The 5 C's of an Online Social Learning Policy
Online social learning is relatively new and as more organizations begin to implement their online social learning strategies the inclusion of new policies to govern interaction is recommended.
Organizations that adopt an online social learning environment should consider at least five areas when drafting a social learning policy. I call these areas the 5 C’s of an online social learning policy. They are cultural tolerance, compliance, content ownership, content management, and course design.
CULTURAL TOLERANCE
Organizational cultures are different for every company. For some groups, there may even be micro-cultural differences from department to department or location to location. There could be an endless discussion about macro and micro organizational culture management, but what is important here is that when creating a social learning policy, considering the cultural tolerance within your organization is necessary.
Does your workforce have a liberal or conservative mindset? Does your organization already have a feedback or support structure in place that formally gathers employee suggestions, questions, or disputes? How has your organization managed both negative and positive employee feedback?
Those questions, among other cultural questions should be answered before launching an online social learning platform and considered when writing a social learning policy. Essentially, social learning allows employees to speak their mind. In some cases this is good, but that really depends on your organizational culture and its level of tolerance.
COMPLIANCE
There is a myriad of laws that could put an organization at risk if not reviewed or considered when developing an online social learning plan. While all US companies need to comply with Federal regulations, laws within a state in which a company does business also need to be reviewed.
If an organization has locations in multiple states, the social learning strategy may need to adopt a universal design in order to accommodate the laws in all locations.
If an organization has a global workforce that will utilize a centralized or shared social learning platform, international laws and rules within a particular country where employees are using social learning should also be considered.
Working closely with an attorney and the Human Resources Department when drafting a social learning policy is highly recommended. The time you dedicate to drafting a solid policy will be time well spent.
CONTENT OWNERSHIP
Intellectual property ownership issues should absolutely be considered when creating an online social learning platform. A social learning platform, if created for employees, will most likely be a closed system, limited only to your employees. If that is the case, wouldn’t it make sense that all of the content shared within that platform belongs to your organization?
If forums or shared feedback is used, there will be comments, tips, images, videos, documents, or resources shared within social learning communities. Who owns this content? Does the person that added this resource own it? If a resource is deemed valuable, does your organization have the intellectual right to take claim to it or does the person that wrote it own it?
If you have an open social learning system that is accessible to external users, vendors, customers or students, such as in the case of an online university, IP issues must be addressed.
Regardless of whether you have an internal or external online social learning system, content ownership should absolutely be considered when writing your social learning policy. Some companies already have intellectual property clauses written into employment agreements or vendor contracts, but it is always a good idea to discuss IP rights with your attorneys.
CONTENT MANAGEMENT
Regardless of the amount of activity you expect will occur within your social learning community, the distribution of all of that content needs some sort of governance.
Much of what you are able to govern depends on the available functions of the social learning platform you are using. Some social learning platforms have approval options that let you review and approve posts before they are published. Others do not. Some platforms are able to assign administrative levels to specific individuals or groups.
It is important to consider the available features of your social learning system and how you will manage content and approve posts. The management process and the right to edit posts may also be incorporated within your social learning policy.
COURSE DESIGN
Developing a social learning community is and should be considered an extension of your overall training plan. Having a social learning community for the sake of just having one does not really justify the cost or risks associated with it.
Successful online social learning structures enhance the effectiveness of training and have been proven to successfully reinforce concepts, improve employee engagement, and increase employee morale. The challenge is designing a structure that can be successful. A social learning policy will determine course and social learning designs. The policy will create guidelines for training teams and will allow instructional designers to determine what can and can’t be created.
It's the middle of 2016. Social media has been around for just over a decade, but having a dedicated online social learning initiative is relatively new for many organizations. If you consider these 5 C's when designing your online social learning plans, you may just be able help your organization achieve a new level of training efficiency while also minimizing risk.
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Franz Villa is an expert in organizational development, business management and learning technologies. He has helped drive strategic initiatives in human resources, training, talent management, operations, communications and governance for companies such as Home Depot, Sony, HD Supply, Jack-In-The Box, and Big 5 Sporting Goods.
Twitter: @LnDFranz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franzvilla
