Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2023 - 33

learning components. As a result of this
practice, many learners are not able to
connect what they hear in a course and
what they do every day - rendering the
course ineffective.
If components of a program go beyond
the 10%, the focus typically goes directly
to application despite social learning
being an important phase in the model.
Social learning is defined in various
ways depending on the organization.
In this context, social learning is any
activity where one person learns from
another. Most commonly in business,
we see this occur in mentor and
coaching relationships, workplace
communities or program cohorts.
When used effectively, social learning
acts as a bridge between what people
learn in a course or program and the
application of that learning in their dayto-day
roles. This happens through
hearing from others' experiences,
asking questions and troubleshooting
in a safe space and sharing what they
know to build their confidence in the
topic. Learning in these ways with
others helps to solidify the behaviors
that enable workers to put the skills
more easily into practice.
With this in mind, let's explore three
reasons why social learning is more
important than ever, as well as how to
begin implementing social practices
into your learning programs.
Returning to the
70-20-10 Model
According to research from Bersin by
Deloitte, " 80% of workforce learning
happens via on-the-job interactions with
peers, teammates, and managers. " But
the same research also shows that those
workers only have 1% of their workweek
available for learning. This means that
employees need to be able to find what
they need, when they need it. Some of
this need is met by on-demand content,
either via internal learning platforms or
search engines.
However, when turning to these platforms,
learners often struggle to directly apply
what they are trying to achieve in their
role without any social support. While
this approach may not always pose
barriers, frequent feedback during and
after programs reveals that learners are
unsure how to apply it to their role or wish
they had someone they could turn to with
specific questions to put the learning into
practice effectively. Utilizing intentional
social learning components could help to
ease this burden and help to bridge the
gap to application.
Learners Feel
Disconnected
From Others
Virtual learning has been a big topic in
the profession for some time. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, however, it became
even more critical as businesses rushed
to ensure that employees had what they
needed to continue working and developing
in the absence of face-to-face learning
options. As time has gone on, however,
employees are reporting fatigue with virtual
options as organizations focused almost
exclusively on formal learning with little to
no social learning additions.
This fatigue is further driven by the lack
of personal connection that was standard
with in-office interactions. Those who
started with new companies during the
pandemic also have struggled to create
social networks that would once have been
created by having lunch with co-workers or
during in-person orientation events.
Formal Learning Can't
Keep Up With the
Pace of Business
L&D leaders know that it is not
uncommon to deploy a program only
to have it become out of date within
months (or even weeks). The expense
to update programs shortly after launch
is greater than most organizations can
justify, so compromises to content are
accepted as a cost of doing business.
Additionally, the life span of a worker's
skills continues to decrease.
According to the book, " Exponential
Organizations: The Essential Guide to
Building ExO's, " the average shelf life
of a business competency has dropped
from 30 years in 1984 to five years in
2014. This means that the workforce
faces a constant need for upskilling and
reskilling that most current corporate
learning programs cannot keep pace
with. Social learning, however, is more
agile in nature since it can adjust to
learner and business needs more
efficiently and effectively than formal
learning and often takes less time and
resources to deploy.
Ways To Incorporate
Social Learning
The need for social learning is clear. The
challenge is to create deliberate social
learning channels that enable learners
to have efficient access to a wider pool
of experts.
One way that might already be taking
place in your organization is workplace
communities. At Mars, Inc., there
are approximately 110 communities
(approximately 90 of
these are
employee resource groups) that have
been identified by the L&D organization.
Only one of these communities is
driven by the L&D organization. The
communities range from business
topics such as project management and
Social learning acts as a bridge between
what people learn in a course or program
and the application of that learning in their
day-to-day roles.
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Training Industry Magazine - Winter 2023

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