# Informal Learning at Work By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-01-30 Work offers formal and informal learning opportunities. The formal learning opportunities are structured, scheduled, and understood. Informal learning is more elusive. At work, informal learning can occur at any time, and come from any person. There is always a potential to learn through experience and observation. But what will one learn informally? The answer to this question is based on the individual. Many will learn something. Some will learn nothing. A few will learn a great deal. The amount learned is less a function of intelligence than attention. The degree of time one commits to observation will influence how much informal learning takes place. Often one learns how to conform through informal learning. Determining how workers speak, dress, and act is one of the first lessons of informal learning in organizations. Beyond this one might learn how the organization operates. In the end, one might learn something about the human condition. Informal learning at work holds potential. It is a way to understand oneself, the organization, and each other better. Like any learning, it takes time and focus. Whereas it can “just happen,” one can shape the informal learning one experiences. Taking a look around organizations reveals opportunities for informal learning. Often informal learning at work leads to formal recognition of one’s insight. #### Related Items [[Learning]] [[Work]] [[Insights]]