This document discusses opportunities to socialize informal learning in organizations. Typical organizations have fragmented learning offerings with limited budgets for formal learning focused only on strategic needs. Informal learning is gaining strength but employees who contribute are often unrecognized. The document proposes creating a platform for employees to share knowledge through various media like seminars, coaching, and elearning. This would help build a smart learning organization and provide customized onboarding, learning paths, and solutions to fill competency gaps by mining existing organizational knowledge. Challenges around search and recognition of contributors are discussed. The platform should integrate various content sources, provide templates for creation, and recognize employees for knowledge sharing through profiles and certificates.

1. Socialize Informal Learning Random thoughts of an L&D professional

2. Typical Organization Situation Frantic changes Lacuna of key skills Employees inclined to learn However, learning teams are either nascent, inadequate, passive, or simply not empowered

3. Typical Organizational Learning 1 Fragmented learning offering 2 With limited budgets, formal learning approved for strategic needs only 3 Informal learning gaining strength However, employees who contribute to learning often are unrecognized and over time lose the incentive to contribute to learning

4. Opportunity Break the traditional barriers that impact sharing knowledge = Socialize informal learning to facilitate learning by observation, imitation, and modeling (Bandura’s theory) = Create a smart learning organization

5. storyline Socialize Informal Learning

6. Storyline Y attends a class

7. Y thinks it might be helpful to share what he learnt with his colleagues. So he quickly puts together a learning module. Y knows how easy it is to use content development tools these days Cloud Computing Definition: Resources: Session recording:

8. Y sends it module to his colleagues… Cloud Computing Definition: Resources: Session recording:

9. …and receives positive feedback for sharing Feedback

10. Y is now encouraged to share all knowledge that he thinks might be helpful for his colleagues Seminar ILT Webinar Informal Coaching Video

11. Y motivates other employees to share and an ecosystem of sharing and receiving knowledge develops Seminar ILT Webinar Informal learning Coaching Elearning

12. However with so much content being created, it became hard to find what one needed.

13. SEARCH TECHNOLOGY CONTENT

14. Use cases Socialize Informal Learning

15. Use Case 1: Onboarding Opportunity: Onboarding solutions are dated, generic, and are not designed for individual Solution: The content library is used to create dynamic and customized (blended) onboarding solutions Contractor 1 Tim

16. Use Case 2: Learning Paths Opportunity: Learning paths either do not exist for most competencies or external training vendors provide one-time solutions Solution: The content library is used to create dynamic and customized (blended) learning paths Proficient Expert

17. Use Case 3: Competency Gaps Opportunity: External training vendors recommend content to fill the identified skill gaps. The organization receives generic solutions for specific gaps Solution: Be smart about mining the learning that exists to satiate urgent needs. Help training vendors customize learning for specific needs

18. Use Case 4: Create a Learning Organization Opportunity: Spreading knowledge is sporadically encouraged and siloed Solution: Provide a platform for employees to contribute, provide feedback, iterate, and get recognized Technology Employees Content Employees

19. Challenges - Resolved Learning as a service provided as a consolidated solution to include organizational knowledgebase + all media + formal trainings Learning becomes collaborative. Everyone gets access to resources that can help similar projects across teams Employees who contribute to learning get recognized based on the number of contributions or rating of their learning resources. They can now mention their contribution to organizational learning in qualitative and quantitative terms

20. Other Ideas: Content Mantra: Partner, integrate, provide Provide open source raw content to assist content creation (Wikipedia, Internet Archives) Provide instructionally sound templates for creating quick quality solutions across media (mobile, web, ILT) Users should be able to import and recommend external content and act on data fed to it

21. Other ideas