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can learn to speak an organization's lan- shared experiences, employees can build a common
understanding of the organization's culture through shared
guage or culture showcases the signifi- experiences like team-building activities, workshops, or
cance of social learning in the work- company-wide events. These events bring individuals

place. Here's the comparison together, fostering a sense of unity and alignment with the
organization's values.
"Learning to Speak as Children": As children, we learn to
speak by immersing ourselves in a language-rich Learning from Subject Matter Experts: In the workplace,
environment. We observe and listen to those around us,
subject matter experts are like language models who
imitating the sounds and words we hear. Through continuous
exemplify the desired behaviors and practices. Employees
interaction and communication with parents, siblings, and can learn the organization's language by working closely
caregivers, we gradually develop the ability to form coherent with these experts, seeking guidance, and adopting their
sentences and express ourselves effectively.
best practices.

Parallel in Organizations - Learning to Supportive Learning Environment: Similar to how a
Speak Organizational Language or Cul- nurturing environment facilitates a child's language
development, organizations must create a supportive
ture: learning environment that encourages employees to explore
In a similar vein, employees can learn to "speak" the and embrace the organizational language and culture
language or culture of an organization through social without fear of making mistakes.
learning experiences that foster immersion and interaction.
Here's how the parallel can be drawn: While it offers numerous benefits, it is
Observation and Imitation: Just as children observe and
imitate the speech of those around them, employees can often overlooked as a training strategy
learn about the organization's language and culture by for several reasons:
observing the behavior, communication style, and values of Informal Nature: Social learning is often informal in nature,
their colleagues and leaders. They pay attention to how relying on the transfer of knowledge through everyday
others interact, address challenges, and celebrate successes.
interactions, discussions, and observations. Because it lacks
a structured framework like traditional classroom training,
Mentoring and Role Modeling: Like children benefit from it may not always be seen as a formal training approach.
parental guidance, employees can benefit from mentoring
and role modeling within the organization. Seasoned
employees or leaders can act as mentors, showcasing the
desired language and behaviors, and guiding newcomers on
navigating the organization's cultural nuances.

Continuous Interaction and Communication: To become
fluent in an organization's language and culture, employees
must engage in continuous interaction and communication.
This could be through team meetings, town halls, informal
gatherings, or virtual collaboration platforms. Open
channels of communication allow for the exchange of ideas,
experiences, and insights that contribute to cultural
integration.

Shared Experiences: Just as children learn better through

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