Today’s companies are huge repositories of information. Sometimes a colleague with the exact piece of information needed sits just down the hall, but the difficulty is in accessing that resource to solve a business problem at the time it is needed. This becomes even more of a challenge with a dispersed and global workforce. The information exists within the organization, but it remains locked within a virtual file drawer; inaccessible to all but a few.
The promise that social technologies hold is the ability to open up this vast store of information for the entire organization – creating a knowledge network that allows for real and immediate collaboration. A business-focused social network can solve many of the problems faced by companies today. In addition to being a knowledge network, these technologies can form a learning management system (LMS) that becomes the platform for collection and dissemination of critical business information.
Here are a few of the immediate benefits that business can realize by implementing social technologies:
- Address the problem of information overload. Many corporate information libraries contain thousands of valuable information documents. But how easy is it to find a particular asset when a business problem needs to be solved? A properly constructed LMS can amplify the most relevant content and highlight the most useful resources.
- Highlight your experts. One of the greatest benefits of social learning is that it provides the opportunity to identify a company’s internal experts. When employees are given the chance to highlight their skills and expertise, it gives them a sense of pride when participating in resolving a business challenge. Allowing for company-wide recognition of a valuable contribution can have an even greater effect.
- Create a culture of information sharing. Workers who are rewarded for their participation in a social learning platform and the sharing of information can create a culture of such sharing. A company that actively encourages participation will find a greater percentage of employees active in the knowledge network.
- Develop a blended learning strategy. When traditional classroom-based training is blended with a social learning platform, most companies find improvements in retention levels. By enhancing the social experience of learning, more employees participate in the process; reaching out to peers, offering practical examples and remaining engaged. Companies that practice this blended learning strategy often discover that the process translates into new and improved ways of doing business.
- Make it easy to find the answers. The best constructed social learning platform available is only practical if it gets used. Making the platform intuitive and easy to use is the key to success. It must be easy to locate the answers to questions and the information to make business decisions. It should also be simple in its layout and design. Finally, it should mimic tools that the users are already familiar with.
Successful companies are learning to embrace the promise of social technologies like social learning management systems. One such LMS to check out is TOPYX® – it was built from the ground up with award-winning social learning tools to enhance the online learning and communication environment. You can see TOPYX for yourself by requesting a free, personal LMS demo.
It has become an easy business decision to prove out the value of social learning management technologies in the workplace. The solutions that can change your business are available today. No more waiting – now is the time to act.
Get your organization ready for tomorrow’s challenges. And, do it in a way where your employees will thank you.
Jeffrey A. Roth
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Jeffrey.Roth@Interactyx.com
Interactyx Limited
interactyx.com
