Self-organized learning in companies is becoming increasingly important. Especially in e-learning, digital competence and sustained motivation are required – no easy task! Today, we present four pillars that can help employees in companies learn self-organized in the long term.
Not so simple: Self-organized learning in companies
Learning with digital media has long been established in many companies. However, with e-learning, blended learning, and the like, new challenges also arise: Unlike traditional classroom learning, employees suddenly feel very left to their own devices. Self-organized learning is now a skill that is not only helpful but essential for learning success.
Two questions are central to self-organized learning:
Are the employees, on the one hand, competent enough in handling digital media?
Are the employees consistently motivated to organize themselves?
Companies must specifically support their employees in both areas! Because even if an employee brings a lot of initiative, motivation can quickly decline during an e-learning course due to several factors:
It is one of the antinomies of pedagogy and didactics that one aims for self-determination, but along the way cannot get by solely with self-determination.
(Gabi Reinmann, Professor of Teaching and Learning at the University of Hamburg)
In addition to a certain media competence, employees also need personal skills when learning self-organized:
Discipline
Time management
Persistence
…These are soft skills that are not strongly developed in every employee.
Want to learn soft skills? It is possible, as my colleague Laura Evers shows in this article: Top 5 Soft Skills in Companies
Is e-learning therefore doomed to fail? No! Because four factors help support self-organized learning.
The 4 pillars for support in self-organized learning
Four “pillars” assist employees in self-organized learning:
Positive experiences
Intuitive learning environment
Learning with models and examples
Social support
I will now explain how especially HR developers and leaders can help with these points:
1. Positive experiences
Clearly: Those who have success experiences are particularly motivated for future similar tasks. In self-organized learning, employees who are initially unsure or skeptical about the e-learning format particularly benefit from this. Because: We particularly grow with complex tasks, of which we first think: “I can’t do that, that could overwhelm me.” Anyone who completes such a self-assessed task with a positive feeling cannot be easily stopped!
Fostering positive experiences
HR developers, trainers, and leaders can promote positive experiences, for example, through introductory training sessions. The e-learning should also be designed so that initial tasks are simple. For more difficult tasks, the other three pillars help strengthen positive experiences and emotional attachment.
Positive experiences enhance motivation and thus self-organized learning.
2. Intuitive learning environment
The second important pillar for self-organized learning is an intuitive learning environment. This means: The technology, i.e., the LMS or learning platform used, should be easy to use and enjoyable. If one has to first immerse themselves in thick PDF manuals or gets lost in an overload of functions during the first use, motivation quickly declines.
Digital Natives: They must be able to handle online learning by now, right?
No, the younger generation cannot be summarized that easily. Especially not regarding motivation when learning! While most 25-year-olds learn to handle new digital tools faster than most 60-year-olds, how they self-organize their learning behavior and whether they stay committed long-term is relatively independent of age.
This means: When promoting self-organized learning, you must not neglect younger employees!
3. Learning with models and examples
Models and role models support every kind of learning. In the context of e-learning, self-organized learning can be particularly well supported through models: Provide participants at the start with examples they can refer to:
Present the entire e-learning process, for example, as such a model representation:
The blended learning model “accompanying heron.”
→ You can find more models for blended learning in this article!
Clarify challenges and requirements of self-organized learning early and vividly, e.g., in the intranet or at small information events.
Share positive examples from colleagues: “This is how Mr. Meyer structured and organized his 8-week self-learning phase in e-learning.”
The last point is, of course, easier if your company has been working with e-learning for some time. And: At the same time, the fourth pillar, social support, is also strengthened. This way, self-organized learning can be firmly established in the company for the long term!
4. Social support
Social support in self-organized learning should not be underestimated! On the one hand, peer exchange helps: “How did you approach this?” or “How do you understand this task?”. Cooperative exercises in e-learning additionally strengthen the feeling of not being alone and thus promote participation.
On the other hand, leaders are asked: They usually know the employee well and can occasionally check in and offer support. Particularly helpful is the collaboration between leader and participant in e-learning when setting goals:
Joint goal setting promotes the employee's commitment.
Smaller sub-goals break up complex tasks and enhance motivation in self-organized learning.
Social support greatly aids self-organized learning.
Conclusion: Purposefully promote self-organized learning among employees
Positive experiences in completing tasks, an intuitive learning environment, exemplary models, and social support from all sides – these are the four factors that can lead to long-term success in self-organized learning.
If you want to read more about how to convey self-organized learning to employees, check out this article: Conveying self-organized learning to employees.
Now assess your e-learning: How do you rate the strength of the four supporting pillars in your company? Tip: For example, distribute points from 1-10 across each of the four pillars and sum up the total result. This way, you can quickly see where you can further promote self-organized learning!
