The following is an excerpt from the recently published report The New 70:20:10: The Changing Face of Learning. The report focuses on how formal learning is taking a back seat to informal learning in the organization.How do we know if social and informal learning programs are gaining traction within the organization? Is there a department that is more active than others? Who is contributing the most to creating new learning assets? Are the organization’s top experts being engaged?
Here are four ways to ensure the success of informal and social learning initiatives:
#1
Without an effective way to get real-time visibility on what’s really happening in a new learning organization it’s next to impossible to introduce new informal and social learning initiatives. Programs need to be tracked and quantified in order for stakeholders to get any meaningful information.
#2
As employees must be encouraged – and empowered – to generate and share content, it is paramount that informal and social learning activities be combined with accurate reporting and metrics in order to create an environment that rewards top performers with measurable recognition.
#3
There must be ways for top contributors and performers to reach ‘expert status’ so that they can get recognition from peers and, ultimately, the career advancements they deserve (that is, as opposed experts keeping knowledge to themselves, or confined to a team). The same can be applied to departments or business units.
#4
Engaged employees always result in a reduction of voluntary turnover. Research shows that engaged employees are 90% less likely to leave their companies than their disengaged counterparts!
Read more about how the traditional model for learning is shifting away from formal channels and toward informal settings in the organization, and how a Learning 3.0 solution can help you unlock greater business potential.