Self-organized learning in companies is becoming increasingly important. Especially in e-learning, digital competence and sustained motivation are required – a challenging task! Today, we present to you four pillars that enable employees in companies to learn self-organized in the long term.
Not so easy: Self-organized learning in companies
Learning with digital media has long since arrived at many companies. However, with e-learning, blended learning, and co. new challenges also arise: Unlike traditional classroom learning, employees suddenly feel very self-reliant. 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 dealing with digital media?
Are the employees consistently motivated to organize themselves?
Companies must specifically support their employees in both aspects! Because even if an employee brings a lot of initiative, motivation can quickly decrease during e-learning due to several factors:
It is one of the antinomies of pedagogy and didactics that one has self-determination as a goal, but on the way there, one cannot get by with self-determination alone.
(Gabi Reinmann, Professor of Teaching and Learning at the University of Hamburg)
In addition to a certain media competence, employees also need personal skills for self-organized learning:
Discipline
Time management
Perseverance
…These are soft skills that are not strongly developed in every employee.
Learn soft skills? Yes, 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 to support self-organized learning.
The 4 pillars for supporting self-organized learning
Four “pillars” help employees with self-organized learning:
Positive experiences
Intuitive learning environment
Learning with models and examples
Social support
I will now explain how especially personnel developers and managers can assist with these points:
1. Positive experiences
Clearly: Those who have success experiences are particularly motivated for future similar tasks. In self-organized learning, especially employees who are initially uncertain or skeptical about the e-learning format benefit from this. Because: We particularly grow with complex tasks, which we first think, “I can’t do this, it might overwhelm me.” Anyone who concludes such a self-assessed task with a positive feeling can hardly be stopped!
Promote positive experiences
Personnel developers, trainers, and managers can promote positive experiences, for example, through introductory training. 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 bonding.
Positive experiences boost motivation and thereby 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 someone has to first dive into thick PDF manuals or gets lost in a surplus of functions right from the first application, they quickly lose motivation.
Digital natives: They surely can manage online learning already?
No, the young generation cannot be summarized that easily. Especially regarding motivation in learning! While most 25-year-olds learn to handle new digital tools faster than most 60-year-olds, how they then organize their learning behavior and whether they stay committed long-term is relatively independent of age.
This means: When promoting self-organized learning, you should not neglect the younger employees!
Example blink.it: Clear overview of the content in e-learning. Test for free now and join the sample course.
3. Learning with models and examples
Models and role models help in every type of learning. In terms of e-learning, self-organized learning can particularly benefit from models: Provide participants with examples at the beginning that they can orient themselves to:
Present the entire e-learning process, for example, as a model representation:
The blended learning model “accompanied series”.
→ You can find more models for blended learning in this article!
Clarify challenges and requirements of self-organized learning early and in an understandable manner, e.g., in the intranet or at small info events.
Share positive examples from colleagues: "This is how Mr. Meyer organized and divided his 8-week self-learning phase in e-learning."
The last point is, of course, easier if your company has already been working with e-learning for some time. And: At the same time, the fourth pillar, social support, is also strengthened. Thus, self-organized learning is firmly established in the company in the long term!
4. Social support
The social support in self-organized learning should not be underestimated! On the one hand, the exchange among colleagues 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, managers are needed: They usually know the employee well and can check in from time to time and offer support. Particularly helpful is the collaboration of the manager and participant in e-learning when setting goals:
Joint goal setting promotes the employee’s commitment.
Smaller sub-goals make complex tasks easier and boost motivation in self-organized learning.
Social support significantly helps with self-organized learning.
Conclusion: Purposefully promote self-organized learning among employees
Positive experiences in solving tasks, an intuitive learning environment, exemplary models, and social support from all sides – these are the four factors with which self-organized learning can succeed in the long term.
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 check your e-learning: How do you assess the strength of the four supporting pillars in your company? Tip: For example, distribute points from 1-10 to each of the four pillars and sum up the total result. This way, you'll quickly see where you can further promote self-organized learning!
