best practices social learning
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Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 2
AbstractSocial Learning tools unlock the keys to enterprise collaboration, provide access to
experts and best practices, enable meaningful behavioral coaching, and improve
employee engagement. Due to various disruptors caused by technology and pressures
from compliance and external regulators, learning professionals in Financial Services have
struggled to find ways to adopt and apply Social Learning tools and techniques inside
of their organization. Using Bloomfire’s collaborative online platform, Cannon Financial
Institute has successfully deployed compliant, social learning experiences in formal and
informal learning contexts.
© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute
ChallengeFor a variety of reasons, training units within Financial Services have been historically
slow in adopting innovative talent development technologies. Necessity, rather than
innovation, is the historical driver of change to learning design. However, the confluence
of several disruptors is forcing a change in the way Chief Learning Officers, Business
Training Managers, Performance Consultants and Instructional Designers develop training
and performance support for their learners. These
disruptors are representative of external pressures on
the Financial Services industry, evolving research, and
training and performance improvement technologies.
There are six primary disruptors converging:
advancements in technology, a shift to free and open
content over the internet, focus on skill development,
need for innovation, rapid changes in workforce
demographics, and improvements in productivity
measurement (adapted from Shum and Ferguson, 2012). Learning and development
professionals should leverage each of these disruptors as a driver of change to bring
innovative technologies to talent development units within Financial Services.
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices 3
Drivers of ChangeTeChnoLogy AdvAnCemenT
ShIFT To Free & oPen ConTenT
FoCuS on SkILL deveLoPmenT
need For InnovATIon
ChAngIng WorkForCe demogrAPhICS
ProduCTIvITy meASurmenTS
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 4
Leveraging drivers of Change
Rapid Technology AdvancementsThe most significant driver of change is the
constant change in new and innovative technology
capability, specifically in educational technology
and related social tools. The prominence of web-
based applications such as Google, Twitter, wikis,
blogs, and optimized search engines are connecting
people with terms, definitions, examples, and
demonstrations at a pace faster than firms can
respond. Advancements in mobile technology enable
learners to access content from anywhere at any
time, freeing them from the tethers of desktops or
formal learning management systems. Learners will
expect future solutions to allow even greater access
to content when and where they need it the most.
This scenario amplifies the challenge that CLOs and
Business Training Managers have accommodating
different types of workers and multiple technologies
required to help manage the content and needs of
both the enterprise and the Line of Business. CLOs
and Training Managers already know that “people
learn from one another, via observation, imitation,
and modeling” (Bandura, 1978). Now, the question
lies in finding a way to create a scalable solution that
is adaptive to ongoing change in a cost effective and
compliant way.
Free and Open ContentThe rapid advancements in technology have given
rise to platforms of content freely available to
learners. This disruptor manifests in a spectrum
ranging from free Massively Open Online Courses
(MOOCs) and iTunes University that connect
academics to learners from all over the world to the
hyper-commoditization of knowledge through sites
like Wikipedia, Investopedia, or other collaborative
sites. Free knowledge and information present
unique challenges in helping connect learners with
the right information that will enable them to turn
information into meaningful knowledge.
Skill DevelopmentWhen learners have access to terms, definitions, and
demonstrations at their finger tips, whether through
search engines like Google or internal intranet
sites, training provides less value in a classroom
setting or eLearning module when used for the sole
purpose of disseminating knowledge rather than skill
development. Self-paced eLearning came roaring
on the scene with the promise of efficiency and wide
dissemination of information through the finger tips of
CLOs and Training Managers. This promise revealed
to be both true and false; the wide dissemination
of knowledge proved true, but its sufficiency and
effectiveness to improve skill, false. eLearning
provides a way to deliver information, but only as
a one-way communication thread. Learners were
left to contextualize information on their own. The
ability to build skill versus simply transfer knowledge
is a void in the eLearning environment. There are
now more low cost, efficient means of transferring
information, while skill development still remains a
challenge outside of the traditional classroom. These
skills range from developing effective communication
skills for executives, coaching skills in managers,
and sales skills for front-line workers. In order to
improve skill, learners need access to performance
coaches who can evaluate skill quality and provide
constructive feedback, not just answer knowledge-
based questions.
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 5
Workforce DemographicsThe change in workforce demographics, like the
previous three, is not isolated to the learning and
talent development space. The Baby Boomer
generation yields 10,000 retirees daily; while the
Millennial generation simultaneously enters the
workforce with significant differences in learning
preferences, abilities and corporate expectations.
Therefore, the vast divide created between
competent young worker and wise veteran is
a considerable risk to a company’s production
standards. Solutions are needed that allow
Millennials to learn from the wisdom of more
experienced Baby Boomers and tenured Gen X’ers.
Continued InnovationDistance and sprawling organizational footprints
magnify the challenge to innovate, often keeping
best practices hidden in pockets of the enterprise.
The remedy is to create collaboration between
workers from across the footprint allowing for new
and innovative solutions to bubble up from the
entire workforce. A by-product of this collaboration
becomes connecting the wisdom and experience
of the retiring workforce to the enthusiasm of the
emerging Millennial. This takes a historical support
group of “one to the many” and establishes a
collaborative environment that connects the “many
to the many.”
Productivity MeasurementComing out of the downturn, financial institutions
revised the systems of measuring productivity in their
workforce. Tighter margins and decreased education
budgets necessitated business leaders’ measure
their ROI on all training experiences.
Specifically, leaders found themselves analyzing
exactly how much it cost in lost productivity and
lead generation when their advisors or sales teams
were out the office for instructor-led sessions.
The shift towards more distance-based learning,
particularly that type of collaborative technology
that allows workers to work and learn flexibly,
present the greatest opportunity for increasing ROI.
This emphasis on measurement also challenges
CLOs and Training Managers to consider new ways
of reporting and measuring training results. As
technology changes and we move beyond simple
assessment scores and completion status, open
APIs are allowing organizations to measure informal
learning and object tools like open badges. In
addition, engagement metrics are allowing training
managers to look at data and present it in ways that
are more meaningful.
The authenticity of these challenges is without
question. The methods and tools that will allow
training professionals to capitalize and exploit these
drivers of change are found in a technology-enabled
world.
That solution is Social Learning.
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 6
Solution design FeaturesThought leaders like Albert Bandura, Stephen Downs, and researchers at Siemens (among
others), found that the aforementioned disruptors call for a different paradigm and new
models to address this challenge. Siemens
and Downes each called for application of the
theory of Connectivism.
Connectivism-driven solutions need to have
the capability to align expectations to the
workforce, promote collaboration, foster
innovation and be available when and where
the workers are, not where the experts or
trainers are located. Social Learning tools
provide CLOs and Training Managers with the
ability to meet all of these challenges.
Research suggests that Boomers, Xers and
Millennials are already using social tools outside of work. Some organizations have tried
to adapt these tools in the work environment with a varying degree of success. Social
tools need to have at minimum the following capabilities: videos (uploading, downloading,
feedback), links, podcasts, screencasts, tags to categorize and optimize searching, ability
to ask questions, and behavioral rating ability to identify experts or those who routinely give
the best answers. While social networking is NOT Social Learning, the two can share some
of the same tools. In a 2012 survey for Time Magazine, 64% of respondents already use
social networks, and thus social tools, at work already. This provides CLOs and Training
Managers with the opportunity to leverage tools that their employees already freely use
outside of work and adapt the same functionality and power to meet the various challenges
inside of the organization. Social tools are also far more intuitive than some internal expert
systems. This means that workers already know how to use the various tools that exist
for collaboration, so training managers and instructional designers need to find ways of
harnessing that capability for sharing best practices within their organization.
Connectivism is a learning theory for the digital age. Learning has changed over the last several decades. The theories of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism provide an effect view of learning in many environments. They fall short, however, when learning moves into informal, networked, technology-enabled arena. (Siemens 2004)
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 7
how the Solution meets the Challenge
“Social learning is the bridge between behaviorist
and cognitive learning theories because it
encompasses attention, memory, and motivation”
(Bandura 1978). Social Learning can be applied as
formal or informal learning; in fact some applications
have adopted Social Learning as a bridge between
the two models. How has Cannon been able to apply
these principles inside of some of the world’s largest
financial institutions? In 2013, Cannon partnered
with Bloomfire, a cloud-based collaboration platform
to operationalize Social Learning in Financial
Services. Cannon deployed their Community
Learning Platform, leveraging Bloomfire’s Social
Learning capabilities, for formal and informal learning
initiatives. For formal learning, Cannon has deployed
a Bloomfire solution with clients to deliver distance-
based sales programs for new hires and as a part
of blended learning solutions between ILT sessions
with skill development activities and promoting
collaboration between sales teams across the entire
country. Other organizations use the platform to
promote enterprise collaboration, distance coaching,
and best practice sharing independent from a formal
learning setting.
How are companies using this solution to build or improve skill?
In one example of a deployment of a sales program,
sales officers uploaded video of their personal value
proposition, or Branding message, to a secure,
private community on Bloomfire using their mobile
device or webcam. Users learned the tenets of the
content in an ILT class, and then they used Bloomfire
to upload various examples and iterations gaining
feedback from peers and experts along the way.
This is an example using Social Learning in a formal,
blended learning program. In a second example of
a coaching initiative, managers were shown short
videos of both positive and negative coaching
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 8
examples with colleagues. Managers were then
asked to diagnose what was positive, what could
be improved, asked to upload a short video clip
of how they would position the conversation, and
then asked to provide feedback to their peers. The
community interactions were monitored by expert
coaches who were able to reach managers and
provide feedback without having to travel to observe
their communication style.
Using the features outlined above, the competitive
advantages that Financial Services companies
are gaining are the ability to improve skill through
peer feedback and expert coaching without being
subjected to constant productivity-killers like travel
and lapses in schedule coordination. Through
mobile video sharing through the Bloomfire mobile
app, learners have been able to seek feedback
on conversational and client interaction skills, like
branding and positioning, client discovery, and
presentations by uploading quick videos and getting
feedback from experts or peers. Using Bloomfire’s
capability for cloud storage, financial institutions
are not tasked with the challenge of storing videos
on their servers or dealing with bandwidth issues
that formally hindered the use video. Learners can
now upload a video, receive coaching or tips from
trusted colleagues and make adjusts immediately.
This technology allows for collaboration as well
as performance improvement through coaching
and just-in-time expert and community support.
Bloomfire’s application can be accessed over the
web at desktops or laptops, on mobile devices or via
mobile app, and can be embedded into operational
systems like SalesForce. This solution can be
wherever your employees are, providing access to
experts and on-demand performance support.
The Financial Services industry is one of the most
regulated industries in the United States. Whether
the financial institution is regulated by the OCC,
FINRA, the SEC or other ruling bodies, Cannon
and Bloomfire have been able to help organizations
adopt this innovative and collaborative technology
while meeting FINRAs and the SECs supervisory and
retention requirements. By meeting the regulators’
compliance requirements, CLOs and Training
Managers are now freer than ever to harness the
power of their entire workforce and strike down the
barriers of distance to enable skilled knowledge
workers to be able to more freely share, create
context, and learn from experts.
Bloomfire also provides social metrics that measure
participation and employee engagement in social
activity, not completion status like formal Learning
Management Systems. When used in formal
learning initiatives, measuring social engagement
along with traditional business results allows
learning professionals and business managers new
insights into how top performers are achieving their
results and how willing they are to share their tips
and best practices. Through encouragement and
rewards, such as picking up followers and rating
best answers, experts are more open to share and
workers in the moveable middle have the opportunity
to learn from those experts giving the best answers.
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 9
ConclusionSocial Learning can be the bridge between formal learning and informal learning initiatives
and it represents the way that people learn in our connected world. Social Learning is
the answer to the disruptors caused by technology, distance, regulation, and productivity
measurement. It is the way to harness the creative power of the entire organization and
promote innovation through collaboration. Using Bloomfire’s social platform, Cannon has
been able to help learning professionals promote collaboration and best practice sharing,
while helping business lines achieve results, offer their employees flexible, on-demand tools
to learn, create, and improve on their schedule.
BibliographyBandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory.
Downes, S. (2005). An introduction to connective knowledge (pp. 12-12). na.
Shum, S. B., & Ferguson, R. (2012). Social Learning Analytics. Educational Technology & Society, 15(3), 3-26.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International journal of instructional technology and distance learning, 2(1), 3-10.
White, M. (2012); Time – You Are Wasting Time At Work Right Now
Adopting Social Learning Best Practices© 2015 Cannon Financial Institute 10
About CannonFounded in 1961, Cannon is recognized as one
of the leading global consulting and professional
development firms serving the financial services
industry. Cannon’s offerings include industry-
forward instruction in personal trust, corporate
trust, sales, relationship and practice management,
retirement planning, operations, risk management,
audit and compliance and investment experience.
Cannon’s tailored consulting and blended learning
solutions help organizations understand and act
on change. Cannon shares their clients’ belief that
everyone deserves sound advice and exceptional
service. For additional information, visit
www.cannonfinancial.com.
ConTACT
Cannon Financial Institute
Cindy L. Hooper, Director of Marketing
706-353-3346, [email protected]
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