LEARNING THROUGH COLLABORATION: SOCIAL E-LEARNING

BY GEETHA BAI PARAMASIVAN

The modern workplace is a constantly changing environment where the challenges are dynamic and agility becomes the key to survival.

Agility and the ability to adapt are important to ensure that the workforce is equipped to handle changes.

It’s more crucial now than ever that workplaces consider more collaborative ways of working, to find answers to questions that cannot be answered by individuals working in isolation.

As more learning opportunities present themselves in the workplace, a collaborative environment allows for troubleshooting, problem-solving, design implementation, research and development, as well as innovation to find answers and solutions even in the absence of a coach or mentor.

Ideally, a direct result of this would be an improvement in workplace productivity while the people within the organisation are constantly growing.

One of the most influential learning theories is the social learning theory, first introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura in 1977, who integrated the concepts of cognitive learning theory and behavioural learning theory to come up with four requirements for learning.

These requirements are learning through observation, retention, reproduction and motivation.

“Employee motivation improves when they are able to weigh in or take charge in troubleshooting problems to look for solutions faced by their organisations, whether through discussion or collaboration.”

This theory explores the idea that there is a social element to learning, albeit a rather informal method of learning that determines its effectiveness.

The social media boom has been a huge driving factor in propagating eLearning. While in the past, eLearning was created to centre on engaging and interactive multimedia content, it often lacked the benefits of informal learning resulting from human interaction.

In fact, social learning management systems leverage on this by taking a more social approach to learning.

Social learning management systems act as a social intranet that allows users to gain knowledge by using the content provided on the platform as well as by sharing their own knowledge and experience on this platform.

This opens up avenues for collaborative discussions and communication that benefits the organisation as a whole by facilitating interdepartmental knowledge exchange.

Employees who have sufficient access to interaction with their peers are able to work more efficiently to solve their problems.

Employee motivation improves when they are able to weigh in or take charge in troubleshooting problems to look for solutions faced by their organisations, whether through discussion or collaboration.

The simple act of facilitating employee engagement helps to zero in on areas that require improvement within the organisation.

There are numerous benefits of social eLearning and by providing the right environment, users have the opportunity to a more flexible learning structure either with or without a structured curricular framework.

This non-structured learning occurs towards social eLearning that is geared towards a more collaborative mechanism.

This way, users who would normally experience time and geographical differences are able to communicate without constraint. Users can swap information, share tips and tools, exchange knowledge as well as collaborate on projects and papers.

With the correct voice and video tools, social eLearning becomes highly collaborative, transcending distance and time.

Find out how employees can mutually benefit each other and the organisation through collaboration.

Organisations too can leverage on the features of social learning platforms by using it as a virtual notice board of sorts for events, training sessions, and also post updates of on goings and organisational changes.

With the right set of rules and guidelines, employees not only have the benefit of keeping abreast of the developments within the organisation but are also able to post feedback and suggestions.

This works in the favour of the organisation as it allows real time feedback, and in turn increases efficiency and productivity.

Geeta Bai Paramasivan Geetha was the digital learning content development leader at Leaderonomics.

BY SANDY CLARKE

“I thought I was pretty good at teaching myself – until I read Tara Westover’s memoir Educated. Her ability to learn on her own blows mine right out of the water.” Are You Afraid Of Being An Original In A World Full Of Conformists?

BY MARK C CROWLEY

During the first few weeks of 2016, we said our goodbyes to three hugely imaginative non-conformists: David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Glenn Frey.

Each made an enormous impact on the world, and their respective works will surely continue to influence the generations after them.

The deaths of famous people like these actually tend to weigh heavily on our individual psyches.

Reflecting on how their work affected us personally, we grieve their loss much in the way we would a family member’s or a close friend’s.

But we also take things one big step further. Often unconsciously, we take stock of our own lives in the context of theirs.

We wonder about our influence in the world, what our legacies will be.

Many of us question whether the work we do has significance and come away feeling distressed by the comparison.

So, the release of an inspiring book by Wharton professor, Adam Grant couldn’t be better timed.

Give and Take, Grant has written Originals, which upends the notion that ordinary people can’t make a meaningful mark in the world.

Drawing on exhaustive research, Grant shows us that people who move the world forward with original ideas are much more like the rest of us than we may otherwise have imagined.

The book’s fundamental encouragement is that we all can – and should – reach higher in our lives. None of us was put on earth to be small.

Roads less travelled Psychologists have discovered that there are two paths of achievement in life: conformity and originality.

Conformity means following the crowd down conventional paths and sustaining the status quo.

“There are so few originals in life, because people are afraid to speak up and stand out.”

“Originality,” says Grant, “is taking the road less travelled, championing a set of novel ideas to go against the grain, but ultimately make things better.”

Most of us have unfounded beliefs about the downsides of what would happen if we did step up.

Renowned business executive Mellody Hobson once observed that “there are so few originals in life, because people are afraid to speak up and stand out.”

But Originals proves that fear needlessly prevents us from maximizing our own potential.

In a conversation I had with Grant, he told me: “After spending years studying and interacting with truly original people, I am struck that their inner experience is not different from our own.

“What sets them apart is that, despite their fears, they take action anyway. They know in their hearts that failing would yield less regret than failing to try.”

Universal aspirations “Most of us want to be more original.” Grant says. He adds, “If you look at the American culture, individuality, selfexpression, and uniqueness are huge priorities.”

Yet despite these being our core cultural values, because of a sense of risk, many of us lean toward fitting in rather than standing out.

“We all have ideas that could improve the world around us − whether in our own workplace, community, or families,” Grant told me, “and most of the time, we don’t speak up.”

“Most successful originals are not daredevils who leap before they look.”

The fear of being squashed and the expectation that sharing our ideas will prove futile are two of the biggest reasons we lay low.

But Grant says most of us have unfounded beliefs about the downsides of what would happen if we did step up.

“A lot of people walk around with the theory that if you speak your mind, you’re going to cut your boss’s throat, and you may suffer as a result,” he says.

“And most of the people who believe this have never seen this happen to anyone! Of course, challenges to the status quo should always be proposed thoughtfully and professionally.

“But the odds that things will go well are much higher than most of us think.”

Original thinkers are human, too Grant’s very clear intention is to show that originals pee and poop like everyone else.

“People who move the world forward with original ideas are rarely paragons of conviction and commitment,” he writes.

We’ve all heard that Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft. But Grant points out that he actually took a leave of absence from the university and didn’t withdraw until later − when he could be reasonably certain of the success of the software he’d created.

Sara Blakely, the billionaire inventor of Spanx, also hedged her risk. For two years, she stayed in her full-time job selling fax machines until she fully refined the prototype that she ultimately brought to market.

“Most successful originals are not daredevils who leap before they look,” Grant says.

“They’re the ones who reluctantly tiptoe to the edge of a cliff, calculate the rate of descent, triple-check their parachutes, and set up a safety net at the bottom, just in case.”

Regret weighs tonnes Research shows that there are very few people who speak up, champion new ideas, and end up regretting it.

Instead, it’s those who fail to take action in life who end up saying, “I wish I had given it a try. I should have taken a little more initiative. I should have gone out on a limb.”

Grant believes that what really holds most people back from realising their full potential is that they idolise people who appear to be larger-than-life originals.

“I hear it from students all the time,” he says.

“‘I’m never going to be a Steve Jobs, so why bother trying?’”

But the guidance Grant offers his students ultimately applies to just about everyone: “We overlook all the ways just adopting a little more originality in our day-to-day lives can make the world more interesting, if not better. There are just so many different opportunities to seize and say, ‘I’m going to see if there’s a better way to do this.’”

Most of us will never sell 100 million records, act in a Hollywood movie, or perform before thousands of screaming fans, but we may not have to.

The lesson of Originals − in the words of Bowie − is that we still can be heroes.

Sandy Clarke Mark spent over 25 years as a senior executive in financial services, and now is a leadership speaker and consultant. His book, “Lead From The Heart,” is now being taught at four American universities.