How Can Collaborative Training Help A Company?
There has been so much emphasis on online training. Collaborative learning happens when individuals learn together, which is advantageous for them since they can discuss and solve problems. In this kind of training setup, there is a facilitator who guides through the process. For example, when seniors are asked to train their juniors or recruits, then this process constitutes collaborative learning. There can also be online communities for exchanging knowledge in this process through social platforms. The most unique advantage of this process is that when team members share ideas coherently, they have someone change their opinion and imbibe new knowledge in the process. In a nutshell, they get an elaborate understanding of a topic by understanding different perspectives on it.
From the outset, the advantages of this kind of training are clear: The experienced employees train the novice. There are many platforms available also that can be used by companies for implementing such solutions. For example, companies can use collaborative information systems which facilitate the exchange of information by uploading digital documents. There can also be explanations offered for befuddling processes, which would otherwise involve reading a myriad of technical documents.
These are 5 advantages of a collaborative training process:
1. Individuals Learn New Skills
Individuals are assigned a task to perform together in a collaborative training process. In this process, individuals have to assign individual tasks to themselves and the success of the team depends on every member. Team members must modify their pace of work depending on the deadline. So, this makes members interact with each other to solve their problems. Thus, in the process of making the team produce a positive outcome, all members enlarge their scope of skills.
2. Increases Employee Skills And Knowledge
This expansion of skills is a mutual process because someone who has joined the company recently also has a lot to share depending on their previous experience. Thus, collaborative training involves the give and take of knowledge. This kind of training process reduces the need for formal eLearning.
3. Better Teamwork
Collaborative training can be useful for those situations when it's tough to foster connectivity between people who are working remotely. But through this process, they find evolving ways on how to overcome their differences and work together utilizing each other’s strengths.
4. Better Retention Of Knowledge
Employees also retain knowledge better when they have learned it through group communication. Learners learn how to argue about their opinions, which makes them present strong judgments. But when they listen to a counterargument that is defended equally well, they learn something fresh. So, in such an interactive learning environment, knowledge is imbibed better because it is corroborated with strong arguments.
5. Makes Employees Accept Criticism
Collaborative training makes employees psychologically stronger. Since they get used to listening to so much criticism, they are better prepared to handle their jobs with perfection. Because, if in the future someone complains, they don’t turn a deaf ear; rather, they rectify their mistakes. So, collaborative training lays the foundation for a positive work environment. Collaborative training is a useful opportunity for novices who learn public speaking skills, which come in handy at work later.
These are 2 functional situations where a collaborative training situation is helpful:
Product Development
One of the foremost examples of a collaborative training solution is product development. Team members can share ideas and during that brainstorming session come up with unique and out-of-the-box concepts.
Since this kind of product development involves an inter-team discussion, it’s effective in coming up with practical ideas. Team members learn whether their innovative product development ideas are feasible or not. They also stand by their idea, presenting as to why it will be a crowd-puller. Apart from this, how that product will fit into the existing market niche is catered to by the industry.
Teaching Other Departments About Their Roles
There should often be inter-team collaborative training sessions in which various departments elucidate others about their work. They can elaborate on their roles in a company and the problems they eradicate. The other departments get to learn something new and can also understand the function of an organization by the cohesive work of different departments.
In the end, collaborative training is a useful methodology for companies to train and empower employees.
