It
would really be stating the obvious when we talk about how the rise of the
“Social Media” phenomenon has implications for our professional lives , but a
very visible area of impact for the same is how it impacts an individual’s
learning process. It has literally turned the traditional classroom methods of
learning on their heads ! Today, one can gain access to information faster AND
also get viewpoints from other professionals, as quickly about its relevance –
what does that mean? That the learning process has become truly collaborative
and it has brought the experts and the knowledge seekers all within the same
universe.
We
learn through webinars, online discussion rooms, Twitter chats, Facebook
updates, LinkedIn groups – you name it and there is a continual process of
learning already in flow. However, what is strange is that organizations are
yet to harness the potential power of this approach to develop the capability
of its people, to create a business impact. Leveraging this power means that we
as the HR community, must understand how the concept works and then what are
its applications to the learning process. It is a paradigm shift in its true
sense, since it requires the employees to understand that the onus of learning
is on them rather than the organization and the HR department. Creating
that sense of self-drive and proactivity is the HR’s role now – how to encourage
the employees to take online courses/e-learning modules, how to ensure smooth
and seamless facilitation of the knowledge transfer process, how to create
networks of expertise, how to design learning interventions that truly connect
the social media’s strengths to the employee’s needs to the business impact !
Sounds like a challenging task? Well, it definitely is. But we have to move in
that direction, since that is where the future is.
Given that Social media is playing such an active
role, SHRM India has recently released a report on Indian HR Influencers on
Social media ( August 2013) – it is interesting to see how HR professionals
across experience levels and what they share through an open channel, can have
the power to influence thought processes and trends, as well as enable the
overall HR community’s advancement. Another interesting concept that I’ve
recently come across and wanted to share was the India HR Live Channel,
which hosts live streams of panel discussions and interviews with HR
experts.
The
ramifications of such a trend are huge for the HR community – the organizations
and HR professionals who are able to capitalize on this change, are the ones
who will have great competitive advantage!
Author
Simran
Oberoi
She is currently working as a Knowledge
Advisor in SHRM India. Has over a decade of experience primarily in HR
advisory services in the areas of Rewards
(Benchmarking, Strategy, Job Mapping, Measurement), covering APAC, South Asia
and the US), Long Term Incentives engagements, Organization Restructuring,
Capacity Building, Competency Frameworks and Talent Development. In consulting
roles, she has significant experience in key global client accounts, project
and people management. She has an accreditation in Hay methodology and
Job Mapping and as an APAC leader she has driven the Reward Information Global
Sector Development strategy for 14 countries. In her current role she works in
Knowledge Development which involves evaluation of key future areas, content
creation as well as review for HR disciplines such as Executive Coaching &
Leadership Development and Diversity, alongside Talent Development/Management
and Rewards. It also involves research in key areas, the most recent ones being
CXO/Leadership Development and Competencies.
She has published several articles on
different HR areas, with leading HR journals such as People Matters, Human
Capital, Business Manager – HR magazine and industry magazines such as Oil
Asia. She regularly contributes the SHRM perspective across print and
electronic newspapers.
