Research has dived into and informed us of the value of socio- cultural theory when it comes to workplace learning for many years.

Sociocultural theory focuses on how mentors and peers influence individual learning, but also on how cultural beliefs and attitudes affect how learning takes place.

In the workplace we can utilise the ideas to consider how employees learn beyond their individual experience and what they can gain from each other.

For instance, an employee can watch a video in the Learning Management System (LMS). They can complete a course, do the quiz, and consider how the skills or knowledge fits into their daily work. If employees talk about the content, and even try to work in a different way together, that is where the greater gains arise. If you stay in the normal way of being, and try to change something, it’s possible everything and everyone around you stays the same. So you are likely to shift back to the default behaviour. If a team or group all consider the new way and try together, they can change together. In this way, the collective learning will help drive and change each individual. They are achieving goals as a group, achieving growth in each individuals learning and daily work.

It isn’t that often that one person can grow their digital literacy alone. A big part is how they interact through their work across the organisation. True transformation happens broadly, requiring the sum of its parts to all change.

What are some examples?

Document collaboration

Using online libraries isn’t new. I recall trying to explain the cloud and file sync many years ago. However, it is still a hugely untapped or understood area of the modern digital workplace. A lot of people know enough, but haven’t deeply grasped skills. Document collaboration is a great example of how the default old ways are stuck. One person can share a ink and try to modernise how a team works, but all it takes is for one person to download and duplicate, or send it back as an email attachment, to unravel the innovation.
New takes practise. People need time to try and work differently. AND they need to discuss how it works, how it is going and incorporate feedback. I can guess not many want to raise a comment with a colleague to constructively discuss how they are shifting back to the old way of collaborating and how that is impacting everyone else. Eek.

Team workspaces and communication

Think about how you run a project or where you store and communicate within a department. We used to have File Shares and a structured area to store and access. In many organisations this was replicated in an online library. How did that enhance how people work?
Many places have Google or Microsoft work areas to store, do posts and have threads of discussion and work in a space together. This has the possibility of a group way of working, a collaboration contract or redesign of how things work. Don’t juse template it, set it up and tell/ show people once how to use it all. Review, discuss, enhance. Use the power of feedback and learning from peers rather than pushing ideas at people.

Meetings

Meetings are almost the easiest to change, but are impacted by deeply embedded cultural influences and patterns.
Why? Factors like the strong voices versus the meek, or the leaders and the team members. Or the tech savvy over those that are more awkward with tech. Or workplace policies and rules.
Meetings may be run how they have always been run. But… talk about it!
Listen to what is the purpose, what is working and what could be changed. And, show each other. Share across departments or people. Ask “how are your meetings different in the last 12 months?” and “what are you trying with the tech to run meetings differently”. Ask people if they find meeting summary or meeting features drive things differently. Talk, talk, talk. Don’t let a single person or approach be what everyone goes with.

Other examples?

Think of how an apprentice works with the experienced mentor. How they watch, shadow, and gradually try and master things themselves. Shadowing and guiding within workplaces is great for learning a job, but what about learning from each other about digital literacy? Try this.

Consider how much you learn a language when you go on exchange and are immersed in that culture and environment. How could you be immersed into a new way of doing and take an experience back to your team or role? Use the network across an organisation to see how other areas are innovating or just growing skills over time.

Role play is great to get people to pause and try something together. To some it may sound silly, but play is a huge part of learning. And through this we can test ideas, reject some or together decide they have value.

Also, mentoring. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big immersive experience or big change. Try linking people together to have occasional adhoc chats about the digital tools and challenges. Do leaders across the business take time to talk about what could enhance? Do they have time?

I assume these ideas may be rejected. Why? Time, cost, stress, and the strong hold of the traditional approaches.

But, take a step outside the box. Consider a small new idea or thing you could try. Even just have group chat about a part of work. Creating a safe space for people to talk about how it is going or what impacts them, can unpack insight and ideas. Just don’t let it become a big whine.

As we kick off a new work year, pause and reflect, and consider what could be possible to try and enhance your workplace.

A quote I have on my office pin board:

A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.

Let’s step out of comfort and towards some change to remove obstacles and find small improvements.