Regardless of the generation, in a recent research report United States workers said that social media tools have an important role to play in workplace learning and development, according to the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

Most Already Use Tools

The report, “The Rise of Social Media: Enhancing Collaboration and Productivity Across Generations,” found that, when it comes to implementing social media tools for the learning function, many employers have a long way to go. In fact, only 24 percent of survey respondents report that their informal learning at work includes social media, but nearly all of them indicate that they use social media in their personal lives, according to ASTD.

Looking ahead, however, more than 80 percent expect social media tools will become part of their organization’s learning function within the next 3 years.

ASTD found “very strong and significant correlations” between those who report high use of social media tools at work and their opinions that the tools help them learn useful information, increase the amount of work they get done, boost the quality of their work, and enhance their ability to learn more in less time.

“Understanding the huge impact Web 2.0 technologies have on how the workforce learns is critical to engaging employees and customers, and ultimately, critical for an organization’s growth and success,” said ASTD President and CEO Tony Bingham.

New Way of Learning

In a new book, The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media, Bingham and his co-author, Marcia Conner, explain how social media help employees learn quickly, innovate fast, share their knowledge, and engage with their peers, business partners, and customers. Conner is a partner for enterprise collaboration at Altimeter Group, a firm that provides thought-leadership, research, education, and advice on leveraging emerging digital strategies. 

The book, published in August, “explains why classic business models, which assume that relevant information is created and shared through management or training,” are not enough anymore, according to ASTD, which co-published the book with Berrett-Koehler. “More so than any other technology, social media allow us to embrace the needs of changing workplace demographics and allow people of all ages to learn in ways that are comfortable and convenient for them. And, as the authors assert, emerging technologies enable a new kind of knowledge-building ecosystem with people at its core.”

Check out this week's HR poll on social media to see how other HR professionals use social media, if at all.