We learn more in the break room than in the classroom. We acquire the skills we use at work informally — by chatting, observing others, surfing the internet, trial-and-error, and simply working with people in the know. Training and workshops account for only about 20% of what we learn at work, yet most corporations over-invest in formal training while leaving the more natural, simple ways we learn to chance.

 

Informal learning is the unofficial, unscheduled, impromptu way most of us learn to do our jobs. It’s like riding a bicycle: the rider chooses the destination and the route and can take a detour at a moment’s notice to admire the scenery or help a fellow rider.

 

Formal learning is like riding a bus: the driver decides where the bus is going; the passengers are along for the ride. Traditional training departments put almost all of their energy into driving busses. Mature learners, typically a company’s top performers, never show up for the bus. They want pointers that enable them to do things for themselves. They need to fill in the gaps in what they already know, and they’re in a hurry to do so.

 

Many a knowledge worker has said “I love to learn but I hate to be trained.” Training is something that’s imposed on you; learning is something you choose. Knowledge workers thrive when given the freedom to decide how and when they will learn.

 

Reinventing the wheel, looking for information in the wrong places, and answering questions from others consumes two-thirds of the average knowledge worker’s day. Intuitive knowledge bases vastly improve knowledge worker productivity.

 

Peter Senge of the Society of Organizational Learning states that all knowledge is generated in working teams. He sees working and learning as inseparable. Through forming relationships, knowledge is diffused. He alludes to the image of the village square, where people hang out in a social space. That social space is the setting in which social relations are reinforced, trust is developed, and informal learning takes place. In sum, conversations, social interactions, and team projects are the stem cells of learning, so companies need to provide platforms for people to collaborate and develop relationships, where learning is part and parcel of the interaction.

 

The informal learning train is leaving the station. A flat world means global competition and more to keep up with. The generation coming into the work force has no patience for spoon-feeding, single-track instruction, or working alone, and the generation leaving the work force will take their knowledge with them unless it is transferred to newcomers by informal means.

 

Get your train ticket and start crafting your organisation’s learnscape right now!