L&D – Why Does Social Learning Matter?

Why does social learning matter anyway? We have survived the formal learning method for many years! And how do we monitor their “social learning”?

Fair questions. I first heard of this term when I started venturing into digital learning back in 2017. I was so confused by it. How does it work anyway? You learn socially? Like the concept of a social smoker? You learn when you feel like it? How do you improve yourself then?

My questions obviously came from years and years of formal learning method. With formal learning, you were assigned to a course and expected to complete it within a period. So, when the concept of social learning arises, I am still looking at it in the formal learning concept.

Which is faaarrr from it.

Social learning matters because it is a fundamental way humans learn behaviors, skills, and knowledge by observing and interacting with others, fostering essential emotional intelligence, real-world skills, stronger academic performance, and a sense of community, bridging theory with practical application and reducing mistakes by learning from peers’ experiences.

1. Builds essential life skills – Social learning develops empathy, self-awareness, conflict resolution, and relationship skills crucial for personal and professional success.
   
   No matter if you are a mentor or a mentee, you will try to understand where the other person is coming from. You see things from their point of view. You start to develop a sense of compassion and empathy. And you start to realise, both of you are learning something from each other.

2. Enhances academic & professional growth – Improves knowledge acquisition, retention, problem-solving, and overall performance through peer support and diverse viewpoints.
   
   I have always believed in the phrase “if you are the smartest one in a room, then you are in the wrong room.” You should be in a space where you can constantly learn from each other. Social learning provides you an avenue to grow personally and professionally through support of others.

3. Connects theory to practice – Provides real-world context for applying skills, bridging the gap between abstract learning and practical execution, as seen in online forums or workplace mentorship.
   
   I have always encouraged our team to join any community or forums with shared interests. For example, if you are interested or your work requires you to be aware of AI intervention, join forums that have experts in it so you can learn from them. Having just a theory will never be enough if you don’t practice it.

4. Fosters community & belonging – Social learning creates supportive environments where learners feel connected, reducing isolation, and increasing motivation.
   
   Admit it, when you join a community that shares the same interests and possibly, mindset, you do not feel intimidated. Instead, you feel excited because you realise, people are speaking your language! And that encourages you to learn and grow your personal and professional knowledge. Isn’t that something?

5. Promotes positive behavior – Encourages positive actions through modelling and observing mentors and peers.
   
   Even when you are a lion or have a dragon residing in you, you feel obliged to tame them because you don’t want to be seen as a mad person, shouting at others. Social learning does that to you. You are compelled not to be the negative people amongst the positive ones. Now who doesn’t want that?

6. Increases engagement & retention – Makes learning more interactive, memorable, and relevant by involving others in the process.
   
   I am speaking solely based on my experience, but I do find that when I learn from others by watching how they do it (especially when the teachers are fun), I absorbed quickly and I remember them clearly.

7. Offers efficiency – Allows learners to avoid mistakes by learning from others’ failures and reduces costs by leveraging shared knowledge.
   
   Now this is something I can completely relate. Those days, when social learning was non-existent, there were no communities we can join to ask for directions, I made so many mistakes it was humbling. Sure, I learned from them. But I do feel that if I had a space where people can share experiences and advised us what was the best route to take with our situations, I could save a lot of time, not to mention costs on it. And this, is why I truly believe, social learning matters.

I strongly encourage you as the L&D to adopt this concept in your organisation. It is not for you to monitor their progress, but to give your employees a safe space for them to learn from each other, sharing knowledge, ideas, questions, and even mistakes, so everyone can grow together. Allow this to happen and watch how your employees prosper.

Till we meet again in the next episode!

Here are some of the key reasons social learning matters:

About the author

Hazie Halim has more than 15 years of experience in Talent Management Solution and L&D Tech. Her approach has never been about the technology; it has always been about the people in the industry. She understands HR & L&D, she understands the pain and the stress, and she understands the fear and reluctance of system integration drama. Combining these has allowed her to be compassionate when sharing her experience and knowledge during project implementation. She is passionate about making the HR & L&D experts look good in front of their stakeholders. Their win is her win.

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