Month: April 2022

Most of us use social networking sites to catch up with friends, read the latest news, and share life events. However, an increasing number of organizations are now turning to social media for online training. For example, encouraging employees to network with industry experts in order to upskill. If you’re thinking about adding social media to your online training program, then you’re in luck. In this article, I’ll explore the top 5 advantages of using social media in online training and I’ll also share 4 notable drawbacks that you should consider before taking the leap.

The main benefits of using social media in online training

1. Improves Online Collaboration. Geographically dispersed employees aren’t able to interact with their colleagues in the real world. This makes it difficult to benefit from their experience and professional expertise. However, social media allows them to collaborate and communicate without any limitations. They can post informative links, share tips, and work together on team projects. Video conferencing tools even give them the opportunity to host virtual meetings where they can discuss important topics. Throw Project Management tools into the mix, and you have a powerful online collaboration strategy.
2. Employees Have Access To Round-The-Clock Support. Employees need access to information 24/7, not just during office hours. Social media offers them the chance to research topics and tasks whenever, wherever. They have access to industry professionals who can help them expand their knowledge and build skills. Employees also have the power to provide tips, tricks, and advice to their peers. In short, using social media in online training opens up a world of possibilities for your employees, especially when it comes to peer-based feedback and support.
3. Keeps Employees Up-To-Date. Social media keeps employees up-to-date with the latest online training and company news. Organizations can post event reminders, new online training course notifications, and changes to company policy. They also have the ability to share online resources, such as multimedia links to broaden employees’ understanding. As an example, YouTube tutorials that improve task proficiency or podcasts that cover compliance topics. For best results, start a corporate eLearning blog or social media group to centralize your communications.
4. Facilitates Ongoing Online Training Feedback. In addition to tips and valuable advice, co-workers also have the opportunity to give and receive feedback. Employees are able to post their ideas or even upload online training projects for peer review. Their colleagues can spot strengths and recommend improvements. Just make sure to set some ground rules so that everyone benefits from the online training experience. For example, create netiquette guidelines to avoid online conflicts.
5. Increases Employee Motivation And Engagement. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn cater to our social nature. Employees get to interact with peers and work collaboratively to solve problems. Online support, advice, and feedback all helps boost their motivation and engagement. As a result, they are more likely to actively participate in the online training process. Social media can even cultivate a sense of community, which makes employees feel like they are part of something bigger.

The drawbacks of using social media in online training

1. Social Media Becomes A Distraction.The number one reason why organizations are hesitant about social media is misuse. Let’s face it, social media can be a major distraction. You have every intention of researching important topics and looking up tips, then you end up chatting with friends. Or you may not be able to resist your favorite app or game. Before you know it, an hour has passed and you haven’t done any research. The good news is that your organization can create guidelines to keep employees on track. First and foremost, you must hold employees accountable. Incorporate social media activities into your online training strategy and follow-up with an online assessment. For instance, ask employees to interview an expert or focus on a specific training topic. Then quiz them after the fact to gauge their understanding and progress.
2. Online Learning Communities Require Time And Resources. Creating and maintaining social media groups, corporate eLearning blogs, and forums is time consuming. Managers and corporate trainers must monitor these social media platforms, which requires payroll hours. After all, online learning communities don’t run themselves. One of the most effective ways to cut costs is to limit the number of social media platforms you use and opt for low-maintenance options. For example, Facebook features groups and a variety of built-in online tools, such as calendars and polls. Appoint someone to post on a weekly basis to keep the discussion flowing. This individual can also monitor the page and share valuable resources.
3. Exposure To Excessive Information May Contribute To Cognitive Overload. Social media’s strength is that it facilitates knowledge sharing. That also happens to be one of its drawbacks. Employees are exposed to large quantities of information at once, which can lead to cognitive overload. They may be unable to focus on one topic or task because there’s a constant flow of data. Once again, asking employees to concentrate on a specific research topic can prevent cognitive overwhelm. Ask them a targeted question or create a prompt that centers their thoughts.
4. Online Behavior May Compromise Your Brand Image. Your organization works hard to maintain its online reputation. As such, you don’t need employees behaving badly on social media and tarnishing your image. Bear in mind that everything your employees post on social networking sites is visible to the public. The exception being closed groups and online forums. However, employees will uphold your brand image if they know what’s at stake. Stress the importance of proper online etiquette and create a strong sense of corporate culture. Employees who are proud to be part of the organization are more likely to become brand advocates.

Social media can be a powerful online training resource, when used correctly. Online training guidelines and employee accountability can help to counteract the drawbacks. Use these benefits and consider the drawbacks to successfully integrate social networking sites into your corporate eLearning strategy.

Have you ever thought what you are going to do after you get your degree in design? Despite the generally accepted misconception, design graduates are not at all limited to career paths within the artistic sector. It may not seem obvious but companies like Google and IBM rely on design graduates to move their industry forward. Design mindset and qualified designers who act as problem-solvers are eagerly sought after in this type of industry, and design advocates of these forward-thinking corporations explain why.

Times Higher Education stresses that it’s a common misconception that designers should be employed in design companies – a misconception that the Design Council is determined to challenge; designers are needed in every organisation and in every industry.

As a design advocate for Google, Mustafa Kurtuldu is charged with championing design to the technology industry and everyone internally at Google.

“Design used to be seen as a bunch of creative people wasting their time,” he says. “But that is not the case any more as some of the most successful businesses are discovering.”

He is not wrong. Industries are elevated by pioneering designs every day. “Big companies are looking at industries and saying: ‘I can change this, this is failing, and we can do better’,” he says.

It is this type of industry insight that has shaped the Design Council’s innovative learning programme for students – the Design Academy.

The programme has three ambitions. First, to make graduates more employable across a wider range of industries while equipping them with the skills to navigate evolving businesses.

Second, to provide a space where faculties may collaborate, bringing together students and staff from a range of disciplines to work on challenges.

Finally, to enable designers to become more strategic in their thinking and support students from other disciplines (such as engineering, business and science) to think in a more design-led manner.

Google is an engineering company – so it’s not obvious that the company runs on design thinking, Mustafa points out.

But it is at the heart of everything that Google does. The Double Diamond, developed by the Design Council, is implemented at the company. This process generates several ideas before choosing the best one.

So, in practice, this means that at Google different people from different specialisms and departments get together to discuss problems.

Evidence and data are brought to the table and ideas start flowing. When a consensus is reached, a design (often more than one) is sketched out and everyone votes. The winning idea enters testing and, if it gets past that point, it could reach the pilot stage.

Lots of Google products have used this methodology including self-driving cars and Google Maps. “Design is not about designers”, Mustafa says, “it’s about collaboration. At university, we were taught to work in isolation but actually the opposite approach is needed.”

IBM is another huge tech company that recognises the invaluable input that design graduates can provide.

“We have a programme and a mission to [inspire] a designers’ mindset in our company,” Matt Candy, the vice-president for IBM iX, says. “We need everyone to think like a designer, but we don’t need everyone to be a designer.”

He oversees a multidisciplinary team across the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Europe that applies design thinking and puts emerging technology to work, helping clients with the biggest business challenges of the future.

IBM have hired approximately 1,800 designers but have an employee base approaching 400,000 “non-designers” all incorporating design ideas into their roles.

When designers come to the organisation, IBM trains them in the “missing semester of design school”, Matt explains. “We are talking about critical problem-solving skills, applying design skills to business and bridging this intersection with technology.”

As a forerunner to the missing semester programme, Matt sees the Design Council’s Design Academy as the perfect kick-off point. “At IBM Design, we strongly believe that great design is about crafting memorable experiences that delight users and help shape the future. We believe that the Design Academy offers a fantastic opportunity for students to begin that journey.”

“Our belief is that brands and businesses need to be redesigned and not re-amplified through better messages, better advertising. Design thinking is the science of the 21st century, so using that approach for problem-solving is the way in which businesses will reinvent themselves and still be here in five years’ time,” Matt adds.

IBM launched its corporate design programme in 1956. “[Even back then,] we looked at [the] reinvention and redesign of our processes and we are still looking at them. This includes marketing, how we go about our HR practices, our products and [the] services we produce, how we help our clients [with] how they design their businesses, [and] how they build new experiences and engage with their customers. Design is essential.”

When IBM say that everyone must have a design mindset, they mean everyone. Those at the top live and breathe design as much as those working on the ground. “We have top-down conviction. Our chairman and chief executive officer are leading our transformation through design and agile ways of working. We tell everyone that we are a 106-year-old start-up,” adds Matt.

When recruiting, Matt says that they look for graduates who “approach problems from a different perspective. I need designers because designers are problem-solvers. And the problems that the world has today need a different way [of thinking] to solve those problems. It is the best time ever if you are a creator. Design is the new frontier for business.”