A Case for Social Technology in Workplace Learning

Workplace learning has long been viewed as having the responsibility of deploying objective-based learning that enables employees to carry out the organization’s mission. The drivers of learning solutions in the workplace are the corporate power influencers, leaders who require learning to be specific in order to drive and align productivity to the mission of the organization. In recent years, developing social capital has become a concept for increasing importance in understanding the antecedents of organization performance (Morton, Brookes, Dainty, Backhouse, & Burns, 2006). As a result, creating learning opportunities through social connections has become a high priority initiative among learning leaders in workplace learning environments.

Until the twentieth century, print was the key medium for delivering learning in the workplace (Bower and Hardy, 2004). However, “the need for high-level skills in today’s knowledge-based economy has helped hurtle an emerging eLearning marketplace that is primed for growth in the years ahead” (Commission of Technology & Adult Education [CTAE], 2001, p. 10). The next several years will encompass a significant presence of broadband, wireless, smart cars, smart fridges, streaming media, voice recognition, and the inevitable growth of new Internet applications (Taylor, 2001). In a digitally enabled culture, workplace learning and development is becoming increasingly digitized (Boyd, 2002).

The learner’s perspective provides yet another lens through which to consider this digital evolution. In 2005, SkillSoft, a leading commercial eLearning content provider, commissioned an independent survey across a random sample of 3,000 employees to ascertain their attitudes and preferences regarding learning and development. The participants were asked to indicate their preferred method of learning. The researched yielded that 20% of the respondents liked to learn informally from other employees and through online learning materials based on their immediate need, 13% of the participants indicated that they preferred to attend instructor-led courses and workshops, and 67% preferred a blended method (Baldwin-Evans, 2006).

Shifting directions in learning organizations, advancements in technology, and preferences of learners have influenced training and education to move away from informative content delivery; that is, the transfer of discrete, abstract concepts (Goodyear, 2002). The movement is toward social-constructionist, student-centered models with increasing emphases on the skills that support independent, self-motivated learning (Hobbs, Brown, & Gordon, 2006).

Promise exists in the use of social media software within workplace learning environments to support this emerging digital learning era. Since its inception, social media tools have been expanding considerably (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Examples of social media software include weblogs, wikis, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, social networking, and social book marking. Social media software is not limited to these specific technologies, and learning leaders are exploring how best to incorporate new social media software into workplace learning environments. New technology applications have given rise to an emerging form of electronic learning (eLearning), which has potential to support social learning and social constructivist theories.