The Differences between Social Learning and Knowledge Management
Feb 8, 2008 Social Learning SIG
I knew this question would come up, but I was not ready. Maybe I faked it well enough? You tell me.
I just joined in on my first podcast: The Cascadia Chapter of ASTD’s PodCascadia, posted today (Episode 50). In there I was asked, “What is the difference between traditional knowledge management and Social Learning?” I had thought about it before and, to tell you the truth, decided to put the research of that question off. But I knew I should do that soon or someone was going to ask me. Well, it happened and I wasn’t ready. But I have thought about it more and want to expand on my answer in the podcast.
- The answer I gave is that Social Learning is much more dynamic, free flowing. With traditional knowledge management (TKM, just because I am lazy) there were tools and everyone had to buy into the tool, learn how to use it and then fit it into the organization – or, for the organization to fit around it. It was a great idea that became a dirty phrase because it was difficult to implement and do correctly. Social Learning works how we want to work. There are very few rigid processes that need to be followed. The tools are simple and intuitive.
- The fact that there are ‘tools’ plural is an added benefit. I may like to share information one way. Frank Ferter may like to share it another way. Whatever is comfortable and works into my way of working. That creates adoption.
- Again, because of the limited nature of TKM, it was difficult to be creative. I can now, if I want, post text, pictures, videos, podcasts, vodcasts, link to other bits of knowledge, easily search it, tag it, share it through social bookmarking, see who the other contributors are, rate it, comment on it, edit it… I mold it into what works for me and the rest of the group.
- TKM was implemented top down – a mandate. SL is from the bottom up. We want it. We are already using it. We are asking that other organizations use it. We are comfortable with it (or are becoming more so).
That is a high level gloss of an extended answer. I haven’t done any research on it (obviously) but I thought this might give a little more clarification. There are a lot of differences.
Do you have any more?
February 18th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Hey Kevin;
I’ve begun to think of KM as knowledge resource management. You can manage knowledge resources, but knolwedge implies learning. An academic named King Beach wrote about the issue of learning transfer. Instead of the transport metaphor, he suggested a metaphor of plant propagation. I see knowledge resources like plant cuttings. In order to have a garden you need cuttings, but you have to let them develop in the garden (read context. KM is the nusery where you get your cuttings and the social learning environments and other contexts are the gardens where this knowledge can grow, develop and blossum into something useful.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Very good. So, using this, do you see KM as more of a collection of individualized bits of knowledge (each cutting) where we bring it to the environment (the nursery) for others to use and grow – more managed by the individual than an organization but the org manages the environment of collective KM?
March 5th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
[...] type of approach or design seems to be very much akin to the social learning model, from the blog [...]
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October 14th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
[...] They are all the same! (and I also wonder if Kevin Jones <who I also respect> might have changed his mind 18 months after this particular post) [...]