Informal learning is the unofficial, impromptu, unscheduled way most people learn to do their jobs and almost everything in life. Some people estimate that informal learning is responsible for 70 to 80 percent of all learning that occurs on the job. That's logical because when we are at work, we spend at least 70 to 80 percent of our time doing our job and we are learning most of the time. Sometimes it's a very simple thing, like learning how to use a new function key on your laptop from the person who sits next to you. Sometimes it's by accident, like when you overhear a discussion in the hallway about a new project on a different floor. Sometimes you find a template on the company's intranet that makes your job easier—and you may share it with a colleague. None of these can be planned; it's informal learning. However, even though they cannot be “planned,” we can be thoughtful about what we make available so that informal learning is easier and more reliable, captures knowledge from everyone throughout the organization, is correct and sufficient, and uses best practices. We do need to find ways to “formally” design and deliver “informal” learning. And, most important, we need to create an organizational culture that recognizes and supports informal learning.
75 First Things First
Participants
Any number
Procedure
First Things First is one of Stephen Covey's Seven Habits. It describes a framework for prioritizing work. Sometimes more urgent, immediate things get addressed at the expense of tasks that are not urgent (timewise) but are, in fact, very important.
This informal technique presents a tool based on a Stephen Covey workshop. Numerous tools can be made available to participants on their laptops so that they can review them or pull them out when they need them.
For this particular tool, participants can consider some of the tasks that they have to do. They assess them based on the criterion of whether they are “important” or “urgent.”
Back at the workplace, participants sort their tasks into the appropriate quadrants. They can discuss them with their supervisor, mentor, colleagues, or others, asking questions, such as:
What do your results tell you about how you are using your time?
In which quadrant do you spend most of your time?
In which quadrant do you want to spend more of your time?
Variation
Providing tools following a workshop, recommending a book, and sharing related techniques or other kinds of learning ensures that the support is available for employees when they need it to continue to learn on the job.
Case Example
Prioritizing Work Tool
Important
Quadrant I (Crises, Problems, Deadlines)
Quadrant II (Planning, Prevention, New Ideas)
Not Important
Quadrant III (Interruptions, some meetings)
Quadrant IV (Trivia, busy work, junk mail)
Urgent
Not Urgent
76 A Virtual Book Club
Participants
Anyone who is interested in learning by reading and reviewing in a group setting
Procedure
Choose a book on a relevant business-related topic, such as leadership or teamwork, or something a team needs to learn.
Assign the book as prereading and create a discussion forum for people to discuss it. The book can be discussed in a webinar or a conference call format.
Create a schedule for conference calls or webinars and assign responsibilities.
Create a discussion guide with questions for readers to review.
Case Example
Discussion Guide
Give the book's title.
Give the author's name.
Describe the purpose of the book club and any expectations for the group.
Describe any background information that may contribute to the discussion or context of the book chosen. (Why this book? Why now?)
Include reflection questions to consider before beginning or after finishing the book.
List key questions for discussion. Provide space for thoughts about the book.
Create questions to help draw out how the content applies to the job.
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77 Brown Bags and Books
Participants
3–30 interested employees
Procedure
As a group, identify a topic that you will explore over a designated time period, such as three months. It should be enough time so that the group can read several books by various authors in order to get different perspectives on the topic.
Once a topic has been determined, ask a group of volunteers to recommend several books that can be read during the designated time period.
Have the group meet weekly during lunchtime. Assign a book to be read over a two-week period. This means that the group might discuss the first half at a meeting and then the last half of the book at the next meeting.
Create a discussion guide that might include questions, such as the following:
How does this book support our organization's culture?
What is different from our culture?
How can we use some of the concepts in this book to improve our organization?
The role for taking care of logistics (scheduling a location, identifying books, creating discussion questions) should probably rotate so that one person doesn't feel “stuck” with the work.
Variations
Half of the group could read one book and another half could read a different book. The group could compare and contrast the two books.
Different individuals could read different chapters and report on their chapters.
Case Example
A furniture company was purchased by a foreign conglomerate. Employees wanted to learn more about what to expect. They started reading books about the company and the country in which it was based. They supplemented their reading by reading articles in magazines, news outlets, and online, and soon after, they invited employees from another company that also had the experience of being purchased by an offshore conglomerate to discuss their experience.
78 “Bugs Me” List
Participants
Any number of employees who want to create a better working environment
Procedure
Sometimes there are a few things that, if they were improved upon, would make a lot of people happier. This activity is for them.
Start by setting parameters: The items are supportive in nature and will not change the way we get the job done. In addition, they can only affect our department, for example, we run out of paper at the copying machine, emails are not answered in our department in a timely manner, or the refrigerator in the break room is messy.
Bring a group of people together. Have the members of the group brainstorm a list of everything that “bugs them” on the job. Ask them to identify possible ways in which the number of items on the list can be reduced.
Ask for volunteers to determine the root cause of each problem and to resolve it.
Finally, identify a team to resolve what “bugs” them.
Variation
Start a list on a discussion board. Keep things moving by asking for problems first and then possible solutions, and, finally, volunteers to resolve the problems.
Case Example
A manager in the creative department of an advertising agency posted a note on his door that read, “If it bugs you, let me know.” The paper on which the note was written had a place to list any responses and requested that the individuals sign their names. He brought the list of 17 items to a staff meeting and asked if there were volunteers to address some of the items on the list. There were several takers. He identified that the rest of the list required teams to delve deeper into the problems before solving them. He asked who in the room needed to practice leadership, teamwork, creative problem solving, or communication skills. When almost all hands went up, he said, “Great. All of these items require the same skills to be successful. Which problem would you like to solve?”
79 Give 'em a “10”
Participants
Individuals who have been told that they are too negative
Procedure
Plant this idea with a team or individuals who seem to look for the worst in others—individuals, departments, or situations.
Use John Maxwell's concept (from The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader) and in your mind put a “10” on everyone and everything.
Individuals start by expecting the best of others and projects: Expect that the person from another department has only your best interests in mind. Expect that the new project will run smoothly and not have any glitches.
Is there a danger in “Pollyanna thinking” and a chance that this will cause learners to miss something or not be prepared? Maybe, but probably not. Planning will still go on. It's the best way to do business: Expect the best but plan for the worst.
Negativity can be contagious—but so can positivity.
Whether you are a talent developer, a supervisor, a coach, or a team facilitator, plant this idea with one or more people. Model it yourself. It doesn't need any formal learning at all—just practice and modeling.
Variation
Practice this at a social event: In your mind put a “10” on the head of everyone whom you meet. Expect that they will be the most interesting person you meet all night. Learn and use their names. Be positive. Be curious. Focus on their interests. Finally, be sure to treat them as a “10.” You will be known as the best person at the event—not that this is your goal. Your goal is to practice making everyone feel like the most important person at the social event.
Case Example
A university instructor went to lunch with her best friend. At the end of the meal, the friend said to the instructor, “I am not sure what is going on, but you have lost your positive outlook. You are down on everyone and everything at the university.” The instructor took the advice to heart and realized that she had become very negative in both her professional life and her personal life. After recognizing and changing her attitude, she realized how much more fun it was to anticipate the best in every situation.
80 What Got You Here
Participants
Individuals, pairs, or a team of leaders or potential leaders
Procedure
Marshall Goldsmith has written a practical book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There (Hyperion, 2007), about what stands in the way of a leader's future achievements. He identifies 20 transactional flaws, which are listed in the case example.
Get together with a coworker and review the 20 transactional flaws. If you want more information, the book is a fast read, down to earth, and practical. Place the flaws in the order in which they are most problematic for you, from 1 to 20. You should each make your own ordered list with the flaws that are the most problematic for each of you. (It's okay for some flaws to be tied.)
Share your list with each other and discuss each list.
At a second meeting, each of you should suggest ways in which you could both improve—especially for those flaws that you rated as the most problematic.
Variations
This could be done with your team rather than as a pair.
Each of the 20 flaws could be written, one per card, on 20 index cards. Have your team gather around a table and order the cards. Encourage discussion.
Each of the 20 flaws could be written, one per note, on 20 sticky notes. Put the notes on a wall and have your team gather around and order the sticky notes in complete silence—with no discussion. After 15 minutes, have a discussion.
A supervisor could try this activity at the beginning of a departmental meeting.
Case Example
Here is Marshall Goldsmith's list of flaws:
The need to win at all costs
Adding your two cents' worth in every discussion
The need to rate others and impose your own standards on them
Making sarcastic, destructive comments
Overusing negative qualifiers, for example, “yes, but,” “but,” or “however,” which imply, “You're wrong”
The need to show you are smarter
Speaking when angry
The need to share your negative thoughts
Withholding information
Failing to give proper recognition
Claiming credit that you don't deserve
Making excuses
Clinging to the past
Playing favorites
Refusing to express regret
Not listening
Failing to express gratitude
Punishing the messenger
“Passing the buck” and blaming everyone else
The excessive need to be “me”; exalting your faults as virtues simply because that's who you are
81 Plan for Informal Learning
Participants
Anyone and everyone
Procedure
Organizations understand the great value and broad use of informal learning, but few organizations invest the time to create a plan for how to establish a process to ensure ease and efficiency of use. This strategy encourages talent managers, trainers, designers, and others in the learning and development field to create an atmosphere in an organization that is conducive to informal learning. These bulleted items are just a start for you to begin thinking about your organization.
An atmosphere in an organization that is conducive to informal learning starts with the organization's culture:
Create a culture conducive to lifelong learning.
Support volunteer work in the community.
Value and fund membership in associations.
Include the IDP (individual development plan) process in performance expectations.
Encourage learning relationships, such as mentoring, coaching, and partnering.
Create a culture that is vibrant, with daily reminders that learning is all around us.
Support learning for employees:
Encourage learning on the job.
Teach learners how to learn.
Provide time for learning away from the job.
Invest in blogs, networks, and locations of central knowledge.
Make it okay to learn together at all times.
Keep the conversation going in your organization.
Variations
Read Informal Learning by Jay Cross to discover other ideas.
Create your own list and meet with your senior leaders to advance your thoughts to the C-Suite.
Case Example
An organization created a gathering spot for its employees called “The Cove” (reminiscent of the organization's nautical beginnings), where employees could gather, purchase coffee on the honor system, and talk. It was fitted with comfortable chairs, small tables, and plenty of paper, flipcharts, markers, and crayons for serious doodling or business strategizing.
