Social Media as Collaborative Media in Workplace Learning

Human Resource Development Review
12(3) 329 –344
© 2013 SAGE Publications
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DOI: 10.1177/1534484312472331
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472331 HRD12310.1177/1534484312472331Human
Resource Development ReviewThomas and Akdere
2013
1University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
2Antalya International University, Antalya, Turkey
Corresponding Author:
Kristopher J. Thomas, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, 644 Enderis Hall, 2400 E. Hartford Av
Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA.
Email: [e-mail]
Social Media as Collaborative
Media in Workplace Learning
Kristopher J. Thomas1 and Mesut Akdere1, 2
Abstract
As a result of rapid changes in technology, much is discussed about the use o
media in branding, marketing, and in general corporate communications. The
with which social media tools—blogs, wikis, Twitter, instant messaging
Facebook, among others—have proliferated is staggering. Increasingly impor
role of social media tools as a way to enhance and advance workplace learnin
knowledge management. To more accurately describe the purposes for whic
media tools are utilized within organizations, we propose the term collaborat
The clarity brought by this term serves to help HRD professionals within orga
adopt collaborative media tools as a workplace learning and knowledge man
strategy and to attain organizational support for such tools at the highest lev
capacity. Also discussed is the need for future research by HRD scholars that
the role of collaborative media tools in workplace learning and knowledge ma
Keywords
social media, collaborative media, workplace learning, knowledge manageme
This article takes the position that Human Resource Development (HRD) has the owner-
ship and should champion full responsibility for utilizing social media for the purposes
of workplace learning and performance improvement. As organizations become more
reliant on ever-changing and ever-expanding social media tools to help their members
learn and share knowledge, it is imperative that HRD professionals and scholars position
and utilize these tools differently in the organization. Considering that social media tools
lend themselves to multiple functionalities including both organizational and personal
purposes, we argue that these tools should instead be termed collaborative media for
Theory and Conceptual Article
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330 Human Resource Development Review 12(3
HRD purposes because they can and should be used in organizational settings to foster
learning, increase productivity, and manage knowledge.
When viewed in the context of knowledge management, collaborative media have
legitimate and purposeful value in the context of HRD. HRD professionals are well
positioned to design and implement ways to integrate collaborative media tools
throughout the organization. Furthermore, HRD professionals can utilize a system of
knowledge management to ensure that the organizational knowledge that is created
and shared via collaborative media is captured and stored. Once the capacity to collect,
archive, and distribute organizational knowledge is achieved, the true potential and
value of collaborative media for the purpose of HRD goals and objectives can be real-
ized (Thomas & Akdere, 2011).
With HRD leading initiatives to implement collaborative media tools, there are
several opportunities for future research and practice. First, HRD scholars should
assume responsibility to design studies that demonstrate the actual degree to which
collaborative media are used for problem solving and knowledge sharing. Second,
both HRD professionals and scholars need to design solutions that maximize the learn-
ing and collaboration that are possible via collaborative media. Finally, future research
is needed to examine the perceptions and experiences of both employees and leaders
within organizations to validate the utility of collaborative media tools and to identify
best practices for the implementation and integration of these tools in organizational
efforts for learning and continuous improvement.
It may be argued that the use of collaborative media tools presents multiple chal-
lenges in today’s global organizations. Some of these issues include attracting and
retaining technologically savvy employees versus those less technologically inclined.
Also, firms must learn to properly utilize these tools for the purpose of achieving orga-
nizational goals. Furthermore, as organizations become more global in nature, their
capacity to work across geographic and time boundaries and to thoroughly leverage
global talent will depend heavily on their ability to utilize and incorporate collabora-
tive media tools into their core HRD processes and functions. Consequently, such
implications to the practice of HRD warrant further explanation and exploration.
Specifically, this conceptual article (a) proposes the term collaborative media to illus-
trate how HRD professionals and scholars can champion the implementation of social
media tools by gaining the support of organizational leaders and management, (b)
demonstrates how organizations may use collaborative media tools to facilitate knowl-
edge management and learning processes in the workplace, and (c) explores the role
that HRD professionals and scholars play in ensuring the effective implementation of
these tools for the purpose of workplace learning.
Background: Collaborative Media as Learning Tools in
the Workplace
Pervasive in both our personal lives and in our workplaces, the use of technology is
ubiquitous. With the latest developments in technology, both organizations and their
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Thomas and Akdere 331
members have started to increasingly use various technologies in the workplace.
Some of these technologies facilitate communication and collaboration in various
ways and forms. These technologies are formally defined as social media, which are
“a set of technologies and channels targeted at forming and enabling a potentially
massive community of participants to productively collaborate” (Bradley, 2010, n.p.).
Social media—the world of blogs, wikis, Twitter, instant messaging (IM) and
Facebook—are not strictly social in purpose; corporations and other large organiza-
tions have begun to utilize social media not only as tools for increased communica-
tions with customers and for broader branding efforts but also as a means to improve
learning within their organizations (Huang, Yang, Huang, & Hsiao, 2010). A survey
of 400 companies demonstrated that “a full 94 percent of organizations maintained or
increased their investment in online communities for customers, employees, and part-
ners versus 2008” (Palmer, 2009, p. 6). Institutions of higher education, for example,
have embraced these tools for their marketing and public relations purposes.
According to the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, “69 percent of executives
[of companies that have implemented a social media strategy] report that their com-
panies have gained measurable business benefits, including better access to knowl-
edge and higher revenue” (Henneman, 2010, p. 4).
Though various social media tools are seen primarily as a means to communicate
and exchange information, we have just begun to explore their potential as learning
tools. Consequently, we have been unable to identify a significant amount of literature
surrounding the use of social media as a means to foster informal learning and the
acceptance of social media as a set of tools that contributes to and enhances workplace
learning. The term collaborative media, thus, is proposed to illustrate how social
media can be best implemented and accepted as a successful alternative for sustaining
and increasing organizational knowledge through workplace learning. Jacobs and Park
(2009) define workplace learning as “the process used by individuals when engaged
in training programs, education and development courses, or some type of experiential
learning activity for the purpose of acquiring the competence necessary to meet cur-
rent and future work requirements” (p. 134). Training has traditionally been viewed as
a series of planned events that provide learners with specific job skills and that
“assumes that organizations can analyze a task, process or function to discover an
optimal means of performing it, document that optimal method, and then prescribe the
required skills or expertise that a learner must master to perform the task” (Marsick &
Volpe, 1999, p. 2). Training, however, tends to be singularly focused on a specific skill
set intended for a specific task or set of tasks.
Because collaborative media tools are asynchronous and mobile in nature, we
argue that they best lend themselves to informal learning. Marsick and Volpe (1999)
define informal learning “as learning that is predominantly unstructured, experien-
tial, and noninstitutional that happens as employees carry out their daily work [and
that] is a result of people’s choices, preferences, and intentions” (p. 1). That is,
because learning that takes place anytime and anywhere requires tools and approaches
that are available anytime and anywhere, informal learning and collaborative media
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332 Human Resource Development Review 12(3
tools complement and support each other quite effectively. Such a flexible and
learner-centered approach can prove advantageous to both the learner and the organi-
zation. According to Marsick and Volpe (1999),
When organizations make available to employees the means to pull information
and knowledge into the workplace at the exact time they need it, learners can
potentially gain control of their own learning. Learning is then maximized
throughout the organization and can be used to improve the capability of less
experienced, less knowledgeable employees to enhance overall organizational
effectiveness. (p. 3)
Additionally, because our focus is on purposeful learning in which the learner con-
sciously participates and of which the learner is fully aware, informal learning is the
most appropriate approach for utilizing collaborative media tools for workplace
learning.
Collaborative media, then, can enable the organization’s members to interact with
each other unconventionally and more rapidly, eliminating the traditional time and
space restrictions. Collaborative media “is about participation . . . most often it takes
the form of communicating, connecting, and collaborating with anyone anywhere,
anytime” (Jue, Alcade-Marr, & Kassotakis, 2009, p. 4). Bingahm and Conner (2010)
call this phenomenon new social learning, and note that “it reframes social media from
a marketing strategy to a strategy that encourages knowledge transfer and connects
people in a way consistent with how we naturally interact” (p. 6). By using collabora-
tive media tools, members of an organization can communicate frequently and easily,
sharing their knowledge and improving their individual and collective performance.
For example, Sabre Holdings, the company that owns Travelocity and other travel
reservation systems, has created an informal online learning community called
SabreTown (Galagan, 2009, p. 27). With over 10,000 employees in 59 countries, man-
agement at Sabre felt that connecting them was critical to sharing the knowledge that
each employee had developed regarding their global travel business. A system was
created in which employees create a profile that details their expertise. Fellow employ-
ees can than ask questions that are directed by Sabre’s social networking software to
all employees that have the expertise required for that respective question. An online
dialogue follows until a satisfactory answer has been provided and the issue is resolved
(Ward & Goodman, 2009). This simple question-and-answer protocol is prevalent in
many organizations that utilize collaborative media.
Similarly, various government agencies have begun using collaboriative media to
leverage its potential for informal learning opportunities. The U.S. government, for
example, has created GovLoop, a collaborative media netowrk “that has 25,000 mem-
bers, 4,000 blogs, and 1,500 discussions” (Smith, 2010, p. 24) ongoing at any one
time. A recent survey from the Human Capital Institute shows that 66% of all govern-
ment agencies currently use some form of collaborative media and that collaborative
media “tools within governmental agencies are used most effectively for knowledge
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Thomas and Akdere 333
sharing and informal learning” (Smith, 2010, p. 24). Additional examples from other
fields detail how collaborative media is being used to promote learning. The travel
industry is using collaborative media to focus on training customer service representa-
tives (Hyland, 2009); the restaurant industry is using it to share learning among
employees (Palmer, 2009); health care is using collaborative media to create commu-
nities of learning and to socialize those nurses that are new to the field (Skiba, 2008);
and accounting firms Delloite and KPMG “are using Facebook to create new networks
for recent hires . . . and experimenting with social media so new hires can network
with peers around the globe” to learn more about their respective organizations
(Meister, 2008, n.p.). As evident, many organizations are already utilizing collabora-
tive media for the purposes of learning and knowledge sharing to some extent. Once
such knowledge is generated, the next challenge for the organization will be to deter-
mine how to collect, manage, and share that information for the purposes of knowl-
edge management and, subsequently, for further workplace learning.
Knowledge Management and Workplace Learning
In recent years, the role of knowledge management in the organizational process has
become more evident. “Organizations increasingly recognize the value of creative,
right-brained thinking, even in traditionally analytical occupations and in work previ-
ously thought of as routine” (Githens, 2007, p. 253). To fully utilize any or all of the
information generated through informal learning via collaborative media, that infor-
mation must be captured, stored, and placed in some form by which it can be readily
retrieved, accessed, and shared by other members of the organization. Ipe (2003)
argues that utilizing “knowledge is only possible when people can share the knowl-
edge they have and build upon the knowledge of others” (p. 341). A primary function
of learning within an organization is the sharing of existing knowledge and the cre-
ation of new knowledge (Cho, Cho, & McLean, 2009). For the purposes of this article,
knowledge management refers to “the capture, consolidation, dissemination and reuse
of knowledge and the translation of new best practices to tangible programmable
processes to be automated through IT where possible” (Kazi, Puttonen, Sulkusalmi,
Valikangas, & Hannus, 2002, p. 159). The ability for an organization to leverage the
aggregate knowledge of its individual members is not simply a preferred outcome of
the learning process; it is necessary to the survival of the organization. Additionally,
with the advance of the information age, knowledge has become perishable, thus forc-
ing members of organizations to learn quickly and continuously (Henderson & Provo,
2006). According to Wellman (2009),
Today, more than ever, an organization’s competitiveness depends on what it
knows, how well it uses what it knows, how fast it can adapt what it knows to the
rapidly changing environment, and how quickly it can acquire new knowledge.
Those organizations that learn and apply learning more efficiently have the oppor-
tunity to reap greater rewards in productivity, speed, and profitability. (p. 5)
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334 Human Resource Development Review 12(3
Furthermore, Deeds (2003) agrees that “firms that are effective in acquiring knowl-
edge will be able to create and sustain a competitive advantage in the knowledge-based
economy . . . those that are not will have difficulty maintaining their competitive posi-
tion” (p. 38). However, what is not presented here is the human component of knowl-
edge in that the organization’s ability to achieve what Wellman (2009) is arguing will
significantly depend on the organization’s members’ capacity and willingness to share
and to learn from that new knowledge. Viewing knowledge management within the
technology context, Akdere (2009) argues that “while such technologies unarguably
will contribute to the enhancement of organizational ability and the increase of organi-
zational capacity to generate and catalog information, they will not necessarily contrib-
ute to knowledge creation and formulation in the organization” (p. 351).
In the context of viewing collaborative media as learning tools, it then becomes
critical that organizations create some form of system to manage the knowledge cre-
ated by their members. To emphasize this point, Marsick and Watkins (2001) view
“learning at the organizational level as that which is embedded in systems, policies,
procedures, work processes and information systems, organizational mental models,
schema, and knowledge embedded in products and services” (p. 32). Learning is much
more effective if a system is put into place by which knowledge can be captured,
shared, and understood. Cho et al. (2009) offer that the tools necessary to gain organi-
zational commitment to ensure successful knowledge management efforts are directly
related to HRD in the form of “challenging work, collaboration and teamwork, work
culture, communication, concern from people and training and development” (p. 268).
This way, HRD is uniquely positioned to play an important role in the implementation
and continued success of an organization’s knowledge management efforts.
Collaborative media tools “are focused on communication, collaboration, interac-
tivity, and creating value through the sharing of ideas and making use of the collective
knowledge of web community” (Skiba, 2008, p. 370). Accordingly, collaborative
media tools can be leveraged to produce, collect, retain, and disseminate the knowl-
edge created through them. Already, “large storage capacities, database management
tools, and search engines enable organization to store, search, and retrieve more infor-
mation than ever imagined possible” (Wellman, 2009, p. 16). Organizations utilizing
collaborative media tools for workplace learning will be best served by creating and
implementing a knowledge management system to best utilize their organizational
expertise.
Much has been written about why knowledge management is important to organi-
zations, but more research is needed on how organizations in general and HRD profes-
sionals in particular can best go about setting up policies and procedures to ensure that
the knowledge gained through learning is captured and shared (Ipe, 2003). As Bennett
(2009) notes, knowledge management serves to leverage information related to perfor-
mance improvement and learning; therefore, it is critical to the field of HRD. According
to Handzic (2004), “the central task of those concerned with knowledge management
is to determine ways to better cultivate, nurture, and exploit knowledge at different
levels and in different contexts” (p. 4). He proposes four different ways by which
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Thomas and Akdere 335
organizations can use technology to support knowledge processes. First, organizations
must build repositories for the knowledge created through social media. Tweets and
instant message conversations can be tagged by topic and stored in a searchable data-
base, blog posts can be archived, and a wiki site containing vast amounts of data and
information can be created on an organization’s intranet. Second, the organization can
promote collaboration and virtual socialization. By allowing for and supporting the
use of social media in the workplace, a firm can encourage its members to share ideas,
look to each other for information, and to work collaboratively on projects and to solve
problems. Third, a firm can facilitate knowledge search and discovery. Once a knowl-
edge management system is put into place, members of the organization will become
accustomed to looking for answers in the knowledge databases created by various
forms of collaborative media as well as to their peers. As it is put to use, that knowl-
edge will continue to grow and be refined. Last, an organization must stimulate cre-
ativity, innovation, and complex problem solving to remain competitive. Within a
culture of innovation and creative thinking, collaborative media tools can become
critical methods to share and document ideas and information.
With the advance of technology, collaborative media tools are becoming more
widely used and commonly available while newer, more efficient, and user-friendly
ones flood the marketplace. For example, Kapp (2006) offers that the use of instant
messaging (IM) to ask and answer questions and the subsequent cataloguing of the
knowledge gained from such a process can be hugely helpful for the growing of exper-
tise inside an organization. At the Mayo Clinic, radiologists use a Twitter-like micro-
sharing tool to share an X-rays and solicit diagnosis opinions from other physicians
(Bingham & Conner, 2010). This capture and sharing of collective organizational
knowledge through IM or microsharing demonstrate how collaborative media can be
leveraged to increase organizational expertise through informal learning. Considered
by Kapp (2006) as learning that “occurs any time two or more people exchange ideas,
test concepts or think through processes” (p. 4), informal learning in these cases hap-
pens in the context of a specific purpose and with a medium (i.e., collaborative media)
chosen by the employees; this learning is both spontaneous and controlled by the
learner(s). Organizations can benefit from such informal learning if they “develop a
process to capture and disseminate the informal learning that occurs” (Kane, Robinson-
Combre, & Berge, 2010, p. 67) through collaborative media. Kane and colleagues
(2010) explain further that organizations that succeed in capturing informal learning
can control that knowledge by ensuring that it is accurate and can also reinforce for
employees the idea that their knowledge is valuable. In this context, collaborative
media tools may be applied to various Training and Development efforts as well as
Organization Development interventions. For example, Conley and Zheng (2009)
offer that HRD professionals can leverage their expertise in training and development
to identify the needs of employees surrounding the organization’s knowledge manage-
ment efforts; to provide employees with the training and resources necessary to utilize
technologies and systems related to knowledge management; and to ensure the
employees stay continually engaged in the organization’s knowledge management
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336 Human Resource Development Review 12(3
efforts. Similarly, Piotrowski (2012) argues that collaborative media “provides an
online medium to maintain and foster social capital with others and staying connected”
(pp. 79-80), which is crucial in successful implementation and completion of OD
interventions. Furthermore, they would present untraditional venues of collaboration
for all organizations members. If properly implemented, knowledge management sys-
tems created through collaborative media tools can help ensure the sustainability and
competitiveness of the organization.
Challenges to Using Collaborative
Media as Learning Tools
Leveraging collaborative media for learning or for any reason is not as simple as
obtaining the technology, integrating it to the organizational processes, and introduc-
ing it to the organizational members. Jue et al. (2009) astutely question “Once we
invite participation, how do we guide the effort so that it is most productive? How do
we combat organizational fears? How do we engage those leaders who may be skep-
tical about changing their behaviors?” (p. 3). Not all organizations embrace or foster
an organizational environment and culture that supports collaboration, learning, or
new technologies in general.
The use of collaborative media tools—particularly for workplace learning—is
predicated largely on the assumption that all organizations want their members to
freely share information so that the members can learn and grow. We can also gener-
ally assume that an organization encourages collaboration among its members.
However, organizations may have what Wegner, McDermott, and Snyder (2002) refer
to as an antilearning culture:
An organizational culture may discourage learning, reflection, and knowledge
sharing—for instance, by putting value exclusively on individual tasks and
performance. Often, policies and infrastructure also discourage participation. In
such organizations, communities of practice are easily marginalized. (p. 156)
We can then assume that in such organizations, the use of collaborative media as
learning tools or for any purpose would not be encouraged or supported. If such an
organization is focused solely on individual production and achievement, collabora-
tive media might be viewed as only serving to detract from one’s goals. The counter to
this version of an antilearning culture is described by Bingham and Conner (2010),
who offer several ways to address resistance to using newer technologies for knowl-
edge sharing. Such technologies eliminate physical boundaries within organizations,
serve to cultivate an organization’s culture and build its identity, and helps build trust
while reinforcing the organization’s values.
Such a culture is achieved by the support and usage of open, collaborative, and
trusting relationships from leaders and managers within the organizations and which
“recognizes the efforts of employees and, in turn, motivates them to learn” (Beamish,
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Thomas and Akdere 337
2008, p. 70). However, any anxiety that the leaders of an organization may have about
the merits of collaboration and knowledge sharing may be compounded by their gen-
eral lack of understanding of technology or of collaborative media tools.
Even though they are being used for knowledge sharing and knowledge manage-
ment, collaborative media tools may still present a bit of a mystery to many leaders
and managers within those organizations. A 2008 survey of 441 Information
Technology (IT) leaders from the United States “found that 59 percent of the respon-
dents considered a lack of understanding to be the primary impediment to implement-
ing social media technologies” (Bingham, 2009, p. 61). Thus the largest obstacle faced
by those organizations that wish to use collaborative media for learning is fear of the
unknown concerning exactly how such tools will be used. Many IT managers do not
fully understand collaborative media tools or their potential utility for workplace
learning. Even if the culture of the organization is one that does welcome collaboration
or that has already implemented a knowledge management system, any trepidation
involving new or unproven technologies may prevent collaborative media tools from
ever being implemented.
Though some employees will indeed need to be trained on new technologies and
their applicability to their jobs, the reality is that most of them—particularly younger
generations—are already using collaborative media tools on a regular basis. According
to a survey conducted by Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, and Zickuhr (2010), “As of
September 2009, 93% of American teens between the ages of 12 and 17 went online,
a number that has remained stable since November 2006 [and] 74% of adults use the
internet” (p. 5). Additionally, of teens aged 12 to 17, 73% used an online social net-
working site, compared to 47% of online adults (Lenhart et al., 2010). Thus the present
and future U.S. workforce is already widely using collaborative media tools. Therefore,
many more employees may be very well skilled in and knowledgeable of such tools
than organizations tend to assume.
As Leslie and Landon (2007) argue when discussing the adoption of technology for
learning, “if you can’t beat them, help them.” That is, if employees are already using
social media tools at home and at work for their personal purposes, the organization
can leverage this existing skill set to enable the employees to use collaborative media
for knowledge management and workplace learning. However, it should be noted here
that the organization must carefully develop, design, implement, and assess systems
integrating collaborative media tools within the organization that will result in effec-
tive knowledge management and purposeful learning.
Collaborative Media for Workplace
Learning: The Role of HRD
Organizational leaders and managers may emphasize the word social in social media
and fear that the tools will be used purely for nonproductive, non-work- related
activities. However, when using these tools, the importance of the contexts of work
versus personal cannot be overlooked. Already, employees have drawn a distinction
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338 Human Resource Development Review 12(3
between social media tools by using Facebook for personal matters and LinkedIn for
professional matters, for instance. Therefore, to prevent such misunderstanding or
misconceptions, the term collaborative media has been proposed to describe any
social media tool used for productive work-related endeavors and efforts, specifically
within the context of workplace learning. By changing the term social media to one
that more accurately describes the intended purpose of these tools, it is more likely
that organizational leaders and managers will consider the implementation of these
tools to foster informal learning among organizational members.
If the tools are accurately framed as those used for collaboration on projects, the
quick retrieval of information to assist with a problem, or the broadcasting of pertinent
organizational knowledge, such leaders will be more apt to view collaborative media
as useful and necessary tools supporting organizational objectives and goals rather
than a means for distraction and decreased productivity. In this regard, HRD profes-
sionals and scholars need to better understand how collaborative media tools can
enhance and advance learning in the workplace to achieve user acceptance of collab-
orative media technologies. Conley and Zheng (2009) argue that it is the responsibility
of HRD professionals to stay abreast of trends in technology so that organizations are
in the best position to take advantage of the latest tools and processes involving the use
of technology.
While some organizations have embraced collaborative media, others have diffi-
culty trusting that their members will know how to use the related tools or that they
will use them for productive purposes (Chatenier, Verstegen, Biemans, Mulder, &
Omta, 2009; Sadler-Smith, Gardiner, Badger, Chaston, & Stubberfield, 2000). Still
others argue that those organizations that do not embrace collaborative media are
bound to lose any competitive advantage they might have. Jue et al. (2009) view col-
laborative media tools as a way to survive in a rapidly changing global market:
If leaders are committed to gaining and sustaining competitive advantage, they
will need to rely upon engaged and committed employees and partners. In this
volatile environment, the emerging phenomenon of social media can create an
extraordinary opportunity for savvy leaders and organizations to achieve this
advantage. (p. 2)
Similarly, Karie Willyerd, the Chief Learning Officer for Sun Microsystems,
explains the importance of collaborative media and informal learning and considers
the utilization of these tools as a way to not fall behind:
One of the things that has happened is that we have focused so much on the
10 percent [formal learning] that we abdicated the 70 percent [informal learn-
ing]. If the learning organization doesn’t get into that 70 percent and use social
media, they’re going to get left behind. They’re going to become irrelevant
because people are going to be able to post and share knowledge with one
another without the learning function. It’s a call to action for learning to become
really involved in social media in order to facilitate and enable informal learning.
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Thomas and Akdere 339
And that’s a really exciting place for the learning profession to be because what
you are capturing, then, is the performance of an organization. (Bingham, 2009,
p. 57)
Aside from maintaining an organization’s competitive advantage in the market-
place, the use of collaborative media has become critical in attracting and retaining
global talent because of their involvement and experience with collaborative media in
their personal lives. As jobs become less permanent and workers become more mobile,
organizations that utilize technology to cultivate transferable skills will attract the best
and the brightest employees (Szabó & Négyesi, 2005). Therefore, we argue that to
draw such an employee base, organizations must use collaborative media and related
technologies.
Additionally, those familiar and comfortable with collaborative media tools are
aware that problems—particularly in larger organizations—have become too broad
and complex for any one person or, in some cases, any one team to solve; collaborative
media tools must be implemented to overcome these issues of size and scope (Bingham,
2009). Keeping strategies for managing organizational knowledge in mind, HRD pro-
fessionals can ensure that organizations select tools that are appropriate for achieving
a desired organizational objective (Bennett, 2009). Collaborative media tools serve,
then, not only to create a culture that is attractive to talent, but also practical for prob-
lem solving.
As organizations become more global, workforces become even more dispersed,
and supervisor–employee relationships become increasingly less local, collaborative
media tools will become more valuable not just for their ease of use for accessibility
purposes but also because they will allow employees to work more effectively and
efficiently (Bente, Rüggenberg, Krämer, Eschenburg, 2008; Crouse, Doyle, & Young,
2011). As the emphasis on an organization’s technology infrastructure shifts from a
focus on the collection and sharing of knowledge to the enabling of personal connec-
tions among employees, HRD professionals will be called on to facilitate the efficient
flow of knowledge throughout their organizations (Conley & Zheng, 2009). Shepherd
(2008) argues that collaborative media tools are not just highly effective tools for com-
munication, but that they also have “relevance for informal learning because [they]
encourage the sharing of expertise from a bottom-up perspective, without the need for
managerial intervention” (p. 29). Senge (1990) notes that managers want more local
control and more autonomous employees, as larger organizations have gotten unwieldy
and difficult to control. Collaborative media tools, in this regard, would help managers
to empower their employees to seek answers for themselves and to create relationships
with other members of the organization for the purposes of problem solving and shar-
ing knowledge.
To date, little research has been conducted concerning the viability of collaborative
media for use as a learning tool within organizations. As a result, there is scant litera-
ture dealing with the combined topics of workplace learning and collaborative media.
However, the use of collaborative media tools for learning continues to expand
(Ardichvili, 2003; Bingham, 2010; Brown, Murphy, & Wade, 2006; Downey, Wentling,
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340 Human Resource Development Review 12(3
Wentling, & Wadsworth, 2005; Gill, 2010; Hernes, 2000; Kubo, Saka, & Pan, 2001;
Lowe & Holton III, 2005; Weinstein & Shuck, 2011). As we continue to utilize col-
laborative media in the workplace, more data will become available from which find-
ings about the effectiveness and impact of these tools on workplace learning in general,
and HRD functions in particular, can be studied. Further research is needed to examine
the perceptions and experiences of both employees and leaders and managers in orga-
nizations where collaborative media tools are used for workplace learning to validate
the utility of those tools and to identify best practices.
As noted earlier, resistance to collaborative media manifests because leaders and
managers are generally not aware that such tools will be put to constructive and effec-
tive use by their employees. If we accept the adage “if you can’t measure it, you can’t
manage it” (Garvin, 1993, p. 70), then we must design studies that demonstrate the
degree to which collaborative media are used for problem solving, collaboration on
projects, and for the expedient dissemination of organizational knowledge and that
could serve to allay such concerns as well as provide information around various uses
for collaborative media tools. This research is particularly important for HRD’s func-
tions involving knowledge management and workplace learning.
Conclusion
Collaborative media and its related technologies are becoming an ever-growing part of
our lives, both at home and at work. As more people become more knowledgeable of
collaborative media tools, it may be argued that these tools will be more easily imple-
mented for workplace learning purposes. As discussed earlier, collaborative media are
indeed currently being used as learning tools by many organizations and that their
implementation in the workplace for multiple purposes will only continue to increase.
By viewing collaborative media through the lens of informal learning, we argue the
benefits of these tools to HRD functions: they are learner-focused, accessible to learn-
ers anytime and anyplace, and are utilized primarily when the learner has a tangible and
immediate need for useful information. Because of this instantaneous applicability,
learning that occurs through collaborative media tends to be retained more easily and
shared more readily. However, HRD professionals and scholars have yet to explore and
study this workplace phenomenon to the extent and depth needed to help eliminate
leaders’ and managers’ concerns about collaborative media tools in the workplace.
From an HRD perspective, collaborative media training materials produced for collab-
orative media tools should be designed and developed with maximum utility and usability
in mind. Furthermore, to obtain and sustain competitive advantage, organizations would be
best served to employ a system of knowledge management to optimally collect, store, and
disseminate the knowledge created through the use of collaborative media tools. Given that
these tools can be effective for workplace learning, their consideration as such warrants
further understanding and exploration. Considering HRD’s learning paradigm and HRD’s
role within the organization to foster and promote an organizational environment that sup-
ports learning, the need to implement collaborative media tools to facilitate all workplace
learning-related activities in the organization becomes vital.
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Thomas and Akdere 341
This conceptual article aimed to explore how collaborative media can be integrated
within the organization for the purpose of workplace learning. We propose the term
collaborative media to help HRD professionals become champions of the integration
of innovative technologies through collaborative media. As Bingham and Conner
(2010) note, new technologies allow for an organization to be better connected while
raising its cumulative IQ; organizations must be willing to evolve along with that
technology. Since collaborative media are new to our practice and our research, HRD
professionals need to identify the potential contribution of collaborative media tools
and to understand their implications to HRD processes, functions, and practices.
Future empirical research is needed to study both the variables and constructs associ-
ated with this phenomenon to inform HRD professionals who may already be facing
challenges utilizing collaborative media in the workplace.
Acknowledgements
Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 2010 International Conference of the
Academy of Human Resource Development Asia Chapter, (Shanghai, China), 2011 International
Research Conference in the Americas of the Academy of Human Resource Development,
(Schaumburg, IL), and 2012 joint Conference of the 11th International Conference of the
Academy of Human Resource Development Asia Chapter and 2nd International Conference of
the MENA Chapter of the Academy of Human Resource Development, (Istanbul, Turkey).
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of
this article.
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Author Biographies
Kristopher J. Thomas is a doctoral student of Human Resource Development at the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research interests include the use of mobile technologies in the
workplace, organizational culture, and knowledge management. Mr. Thomas’s prior professional
experience includes HR management in the technology consulting field and leading HR teams
for a Fortune 500 financial institution.
Mesut Akdere is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Development and in the Department
of Administrative Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Visiting Professor
at Antalya International University, Turkey. He has received his PhD from the University of
Minnesota in Human Resource Development with a minor in Human Resources and Industrial
Relations. His research focuses on quality management, leadership, and performance improve-
ment through training and organization development. He conducts research both in the US and
internationally. He has published in Training & Development, Human Resources, Organization
Development, and Education journals. He is an affiliated faculty of the Master of Human
Resources and Labor Relations Program and the Master of Science in Nonprofit Management and
Leadership at UWM. He served an Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award
program; and he is currently a reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools, a member of the Board of the Academy of Human Resource
Development, and editorial member of several international journals.
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