We’ve all heard about the benefits of social learning . When you improve social learning, you enhance the value of your training activities, as research shows it can accelerate individuals’ and teams’ intake of new information. Many e-learning projects can fall short because they lack social interaction between participants, leaving instructional designers looking for ways to spark conversations and boost engagement.
While the theory is sound, putting it into practice requires a clear strategy. Let’s explore how social learning works in a corporate setting, what it costs to implement, and when it delivers the most value for your training programs.
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What is social learning?
Social learning is learning through observation, collaboration, and interaction with others rather than through formal instruction alone. In corporate training, social learning allows employees to connect informally with colleagues , mentors, and experts through discussion forums, team projects, and shared experiences.
The goal is to create continuous, collaborative learning environments where knowledge flows naturally, which is essential given that training specialists often do their best work through teams. This approach enables employees to solve problems more efficiently and develop a deeper understanding of their roles.
How social learning works in training programs
Social learning works by integrating collaborative activities directly into your training programs. Instead of just consuming content, learners actively participate in its creation and application. For example, after completing an elearning module, learners might be prompted to join a discussion forum to share how they would apply the new skill in a real-world scenario.
This process encourages knowledge sharing where employees ask questions, offer solutions, and learn from each other’s experiences. A learning platform with social features facilitates this through:
Discussion forums: For ongoing conversations and peer support
Expert Q&A sessions: Direct access to subject matter experts
Shared workspaces: Collaborative project areas for team learning
These tools work seamlessly whether your team is in the office or working remotely.
Key principles of social learning
To be effective, social learning relies on a few key principles that guide how people absorb information from others:
Attention: Learners must first pay attention to the behavior or information being shared. This means your content and collaborative activities need to be engaging and relevant to their roles.
Retention: Learners need to remember what they observed. Providing resources like recorded webinars, best-practice guides, or searchable discussion threads helps reinforce knowledge.
Reproduction: Learners must be able to replicate the skill or behavior. This is where practice comes in, such as applying a new sales technique in a role-playing exercise with feedback from peers.
Motivation: Learners need a reason to adopt the new behavior. Seeing colleagues succeed or receiving positive feedback can provide motivation, and in a large-scale corporate program, participants cited the social-learning aspect as an important part of its success.
The cost of social learning
If you are running an ILT program skip this section because you know exactly how many hours of work is required to create a well structured training program that involves social activities at its core. If you are running a WBT or similar program you need to be aware of the fact that once you have finished working on the course you have to start working with an actual class!
I recognize that, especially in large corporations where enormous amounts of money are spent on training, HR and Training managers are very focused on project management but can be unaware of the work required to set up a social learning initiative.
So to sum up, costs that need to be taken into account are: time and resources.
Approach dependent on situation
Social learning isn’t always the best approach. Several situations make it less effective:
Large class sizes: Social learning requires small groups for quality interactions
Tight timelines: Collaborative learning takes more time than traditional methods
Lack of clear goals: Social activities need specific, measurable outcomes
For example, when teaching a new procedure, focus discussions on real-world application, problem-solving, and peer guidance. Without this strategic approach, social activities become ineffective time-wasters.
Whether or not social learning is applicable needs to be assessed according to each situation.
Reflecting on a constructivist approach
For trainers it is clear that giving a comment to a video is not the same producing new content based on actual learning. When we launch a discussion we know that our learners will achieve the best in terms of learning (and even retention) when they eventually create their own knowledge. Social learning needs to achieve this goal.
Are you ready for this kind of learning environment? What is your primary goal? A real change in learner’s habits or a simple transfer of knowledge?
” We teach a subject not to produce little living librarians on that subject, but rather to get a student to think…for himself, to consider matters…to take part in the process of knowledge-getting. Knowing is a process not a product. “
Jerome Bruner
Transform your training programs with social learning
By moving beyond simple knowledge transfer to foster a collaborative environment , you can unlock higher engagement, better knowledge retention, and faster problem-solving across your organization. When implemented thoughtfully, social learning doesn’t just supplement your formal training; it transforms it into a dynamic, continuous experience that drives real performance improvements.
The right platform makes all the difference by providing the tools to build, manage, and measure a thriving learning community. Explore why more than 3,800 companies across the world trust Docebo. Book a demo today.
FAQs about social learning
What’s the difference between social learning and traditional training methods?
Traditional training flows one-way from instructor to learner, while social learning is multi-directional with learners engaging, sharing experiences, and co-creating knowledge together.
What is ILT vs WBT?
ILT (Instructor-Led Training) is a traditional classroom-style training, while WBT (Web-Based Training) is online, self-paced training accessed via the internet
How do you measure the effectiveness of social learning in corporate training?
Track engagement metrics like forum participation and skill application, then link these to business outcomes like reduced support tickets or faster project completion.
What types of training content work best with social learning approaches?
Complex procedures, soft skills like leadership and communication, and onboarding programs work best because they spark discussion and benefit from peer experiences.
How many participants do you need for effective social learning?
Social learning works best in smaller, focused groups where everyone can contribute meaningfully to discussions.
Can social learning work with remote or hybrid training programs?
Yes, digital tools like learning platforms and video conferencing create virtual spaces for the same collaborative interactions that happen in person.
