Informal Learning: all about informal learning
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:05 am
Do you know what Informal Learning is and how it can improve the level of a company's team?
Also known as informal learning, this is one of the forms of professional training that has been considered a trend in Corporate Education projects, as many consider it a great way to provide more natural and effective learning .
When well implemented and practiced, the concept of informal learning yields great results for a company through better qualification of its team.
In this content, better understand the origin and concept of informal learning , as well as its advantages and how it can be implemented.
The concept of Informal Learning
To understand how it is possible to carry out this practice in the day-to-day running of a company, it is first necessary to understand the concept of informal learning .
This nomenclature emerged around the 70s and 80s with the aim of questioning the effectiveness of formal training models.
To make things clearer, let's look at its counterpart: formal learning. It is defined within three circumstances:
It must be carried out by means of a teaching staff;
It is linked to a person's resume;
Its performance is measured by an external system of evaluations and controls .
Thus, the concept of Informal Learning can be expressed simply as the opposite of this: a situation of learning and knowledge acquisition that does not meet any of the circumstances of formal learning .
With that understood, now it’s time to learn what this means in practice.
After all, what is informal learning in practice?
Informal Learning is nothing more than learning produced naturally, individually and voluntarily .
It is learning that comes without the need to follow instructions from teachers and without the need to receive feedback or supervision from supervisors or colleagues.
It is the learning that develops when we perform or latvia email list see a certain task being performed, for example.
Informal learning is also characterized by the lack of need to be in a specific physical location.
In other words, in this type of learning, the person or team is free to learn in the way they want, as well as at the pace at which they want to learn a certain content, task or anything else.
Advantages of informal learning in companies
Informal Learning is considered the most effective and natural way of training employees for several reasons and, when well implemented, the company can reap several advantages from this type of learning.
Check out some of the benefits derived from its use now.
Better adaptation of new employees : informal learning helps new employees to adapt better as they learn through the practice of work activities;
Better work performance : studies show that new employees are more efficient when they can work alongside more experienced colleagues in a given activity;
Lower costs for the company : informal learning, which works with the employee's natural training, generates lower costs for the company than spending on face-to-face courses and training.
How to implement informal learning in your team
Now that we know some of the advantages of implementing informal learning in a company, it’s time to learn how it can be done.
Although it may seem simple, this process can be time-consuming and face several obstacles, as it is based more on building a learning culture than on implementation methodologies.
The goal is to make the corporate environment conducive to the development of this type of learning, providing materials and channels for questions, as well as encouraging the search for knowledge. This can be done through courses, training and incentive campaigns for employees who are already integrated and trained, creating the practice of multiplication, as well as making materials and sources of knowledge available for easy and quick consultation.
Three general actions can be used to facilitate this process:
Employee support
A company that wants to bring informal learning closer to its employees needs to provide adequate support.
This support must be both documentary – through work materials, reference guides and an online search system – and personal – with management, coaching, mentoring or shadowing programs.
Knowledge banks
Another way for companies to help with the natural implementation of informal learning in their companies is through knowledge banks .
They can be spaces, documents or systems in which employees can share relevant information, as well as ask questions and clarify doubts, among other ways of promoting experiences that stimulate learning.
Also known as informal learning, this is one of the forms of professional training that has been considered a trend in Corporate Education projects, as many consider it a great way to provide more natural and effective learning .
When well implemented and practiced, the concept of informal learning yields great results for a company through better qualification of its team.
In this content, better understand the origin and concept of informal learning , as well as its advantages and how it can be implemented.
The concept of Informal Learning
To understand how it is possible to carry out this practice in the day-to-day running of a company, it is first necessary to understand the concept of informal learning .
This nomenclature emerged around the 70s and 80s with the aim of questioning the effectiveness of formal training models.
To make things clearer, let's look at its counterpart: formal learning. It is defined within three circumstances:
It must be carried out by means of a teaching staff;
It is linked to a person's resume;
Its performance is measured by an external system of evaluations and controls .
Thus, the concept of Informal Learning can be expressed simply as the opposite of this: a situation of learning and knowledge acquisition that does not meet any of the circumstances of formal learning .
With that understood, now it’s time to learn what this means in practice.
After all, what is informal learning in practice?
Informal Learning is nothing more than learning produced naturally, individually and voluntarily .
It is learning that comes without the need to follow instructions from teachers and without the need to receive feedback or supervision from supervisors or colleagues.
It is the learning that develops when we perform or latvia email list see a certain task being performed, for example.
Informal learning is also characterized by the lack of need to be in a specific physical location.
In other words, in this type of learning, the person or team is free to learn in the way they want, as well as at the pace at which they want to learn a certain content, task or anything else.
Advantages of informal learning in companies
Informal Learning is considered the most effective and natural way of training employees for several reasons and, when well implemented, the company can reap several advantages from this type of learning.
Check out some of the benefits derived from its use now.
Better adaptation of new employees : informal learning helps new employees to adapt better as they learn through the practice of work activities;
Better work performance : studies show that new employees are more efficient when they can work alongside more experienced colleagues in a given activity;
Lower costs for the company : informal learning, which works with the employee's natural training, generates lower costs for the company than spending on face-to-face courses and training.
How to implement informal learning in your team
Now that we know some of the advantages of implementing informal learning in a company, it’s time to learn how it can be done.
Although it may seem simple, this process can be time-consuming and face several obstacles, as it is based more on building a learning culture than on implementation methodologies.
The goal is to make the corporate environment conducive to the development of this type of learning, providing materials and channels for questions, as well as encouraging the search for knowledge. This can be done through courses, training and incentive campaigns for employees who are already integrated and trained, creating the practice of multiplication, as well as making materials and sources of knowledge available for easy and quick consultation.
Three general actions can be used to facilitate this process:
Employee support
A company that wants to bring informal learning closer to its employees needs to provide adequate support.
This support must be both documentary – through work materials, reference guides and an online search system – and personal – with management, coaching, mentoring or shadowing programs.
Knowledge banks
Another way for companies to help with the natural implementation of informal learning in their companies is through knowledge banks .
They can be spaces, documents or systems in which employees can share relevant information, as well as ask questions and clarify doubts, among other ways of promoting experiences that stimulate learning.