Organizations have set goals and objectives which must be attained if the organization wants to succeed. To achieve the goals the employees must embrace continuous learning so as to gain the skills and knowledge required to accomplish the assigned tasks (Fullan, 2012). Individuals can learn in various ways such as formal learning, informal learning and incidental learning in the organization. Informal learning entails individuals gaining knowledge through participation, observation and through trial and error. The employee does not need to undergo only formal learning so as to gain knowledge. Informal learning in the workplace is more vital as it has more practicality than formal learning. Top management in the organization should promote informal learning in the organization as it is much cheaper and also does not consume a lot of useful organization time (Dabbagh, & Kitsantas, 2012). This report is written to highlight how individuals learn in workplaces, factors that promote informal workplace learning, constraints that hinder informal workplace learning. The report will also address the potential benefits of informal workplace learning and give recommendations that can enhance informal learning.
Employees in every organization learn different skills in different ways. The gained skills help in career advancement which results in job satisfaction and job security. There are various theories which have been proposed to explain how individuals learn by participation. One of the theory is;
The theory was advocated for by jean lave and Etienne Wenger in an attempt to explain how informal learning takes place. They stated that knowledge is well gained through collaboration or through interaction. Human beings have been social creatures should also learn different aspects of life through interaction so as to make the learning process fun (Euerby, & Burns, 2012). Active engagement and participation are the best way of gaining knowledge and skills as knowledge is well demonstrated through competence. The process of learning through interaction helps both parties to gain knowledge because new ideas will be exchanged in the process.
Employees in the organization learn by attempting to perform a task they have never performed before and this will help to increase the knowledge of the involved staff (Levitt, List, & Syverson, 2013). This type of learning can be called trial and error method as the employee tries until an optimum solution is attained.
Managers or supervisors in the organization can decide to coach their subordinates so that they can perform their tasks well. The manager mentors the junior staff and ensures that the employee performs the assigned tasks in the right manner so as to avoid mistakes in the organization (Bok, et al.2013). The manager and the junior staff usually have a cordial relationship for this kind of informal workplace learning to take place.
Appraisals help employees in the organization to gauge their performance against the set targets. The provided feedback enables the employees to learn their areas of improvement and this will help them to correct their mistakes (Daley, 2012). The feedback sometimes usually has commented on how the staff can perform better and accomplish tasks more effectively. The gives the employee a learning opportunity as such mistakes will never be repeated in future.
Apart from being an internal control mechanism in the organization, job rotation gives employees in the organization a chance to learn through participation and doing a certain task (Deyoe, & Fox, 2012). Job rotation enables the staff to learn to perform almost all the duties in the organization effectively and efficiently without the need of attending classrooms.
This involves an employee observing what another employee is performing the assigned duties. Although the staff does not get a chance to perform the duties in the process of learning, the skills gained are more practical than knowledge gained in a classroom environment (Meyers, Erickson, & Small, 2013). This helps interns in many organization to informally learn how to perform various duties that are related to their areas of specialization.
Employees in the organizations also learn through promotions because there are new duties that are associated with the promotion. The new duties give an employee a chance to learn new skills and knowledge that could not have been gained were it not for the promotion. Briefings also give staff a chance to know how a certain task should be handled and accomplished (Mabey, 2013). Site visits also enable staff to learn in the workplace as there is a chance to practically see what usually takes place in the sites. Case studies also enable staff to gain knowledge informally as the employee can compare the outcomes of different scenarios and gain knowledge of what should be done in case a similar scenario occurs in the organization.
There are various factors that encourage informal learning in the firm and the factors include;
Leadership and management in the organization
Leadership in the organization should create a conducive environment that will promote informal learning in the workplace. A positive organizational culture that promotes collaboration should be encouraged so that employees can learn through interaction. According to communities of practice theory, individuals learn well through collaboration and knowledge is well gained through socialization. The management should also encourage employees in the organization to increase their skills and knowledge (Rambe, 2012). The management can also encourage job rotation which gives employees the chance to perform various duties in the organization and this promotes informal workplace learning. The leaders should also lead by example and demonstrate the importance of informal learning in the organization so as to encourage the subordinates to follow in their footsteps.
Open communication in the organization promotes informal learning as communication is the foundation of collaboration in the organization. Channels of communication should be established so that communication in the organization can be effective. Open communication will promote socialization which helps in the informal learning process (Jeon, & Kim, 2012). Communication skills also involve feedback which enables employees to learn through performance appraisals in the organization. Efficient communication also helps the employees to know what is expected of them and if there is a need to gain extra knowledge and skills to perform their tasks in the organization. This will encourage the employees to try to gain new skills so as to perform the assigned tasks well.
Innovations and inventions are achieved through trial and error processes. The working culture in the organization should encourage innovation culture so that employees in the organization can learn new skills and knowledge in an attempt to create new ways of performing tasks (Ankli, & Palliam, 2012). Innovations cannot occur without gaining new skills and knowledge and this can only be achieved through learning and informal workplace learning will be promoted.
Employees work so as to fulfill various needs which include basic needs, social needs, and even self-actualization. Job security is also one of the need that employees try to fulfill. If the employee has less job security, the staff will try as much as possible to learn skills and knowledge of performing different roles in the organization. This helps the employee to secure other job opportunities in case there is downsizing in the organization (Livingstone, 2012). Less job satisfaction will also encourage employees to informally learn how to perform different duties in the organization. This will also enable the employee to have a chance to get a job that will have to provide the needed satisfaction. Less job security and satisfaction will encourage staff to learn different skills informally so as to increase their chances of securing a more satisfying job.
With limited job opportunities, employees try as much as possible to learn new skills each day so that they can compete favorably for the available job opportunities. Employees want to gain more knowledge so as to become indispensable in case of downsizing because the experts will be retained. This pushes staff to informally learn in their workplaces so that they can have job security in the organization.
Informal workplace learning is also faced by various challenges in the organization that cannot be overlooked. The challenges hinder the process of learning and also discourage employees in the organization from learning new skills and knowledge. The challenges include;
Employees who have no potential of furthering their careers will not make efforts of trying to gain new skills and knowledge. This is because they will have no chance of putting the acquired skills into good use. This will discourage staff in the organization and informal learning will be limited (Thorpe, & Gordon, 2012). The organization may also fail to assure the employee of any potential career advancement and this will also discourage the employees due to lack of promotion opportunities in the organization.
Informal workplace learning is promoted by a positive organizational culture that creates a conducive environment for collaboration and socialization. Negative organizational culture will not create the needed environment that will encourage innovation culture in the organization. Informal learning in an organization usually takes place through teamwork and socialization which are absent in negative organizational culture setting (Boud, & Hager, 2012). This kind of culture will also discourage open communication which also critical in enhancing informal learning in the firm. This will discourage the employees in the organization and informal workplace will be hindered. Poor organization culture is also associated with poor management that will not encourage informal learning in the organization.
The employees in the organization may not have free time that will enable them to go through different case studies and job shadow. The tight schedule will deny the employee a chance to learn new skills and knowledge. Time constraints will, therefore, prevent informal workplace learning from taking place. Time constraints will also hinder site visits which also helps employees to informally learn.
With cost cutting operations in the organization, the firm may not have enough resources that will facilitate some informal learning activities in the organization such as site visits. Feedback is also given after performing performance appraisals and some a very costly. This will prevent the staff from learning new skills and knowledge. Financial constraints will, therefore, prevent effective informal workplace learning from taking place.
Informal learning in different workplaces requires different personalities so that effective learning can take place. People in the organization have different personality characteristics. Some personality characteristics enable effective informal workplace learning while others hinder the process of learning. There are various theories which have been put forward to explain personality characteristics. One of the theory is;
The theory was advocated for by various scholars in their approach to identify, describe and measure human traits. One of the theorists were Robert McCrae and Paul Costa who came up with big five personality traits that describe characteristics of human beings when socializing (Milfont, & Sibley, 2012). The identified human personality traits can be referred to as ocean which is an acronym for openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. People with different personalities behave differently. Some of the personality traits that foster informal workplace learning include;
People with openness kind of personality are eager to learn new things in the workplace. The personality also enables people to have the desire to have new experiences. The desire to learn new things enables people in the organization to learn what they do not know and this helps in enhancing informal workplace learning (Yakunina, Weigold, Weigold, Hercegovac, & Elsayed, 2012). The trait also enables organization members to be imaginative and have a variety of interests and this forms the catalyst for informal learning in the organization. Imagination leads to innovation and inventions and innovation culture boosts workplace learning.
People with this kind of personality are careful, organized and efficient. The people also have a tendency of performing tasks well so as to avoid mistakes. These traits will enhance informal workplace learning as the desire to perform tasks correctly will force the employees to learn new skills and knowledge that will enable them to perform the tasks required (Bogg, & Roberts, 2012). Being organized and efficient will also enable the individual to have extra time to learn new skills which will enable the performance of duties efficiently. The employees will also have the drive to achieve different milestones in relation to their careers and also the satisfaction of different needs. The desire to achieve will encourage people in the organization to learn more so that the dreams can come true and this will help to enable informal workplace learning.
This personality will enable effective informal workplace learning as individuals who possess this kind of personality trait are energetic and talkative. People with great socialization skills informally learn well than introverts. Communication in the organization fosters informal learning and extraversion personality is behind effective communication in the organization (Seidman, 2013). This kind of personality leads to the creation of a positive culture in the organization that promotes collaboration and teamwork. Collaboration in the organization is one of the driving forces behind informal workplace learning. The energetic behavior also enables people to be eager to experience new things and have the positive energy required to explore different things which leads to innovation and inventions in the firm.
People with this kind of personality are cooperative and friendly. Friendly nature will enable informal learning in the organization as employees can approach each other for consultation purposes and share different skills and knowledge. The friendly nature also enables socialization which leads to collaboration and sharing of ideas and opinions that lead to learning informally (Boyce, Wood, & Powdthavee, 2013). People in the organization will also be able to cooperate in the process of learning and this will encourage informal learning in the organization. People with agreeableness personality are also optimistic and this will encourage informal learning with the hope that better opportunities lie ahead.
Enhancing informal workplace learning has numerous benefits to the involved individuals and they include;
Constant learning will enable the employees to retain the majority of the knowledge which has been acquired both formally and informally. Learning informally also enables acquisition of new knowledge which will help in the efficient and effective execution of assigned duties (Nisbet, Lincoln, & Dunn, 2013). This will lead to the achievement of set goals and objectives. The employee may also get a promotion or a reward for performing duties effectively. Knowledge retention also improves the employee’s chances of competing favorably for limited career advancement in the industry.
Informal learning does not involve numerous tests which the learner is supposed to pass. Informal learning makes learning to be more fun and learners are more relaxed and this will lead to the accomplishment of the learning process. This is because the employees are self-motivated and have an interest in learning new skills and knowledge (Noe, Tews, & Marand, 2013). The employee does not also have to set aside various activities to plan for examinations and assignments. This encourages employees to learn and improve on different sets of skills.
Informal workplace learning is much cheaper than formal learning because there is no purchase of learning materials and other costs which are associated with formal learning. Learning through job shadowing has no associated costs and the employee is able to gain valuable knowledge which will enable effective performance of duties in the firm.
Informal workplace learning does not require a lot of time as learning takes place through various ways such as learning by doing, appraisal and job shadowing (Noe, Tews, & Marand, 2013). Such ways of learning enable employees to gain relevant skills and knowledge which will enable career advancement without wasting a lot of time sitting in a classroom.
Employee informal learning in the workplace has various benefits for the organization. The benefits include;
Learning organization is able to transform itself to adapt to different aspects which will enable it to compete favorably with its competitors. Through informal learning, the organization will also have a lot of innovations and inventions which will lead to the creation of competitive advantage (Bernadette van Rijn, Yang, & Sanders, 2013). The organization will also be able to learn and grow in the right direction. This will lead to maximum returns to shareholders and achievement of the set goals and objectives.
Informal learning will lead to employee collaborations and team works which lead to the sharing of ideas and opinions which lead to solutions for different challenges in the organization. Collaboration leads to fostering a positive working environment in the organization which leads to job satisfaction (Bernadette van Rijn, Yang, & Sanders, 2013). Job satisfaction leads to employee retention and talent acquisition. Low employee turnover will help to avoid disruptions and costs which are associated with hiring new staff.
Conclusion
There are various ways which can be used to acquire new knowledge and skills. The learning ways include formal learning, informal learning, and incidental learning. Individuals in different organizations learn informally in different ways which include; learning by doing, mentoring and coaching, job shadowing, promotions, site visits job rotation and appraisal. Effective leadership and management, innovative culture, open communication, and less job satisfaction and security are some of the aspects which promote informal workplace learning. Poor organization culture and limited opportunity for career growth hinder informal learning in the organization. Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness are personality traits which promote effective informal workplace learning. Informal learning has various benefits to individuals and the organization which cannot be ignored.
There are various aspects which can be implemented or improved in the firm to enhance informal learning in the organization. The recommendations include;
Opportunities for growth. Availability of career growth opportunities will encourage employees in the organization to embrace informal learning so as to improve their skills and knowledge (Tynjälä, 2013). The organization should implement promotion strategies to fill senior positions in the organization instead of hiring new employees.
Positive organization culture. The organization should embrace positive organization culture which will create a conducive environment for teamwork and collaboration. The positive culture will also encourage open communication which leads to effective movement of information, ideas, and knowledge (Tynjälä, 2013). The collaboration will enhance innovation in the organization and foster acquisition of new knowledge through exploration.
Effective leadership. Effective leadership values the ideas and opinions of others when making critical decisions. Sharing ideas before making decisions will lead to acquiring of new information which can be used to develop solutions for various challenges facing the organization (Tynjälä, 2013). The leader should also lead by example and a creative environment that will encourage a learning organization.
References
Ankli, R. E., & Palliam, R. (2012). Enabling a motivated workforce: exploring the sources of motivation. Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal, 26(2), 7-10.
Bernadette van Rijn, M., Yang, H., & Sanders, K. (2013). Understanding employees’ informal workplace learning: The joint influence of career motivation and self-construal. Career development international, 18(6), 610-628.
Bogg, T., & Roberts, B. W. (2012). The case for conscientiousness: Evidence and implications for a personality trait marker of health and longevity. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 45(3), 278- 288.
Bok, H. G., Teunissen, P. W., Favier, R. P., Rietbroek, N. J., Theyse, L. F., Brommer, H., … & Jaarsma, D. A. (2013). Programmatic assessment of competency-based workplace learning: when theory meets practice. BMC medical education, 13(1), 123.
Boud, D., & Hager, P. (2012). Re-thinking continuing professional development through changing metaphors and location in professional practices. Studies in continuing education, 34(1), 17-30.
Boyce, C. J., Wood, A. M., & Powdthavee, N. (2013). Is personality fixed? Personality changes as much as “variable” economic factors and more strongly predicts changes to life satisfaction. Social indicators research, 111(1), 287-305.
Dabbagh, N., & Kitsantas, A. (2012). Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self- regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. The Internet and higher education, 15(1), 3-8.
Daley, D. M. (2012). Strategic human resources management. Public Personnel Management, 120- 125.
Deyoe, R. H., & Fox, T. L. (2012). Identifying strategies to minimize workplace conflict due to generational differences. Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business, 5, 1.
Euerby, A., & Burns, C. M. (2012). Designing for social engagement in online social networks using communities-of-practice theory and cognitive work analysis: A case study. Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, 6(2), 194-213.
Fullan, M. (2012). Breakthrough. In Personalisation of Education in Contexts (pp. 19-25). SensePublishers, Rotterdam.
Jeon, K. S., & Kim, K. N. (2012). How do organizational and task factors influence informal learning in the workplace?. Human Resource Development International, 15(2), 209-226.
Levitt, S. D., List, J. A., & Syverson, C. (2013). Toward an understanding of learning by doing: Evidence from an automobile assembly plant. Journal of Political Economy, 121(4), 643- 681.
Livingstone, D. W. (2012). Probing the icebergs of adult learning: Comparative findings and implications of the 1998, 2004 and 2010 Canadian surveys of formal and informal learning practices. The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education (Online), 25(1), 47.
Mabey, C. (2013). Leadership development in organizations: Multiple discourses and diverse practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(4), 359-380.
Meyers, E. M., Erickson, I., & Small, R. V. (2013). Digital literacy and informal learning environments: an introduction. Learning, media and technology, 38(4), 355-367.
Milfont, T. L., & Sibley, C. G. (2012). The big five personality traits and environmental engagement: Associations at the individual and societal level. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(2), 187-195.
Nisbet, G., Lincoln, M., & Dunn, S. (2013). Informal interprofessional learning: An untapped opportunity for learning and change within the workplace. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 27(6), 469-475.
Noe, R. A., Tews, M. J., & Marand, A. D. (2013). Individual differences and informal learning in the workplace. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83(3), 327-335.
Rambe, P. (2012). Constructive Disruptions for Effective Collaborative Learning: Navigating the Affordances of Social Media for Meaningful Engagement. Electronic Journal of e- Learning, 10(1), 132-146.
Seidman, G. (2013). Self-presentation and belonging on Facebook: How personality influences social media use and motivations. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(3), 402-407.
Thorpe, M., & Gordon, J. (2012). Online learning in the workplace: A hybrid model of participation in networked, professional learning. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(8).
Tynjälä, P. (2013). Toward a 3-P model of workplace learning: a literature review. Vocations and learning, 6(1), 11-36.
Yakunina, E. S., Weigold, I. K., Weigold, A., Hercegovac, S., & Elsayed, N. (2012). The multicultural personality: Does it predict international students’ openness to diversity and adjustment?. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36(4), 533-540.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download