Social learning, while it may be a new term to many of us, is the idea that people learn best within a social context. Individuals, while operating within a group, will learn by making observations and modeling behaviors they witness within that group.

It’s an important concept, but it’s especially critical in an enterprise environment in which collaboration has become the norm. Social media, of course, has allowed geographically disparate groups of people to form virtual social circles, which today allows social learning to happen at a distance.

But it’s also important to understand the social learning that goes on inside an organization or a company. Enterprises can actually expand their reach and their effectiveness by connecting employees to each other, and connecting employees to customers. It’s a way to start building those critical “net promoters” among your customer base: customers who voluntarily act as positive brand ambassadors for you.

From a solutions perspective, by combining collaboration features with rich a learning management and performance management environment, companies can build a more efficient, focused and engaged organization that encompasses both employees and customers.

On Thursday, Jim Lundy of Aragon Research will present, “ Is it time for your organization to embrace Social Learning?” and will discuss the benefits of embracing social learning for both internal and external needs. Lundy will highlight his most recent research from the Aragon Globe for Learning: Social Learning is here. In addition, experts from Mzinga (News - Alert), an enterprise social collaboration and social engagement software solutions provider, will highlight key examples of how its flagship product, OmniSocial Learning, has enabled organizations to reduce costs, increase productivity and user engagement, and deliver customer value by leveraging their untapped assets.