Social Learning in the Workplace

The concept of Social Learning is an educational theory that was developed by Edward Thorndike in 1920. He argued that the ability to learn from other people's experiences does not require any instruction or social rewards. This process occurs when children observe and retain information about their environment through observation, but do so without receiving any type of training such as reinforcement...

Social learning can help today’s organizations keep up with the pace at which their business moves. More and more, organizations are turning to social learning to deliver exciting e-learning experiences to their employees, customers and partners. The concept is more than just a buzzword, and is now increasingly used by forward-thinking organizations to foster collaborative learning and its application in the flow of work to drive organizational performance and the effectiveness of L&D activities.

Social learning is based on a theory developed by psychologist Albert Bandura that proposes learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and occurs purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement.