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Social Learning Theory In this article, you will learn about Social Learning theory and the advantages and disadvantages of applying this learning technique in your organisation. You will also read examples of ways you can integrate social learning into the workplace to encourage and improve success in your learning environment. Discover: What is Social Learning? Main Idea of Social Learning Theory Components of Social Learning Social Learning Theories
- Early Forms of Social Learning and Social Pedagogy
- Albert Bandura (1977)
- Lev Vygotsky’s Social Learning Theory
- John Krumboltz (1976-1996) Advantages of Social Learning Disadvantages of Social Learning Social Learning Methods What is Social Learning? Social learning is a concept automatically and instinctively applied by humans throughout their lives, which they implement from childhood in order to find their place in the world and society.
Fundamental beliefs and worldviews, such as gender roles, religion, political views, and self- worth, are initially shaped through social learning. This happens by observing how those around us react to different opinions. Main Idea of Social Learning Theory Social learning is learning by observing other people with the goal of adapting one's behaviour in social contexts. People typically don't adopt worldviews that make the most logical sense, but we are influenced to adopt behaviour that earns the least amount of criticism in our unique environment. It is human nature to want to be accepted by others, so we automatically observe how others behave and what the consequences are in order to adapt our behaviour. With social learning, we use this technique to adopt the behaviours with which another person has been successful in order to achieve the desired result. While social learning is usually associated with learning specific content, it is actually a process that we naturally use subconsciously every day of our lives. The term social here refers to the fact that one questions and adjusts one's behaviours based on observation of other people in a social setting to achieve a desired outcome. Motivation, work ethic, and learning techniques are examples of observed behaviours you can imitate to achieve a desired result. Behaviours learned through social environments can have a circular impact and inspire others in the same social setting.
learning, identification is comparable to the Freudian notion of the Oedipus complex. A part of this concept is about internalising or adopting the behaviours of other people. While the term imitation refers to only a single aspect, identification is about several learned behaviours coming together. Imitations, such as language use, attitude, habits, or views, help people achieve feeling similar to role models. It is important to emphasise that while social learning is based on imitating another person's behaviour, it can have completely different consequences. People are individuals, and so are the results of behaviour. Social learning should serve as a way to help you see if others’ successful behaviours work for you as well. However, it should not become a direct comparison of results. It is about trying new techniques, habits, and behaviours for yourself, but you should not expect to get the exact same results as your role model. Social learning is not about becoming a different person or modifying your personality to be more like someone else. It is about improving your skills and thus becoming better than you were yesterday. Social Learning Theories Early Forms of Social Learning and Social Pedagogy There are various approaches to social learning that have been formulated and tested as hypotheses by several scientists and experts over time. However, the actual term was coined by Canadian-American psychologist Albert Bandura. Social learning is based on Social Pedagogy, which also focuses heavily on children's education. The first mention of a children's character influenced by society's social environment was by 18th century Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who claimed that human beings are fundamentally good but are unnaturally altered by society.
Building on this, Social Pedagogy emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries in Germany through the known educationalists and philosophers Karl Mager, Paul Natorp, and Herman Nohl. They took ideas from great philosophers such as Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, and Plato and studied and defined the influence of the social environment and society on human beings and their development. Social pedagogy is the idea that the upbringing of individuals is the responsibility of both parents and society. It is a relationship-centred approach of using learning, interpersonal connection, and well-being to overcome social inequality, also on a community level. American psychologist Robert Richardson Sears investigated how children acquire values, views, and beliefs, and the influence parents have in this process. Among other things, he focused on stimulus-response theory - how people react to certain external stimuli. Reactions Sears investigated included aggression, resistance to temptation, and culturally determined values such as traditionally accepted gender roles. The influence of parenting methods, such as reward, warmth, punishment, and power structures, were also considered. This research provided an important foundation for work on social learning theory. Albert Bandura (1977) Bandura's theory emphasises observing, modelling, and imitating other people’s behaviour, attitudes, and emotional reactions. It is about the influence of both environmental and cognitive factors on learning success as well as the overall behaviour of a person. His theory is based on two concepts of behavioural psychology:
- The American psychologist B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning describes that the consequences of a response or reaction influence the probability of repetition. Put simply; this refers to reward and punishment as controlling human behaviour. This
behaviour often and possibly apply it ourselves in order to form a clear memory. This point is particularly important in social learning.
- Reproduction To imitate a behaviour, we must also be able to perform it. We cannot always physically or mentally imitate every behaviour, even if we would like to. Our knowledge of our limitations influences whether or not we try to imitate something.
- Motivation The expected reward of imitation must be appealing enough and exceed the cost. The more positive and desirable a consequence, the more likely someone will adopt a new behaviour. It should be noted that not all people respond strongly to vicarious reinforcement. Some individuals do not focus on the consequences of other people's behaviour as much and instead focus on themselves. Such people are less receptive to social learning. 2. Behaviour is learned through the environment and is based on learning by observing Learning through observation is a fundamental component of the human mind. Young children use this technique to imitate and understand the behaviour of other people, especially their parents. Later in life, children, adolescents and even adults continue to use other people as role models to influence their actions and behaviours. This includes parents, teachers, influencers, or even friends. We observe their behaviour and classify it into learned categories. For example, authority, dominance, and strength are classically masculine attributes, while empathy, gentleness, and subtlety tend to be classified as feminine, even though these are all gender- independent. Nevertheless, children automatically imitate the behaviour that society or their environment considers appropriate for their gender. Initially, children imitate people who are more similar to them, i.e. initially of the same sex. The reactions of other people are then decisive in determining whether this behaviour is retained or relearned. Humans are always looking for recognition, so they choose their behaviour whenever possible to be praised for it. We also observe the reactions that are triggered by behaviour. The
more we want to identify with the other person, the more likely we will imitate their behaviour. In technical jargon, this is called vicarious reinforcement. However, reward and punishment only work if the type of recognition meets the person's needs. Otherwise, it does not affect his or her behaviour. In the context of a workplace environment, offering someone the prospect of a promotion will not result in a behaviour change if the person is satisfied in his or her current role. In 1986, this social learning theory was further developed into the Social Cognitive Theory. It states that learning occurs within a social framework. This social framework involves the constant change of individuals, shared interactions within an individual's environment, and observing others’ behaviours. Lev Vygotsky’s Social Learning Theory Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky formulated his own theory about social learning. His focus was about how conversation and community are integral parts of learning. He thought that without the input of other human beings, we would not develop. This also includes the importance of the spoken word for learning and thought processes. Vygotsky’s theories are more known in the field of collaborative learning. John Krumboltz (1976-1996) Krumboltz is a known American psychology professor at Stanford University. He is not directly involved in the scientific hypothesis of social learning, but his name is often mentioned concerning professional social learning. He became best known for his work on social learning
This theory supports and promotes social learning as an important factor in forming one's own decisions since observing other people makes up a large part of our daily experiences. The point is that people should not commit to a career path, but act, perform, and learn. Based on the resulting experiences, our paths can be adapted and changed. The world, our work, and we, as individuals, are subject to constant change through learning and experience. Our path through work and life must also be able to change flexibly to address this. Pros and cons of Social learning theory Advantages of Social Learning
- Natural Way to Learn The most significant advantage of social learning is that everyone uses it naturally every day, consciously and unconsciously. You don't have to plan it separately or set aside time for it because it happens automatically over time. In the working world, this means that we observe our colleagues and notice what they do and how they do it. When a colleague is particularly praised for performance or receives a bonus, other employees analyse all by themselves what action led to it in order to work towards the same result.
- Better skills These tendencies are great for leverage in organisations. By encouraging sharing thoughts, ideas, experiences, and best practices, you strengthen your employees’ productivity and skills.
- Higher Learning Retention It is scientifically proven that we only remember 10% from formal learning sources, while the remaining 90% comes from informal sources and social learning. By learning something directly from a person, we are able to remember it better because we remember things like voice pitch, images, memories, or even a joke during learning that we associate with learning content.
- Lower costs Bringing employees together to share subject matter expertise costs less than a seminar or learning content on the same topic.
- Productivity and sustainability When employees know who to ask about a topic, the information spreads, and, over time, a mentoring network is created within the company. This encourages sharing and reduces the need to learn from other sources.
- Employee retention Many employees want to continue their education, and they want to share ideas with colleagues. Social learning enables them to do both, creating stronger bonds with each other at the same time. That, and the awareness that the company allows or even encourages this type of exchange, increases loyalty.
- Better informed The more frequently employees exchange ideas with their colleagues on a wide range of topics, the more often they look beyond their horizons. This broadens their perspective and gives them impressions that help prevent mistakes and increase efficiency.
- Collaboration Learning is not the only thing that is collaborative in this case. Other factors are naturally included as well. Employees help each other more often, seek advice and help, collaborate better, and learn along the way. The best time to learn is when you need the knowledge.
- Capture Organisational Knowledge By sharing knowledge within the organisation, there is a greater chance of certain pieces of information being saved even after crucial employees leave the organisation.
- Problem Solving in Real Time Many employees are looking for learning opportunities in a moment of actual need. The urge to solve a problem they cannot solve on their own requires collaboration. Usually,
that promises the greatest success. However, since new and unconventional ideas tend to bring progress and innovation, this learning technique should not be used too much.
- Unexpected obstacles Very few people know their limits, strengths and weaknesses really well. It is often not possible to imitate the behaviour of another because unknown obstacles can arise. This can result in frustration, which leads to resignation.
- Consequences for self-esteem Most people cannot tell the difference between observation or imitation and a comparison to themselves. If we compare ourselves with others, we usually compare visible indicators like performance and results. This leads to frustration and disappointment in most cases. We typically compare ourselves to people who can do something better than us in order to learn from them. As a result, such a comparison will always be to our disadvantage. For people without a solid self-esteem, such a thing can have psychological consequences in the long run. Therefore, care should be taken to distinguish social learning from personal comparison clearly and to incorporate positive reinforcement.
- Self-doubt If everyone is a teacher and a student simultaneously, there is uncertainty about quality standards, and there can be self-doubt.
- Measuring requires modern solutions There are few ways to measure social learning apart from content usage unless you use a modern learning platform.
- Negative assumptions Social media and videos are considered a waste of time and leisure time in many minds.
- Necessary intervention Group discussions need to be led because otherwise, they quickly digress and turn into random private conversations, losing focus on the topics at hand.
- Requirements Attention, retention, replicability and motivation must be present in each participant for it to work. Social Learning Methods There are various ways in which social learning can be implemented in companies. If social learning techniques are naturally integrated into everyday life, it can be a time-saving way to learn. Social learning can also be an enormous relief for people who learn well in social settings, which offers additional benefits to companies who are looking to adopt this learning concept into their organisation. In order to use social learning in corporate learning, various options involve varying degrees of effort. Learning Groups The most obvious method is to form learning groups, as is often the case with face-to-face seminars. Several people are in the same room, learning about a new topic. There are different ways to learn more effectively through social interaction and observation: Questions from individuals improve the understanding of all participants. Group tasks encourage direct exchange. Defending a point of view enhances learning for all present. Instructors can use focused questioning to help learners reach an understanding of their own and make connections.
Benchmarking Human behaviour is predictable in many areas. This knowledge can be used positively to promote learning. It is human nature to want to compare oneself with others, be better than others, or simply keep up. With the right learning technology, things like gamification and internal networking can be used to share your learning progress with others. Benchmarking also creates an internal competition that encourages other employees to acquire new skills to have a say, see themselves ranked higher than others, or catch up with colleagues’ progress. It is important to keep the meaning and rewards of results within reasonable bounds so that motivation to learn does not turn into competition and envy, affecting morale and ultimately damages productivity. Examples of Benchmarking in Social Learning Benchmarking is all about comparing things, people, performance, results. Learning-based leaderboards can create a healthy competition between colleagues with similar roles, in the same team, department, or subsidiary. This can even become a regular competition between countries or business areas that encourages people to improve. Rewards are a common way to commemorate the results of a person or team. Usually, this kind of appraisal is granted based on comparing performance or certain results, which causes other employees to benchmark the winners. By sharing best practices or success stories of won customers, awards, or successful projects, employees are motivated and can use the information to learn what was done right, and what needs to be improved.
Badges are a rising trend in organisations to utilise gamification for enabling internal benchmarking by comparing them with colleagues. This way, people challenge each other and themselves to get more badges. Leading by Example Leading by example is a unique form of internal benchmarking. It is not a novelty that superiors always have a specific role model function in addition to the distribution of work and leadership tasks. Many employees hope to move up to this or a comparable position themselves one day, so they automatically pay attention to how their supervisor behaves. At this point, social learning takes place quite naturally. The more positive, likeable and popular a superior is, the more likely their employees are to try to analyse and, if possible, imitate their behaviour. When managers and people in senior positions do something, it is usually observed. Therefore, to motivate colleagues to learn, supervisors should use the available learning opportunities themselves and communicate this openly. Successful people, especially those in a person's immediate environment, are always copied. To put this idea into practice, if a manager learns for half an hour every day, the employees will also learn more to adapt and strive for success. Social Media People often associate social media with social learning. However, social media is not a form of social learning but a tool for facilitation. Because of the ubiquitous presence of technology and the internet, social media and video platforms give us the opportunity to share our experiences and knowledge with the whole world in the form of videos or texts. People from anywhere can learn from our experiences at any time. This concept has become so powerful that younger generations prefer it to the tried and true direct interaction with other people. However, many things are lost in the process, such as interpreting tone of voice, facial expressions or subtle cues. Even in companies, intranets and chats can stimulate exchanges between colleagues who are otherwise physically distant and unlikely to ever meet in person. This supports and accelerates
Many employees consume videos or other internet content to learn the things they need for completing a task. If those contents are shared or found via social media (internal or external), we call it social learning Sharing Internet Resources Sharing information doesn’t always have to involve social media. Many people spend a lot of time searching the internet for educational opportunities and informative content. There is now more learning content out there than anyone could count, let alone consume. Finding valuable information in this mass of data is not always easy. So it pays to encourage sharing of such sources within your organisation. Regardless of the form of sharing, motivating employees to consume blogs, technical articles, videos or podcasts on relevant topics and share the best of them with their colleagues can be a great way to share knowledge and encourage skill improvements. An internal library of external knowledge sources can be just as valuable as a collection of eLearning content. If you can measurably incorporate these external sources into your learning platform, it's even better. This way, you can additionally see which sources are most popular and draw conclusions about your learning content. Exchange Social interactions with others have been an integral part of our being since the Stone Age. It is a constant need to communicate and exchange with others to feel accepted and comfortable and learn. Even completely mundane conversations can contain added values that help us move forward in life. The more companies encourage employees to interact with each other, the happier they will be, and the more often they will learn something from those interactions. When people work physically close together, they automatically talk about it when there are problems. Employees help each other find solutions, improve their work or make processes more efficient. The more opportunities there are for the contact between team members, the better the exchange works in a professional environment.
Examples of Social Learning through Exchange General exchange doesn’t have a fixed learning goal. Simple conversations between colleagues can benefit learning and increase social skills. Any kind of social activity within an organisation can serve as a starting point for this. Coffee breaks bring co-workers together to talk about current tasks, colleagues, managers, the company, or just about life. This improves networking and sympathy, which are both essential for social learning. Events like anniversaries, department parties, after-work get-togethers, barbecues, or other opportunities that allow employees to mingle and meet co-workers from other departments or even different locations usually have a significant impact on social learning. Imitation starts with awareness, so the more successful people we meet, the more motivated we become to improve. Informal chats between colleagues are traditionally viewed as wasted time or dodging work. Often, co-workers talk about work-related topics to share their views or just release frustration about specific tasks. Instead of telling them to get back to work, leaders can join the chat and steer the conversation in a useful direction. Social Learning Through Knowledge Management In addition to classic group projects with regular meetings, there are many more ways to collaborate in teams without leaving the workplace in today's digital age. There are numerous software solutions such as Google for Business, Microsoft 360 or Dropbox that enable teams and workgroups to collaborate on the same documents at the same time, and contribute their knowledge and expertise. This saves time because everyone can work on it simultaneously, and it allows colleagues to work together effectively even if they are working in separate countries. Using the communication tools included in digital solutions, such as Hangouts, Teams or Slack, spontaneous video chats and meetings on current topics and challenges can be implemented immediately and spontaneously, even if it only takes a few minutes. This type of networking
