Informal Learning in Companies

Why Informal Learning Plays a Key Role in Companies

Informal learning plays a central role for companies that want to remain successful in a fast-paced, digitally-driven world. In contrast to formal learning opportunities such as training courses or seminars, informal learning takes place unconsciously in everyday work – for example, in conversations with colleagues, through independent problem solving or feedback from superiors.

The way in which employees acquire knowledge in informal processes influences their professional development, innovative strength and the overall productivity of the company. This article highlights the results of a recent study on “Informal Learning in Companies” and shows how leadership, learning culture and individual learning styles contribute to the success of this learning process.

Study Results: Influence of Learning and Leadership Styles on Learning Success

The study on informal learning in companies examined how different learning styles, leadership styles and corporate cultures influence learning success. The following key findings can be derived:

• Learning styles: Learning success in informal learning is particularly high when employees pursue a so-called “deep learning style”. This means that they deal intensively with new topics and strive for a deep understanding instead of just looking for short-term solutions. Superficial learning, on the other hand, often remains ineffective and prevents sustainable competence development.

   

• Leadership styles: Leaders play a crucial role in the informal learning process. A transformational leadership style characterized by role model function and inspiring behavior strengthens the self-confidence of employees and motivates them to develop further. Study results show that transformationally led employees perceive positive career progress. In contrast, the transactional leadership style, which relies on rewards and sanctions, has specific benefits for core competency achievement and performance evaluation by supervisors.

   

• Learning culture: A corporate culture openness to informal learning has a fundamentally positive effect on learning success. Employees in companies with a strong learning culture often experience a boost in their skills. However, learning structures that are too rigid can inhibit learning progress, especially for people who are already learning independently and efficiently.

Practical Recommendations for Companies: How to Successfully Promote Informal Learning

• Putting understanding before quick fixes: Encourage employees to understand topics fundamentally and not just rely on quick, superficial answers. Informal learning can thus contribute to personal and professional development and promotes sustainable skills development.  
• Combine transformational and transactional leadership: A hybrid leadership style that combines transformative approaches such as leading by example and inspiration with transactional methods such as rewards and clear expectations reinforces informal learning success. Employees thus experience recognition for learning successes and at the same time feel motivated to develop new skills.  
• Active role model function of managers: Managers should make their learning processes visible, for example by sharing new knowledge in knowledge databases or team meetings. An active example promotes an understanding among employees of how learning can be effectively integrated into everyday working life and at the same time creates trust and transparency.
• Create individual freedom for informal learning: An overly structured learning culture can counteract informal learning. By offering freedom for self-determined learning, companies promote creativity and knowledge transfer within teams.
• Making learning success measurable: In order to objectively evaluate the success of informal learning in companies, various facets of learning success, such as knowledge growth, competence development and the ability to innovate, should be recorded in a differentiated way. In this way, progress can be measured precisely and false conclusions can be avoided.  
• Clearly communicate the goals of informal learning: Companies should be transparent about their goals and expectations of informal learning. This creates a common orientation and makes it clear to employees how important continuous learning is for their career development and the overall goals of the company.

How Evalea Software Can Support Development Through Informal Learning

Evalea offers companies a comprehensive platform for the promotion and analysis of informal learning and thus provides targeted support for personnel development. With Evalea, companies can not only structure formal training courses, but also make informal learning processes visible and promote them in a targeted manner. The software enables the documentation and analysis of individual learning progress, the targeted assignment of tasks and the provision of learning resources that are available to employees at all times.

In addition, Evalea supports detailed success measurement. Companies can evaluate different facets of learning – from skills development to career progression and innovation capability. Flexible reporting capabilities enable executives and HR departments to understand and optimize the effectiveness of learning initiatives.

The functions of the Evalea software thus offer ideal conditions for sustainably promoting informal learning in everyday business life and increasing long-term learning success.

Quick Facts:

Original title: Informal Workplace Learning in Austrian Banks: The influence of Learning Approach, Leadership Style, and Organizational Learning Culture on Managers’ Learning Outcomes

Authors: D. Froehlich, M. Segers and P. Van der Bosche

Source: Human Resource Development Quarterly 25 (1); 2014

Link to the original (freely available)

Method: Quantitative survey

This article comes from the Xing group Science meets HRD