW PRODUCT OR TOOL COMES OUT AND THE TRAINER CREATES A FORMAL TRAINING TO
INTRODUCE AND TRAIN EMPLOYEES. OCCASIONALLY THERE ARE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AND
VARIOUS FORMAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES. HOWEVER, MOST ANYONE CAN TELL YOU THAT
MOST EMPLOYEE LEARNING DOES NOT HAPPEN IN A FORMAL SETTING. IT HAPPENS AT THE COPIER, IN THE
HALLWAYS, OVER INSTANT MESSENGER, AND OVER CUBICLE WALLS. IN FACT, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT
AS MUCH AS 70% OF WORKPLACE LEARNING IS, INFORMAL, OCCURRING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM AND IN
THE SPACES BETWEEN FORMAL TRAINING EVENTS (BOZARTH, 2010, P. 14). TRAINERS TYPICALLY HAVE
LITTLE TO DO WITH THE LEARNING THAT GOES ON BETWEEN FORMAL TRAINING EVENTS. SOCIAL LEARNING
ALLOWS TRAINERS TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN INFORMAL TRAINING MOMENTS AND BE MORE INVOLVED IN
EVERYDAY LEARNING OF EMPLOYEES.
SOCIAL LEARNING DOES AWAY WITH THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM OF TEACHER AND STUDENT
WITH THE TEACHER DOING ALL THE TEACHING AND THE STUDENT HAVE LITTLE INVOLVEMENT. TRAINERS ARE
TO ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO PARTICIPATE. SOCIAL LEARNING IS NOT JUST ABOUT POSTING AN ANSWER
TO A QUESTION. TRAINERS SHOULD ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES TO BUILD COMMUNITIES, BE WILLING TO
SHARE, AND ENCOURAGE DIALOGUE AND DISCUSSION. IN A SOCIAL LEARNING THE TRAINER BECOMES AN
OBSERVER AND MONITORS INTERACTIONS AND ALLOWS EMPLOYEES TO TEACH AND LEARN FROM EACH
OTHER.

CONCLUSION
SOCIAL LEANING HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE FIRST HUMANS. IT IS NOT NEW. HOWEVER, WITH NEW
TECHNOLOGY WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE SOCIAL LEARNING TO A NEW LEVEL. NO LONGER IS LEARNING BOUND IN
BY FOUR WALLS. ORGANIZATIONS ARE GOING GLOBAL AND ARE FIGURING OUT THAT TRADITIONAL TRAINING
MODELS ALONE DO NOT WORK TO MEET THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES.
ORGANIZATIONS THAT IMPLEMENT SOCIAL LEARNING MAKE THE MOST OF THE LEARNING THAT TAKES PLACE
BETWEEN FORMAL TRAINING SESSIONS. TRAINERS NO LONGER DO ALL THE TEACHING BUT GUIDE EMPLOYEES
TO SHARE, TEACH, AND LEARN FROM OTHERS THUS CREATING A CULTURE OF SHARING AND A MORE ENGAGED
WORKFORCE. SOCIAL LEARNING TAPS IN TO THE BEST ASSETS COMPANIES HAVE: THEIR EMPLOYEES.

References
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