What's so great about informal learning?

Topic begun by Suzanne

 

Why does everyone think informal learning is so great? Informal learning is like a huge game of telephone. One person tells another person who tells someone else. Each person adds their own biases. Mis-information gets passed along. That is why we formalized the process.

Suzanne: Great question and some thought provoking ideas. I share your concern that we may get to focused on the "new thing" of informal learning and lose the real value that can and should come from formal learning. Do you really want new employees choosing what corporate policies they'll learn and then utilizing only their cube farm neighbor to flesh out their knowledge? I don't think so. In the case of standardized information and processes, formal learning wins hands down.

 

However, what about determining if your project team colleague is worthy of your trust before you share that you may not be able to deliver on a milestone? Where do you find out what matters the most to each member of the finance committee so you can better prepare your presentation for that innovative, yet controversial new project? This is where informal learning is the only path. The question is, can we help learners be better at creating and leveraging these learning opportunities? Can we make access to these situations a bit easier? Can we measure them? - Dave Lee

 

Actually, I don't believe informal learning is all bad. All our hopes are on informal learning because of formal learning's flaws. We use formal learning to spray information at as many people as possible for the least amount of money.

 

Instead of throwing away formal learning, let's take the best of the formal and informal processes.

I think we're all being a bit too hard on ourselves. Formal learning isn't flawed. Sometimes we over apply it. But until recently, there never was an acceptance that a learning group in a company had any alternative resources. I prefer to think, as you do, of it as informal learning adding to our ability to adjust our offerings to better fit the learning need and situation. Embracing Informal Learning shouldn't infer a negation of Formal Learning. Dave Lee