Training doesn't necessarily equate to learning. Often learning occurs through social, collaborative, and experiential activities that lead to greater levels of understanding. Employers that embrace the concept of informal learning have to balance some measure of risk in order to hit the payoff. More info: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learning-anarchy-balancing-risks-rewards-informal-ben-eubanks

1. Learning Anarchy
Myths and Truths about Informal Learning

2. POLL
Poll: what's your biggest concern with informal learning?
• Losing control over the content our employees consume
• Lack of measurement or tracking opportunities
• Doesn't fit our workforce's learning/training preferences
• It is too surface-level and doesn't drive long term development

3. Agenda
• Myths and Truths about Informal Learning
• Case Study Research: Barriers to Informal Learning Adoption
• The Neuroscience of Informal Learning

4. Myths and Truths

5. Myth #1: Informal Learning Equates to Chaos
• The Illusion of Control
• Truth: informal learning is already
happening, now we're just trying
to capture, create, and measure
these learning opportunities
• Practical ideas to start:
• Start small, measured steps (SMEs)
• Allow consumption, oversee sharing
• Practical vs conceptual

6. Myth #2: Informal Learning Can't be Measured
• Informal doesn’t mean immeasurable
• Truth: informal activities are still
activities, and outcomes can be
measured (skills acquisition,
performance improvement,
communication quantity/quality)
• Kirkpatrick still works: knowledge
transfer, satisfaction, behavioral change

7. Myth #3: Informal Doesn’t Fit all Learners
• Informal is naturally the easiest way
to learn.
• Why do we think that courses or ILT
are the only way to drive
performance?
• Truth: Your best performers may
actually be demotivated by
traditional training methods.
• Neuroscience facts: moderate
stress, active vs passive, volitional
control

8. Myth #4: Informal Learning isn't Substantive
• Informal learning is about connecting
the dots.
• Truth: Informal learning is a patchwork
of learning experiences that create more
long-term development, not less.
Connecting the dots between disparate
experiences.
• Story: IBM just called remote workers
back. Why risk the backlash? Because
they think the social/collaborative
aspect is worth it.

9. Research: Barriers to Informal
Learning

10. Poll #2
Poll: What would you say are the biggest barriers to informal learning in
your organization?
• Our people don’t have time to pursue informal learning
• Our people aren’t in close proximity to peers or resources
• Our people don’t perceive any noticeable rewards for participating

11. Barrier #1: Lack of Resource Proximity
• Learners say that a lack of
accessible people and resources
is a key barrier.
• Actions:
• Access to relevant people
• Access to relevant experiences
• Access to relevant content

12. Barrier #2: Lack of Time
• Heavy workloads lead to less
time invested in learning (both
formal and informal)
• 93% of workers say they are
least productive at work
(FlexJobs)
• Actions:
• Offer permission (white space)
• Model behaviors (Ellinger)

13. Barrier #3: Lack of Rewards
• There is little perceived incentive
to invest time in learning.
• Actions:
• Communicate/reinforce benefits
• Intrinsic (natural explorers, mastery)
• Extrinsic (performance, rewards)

14. The Neuroscience of Informal
Learning

15. #1: We are Self-Developing
• We are natural explorers (self-
developing)
• Observation, hypothesis, experiment,
conclusion (and repeat).
• Baby vs adult brains
• Provide white space for learning and
people will develop themselves.

16. #2: We are Self-Directed
• Everyone is wired differently (self-
directed)
• Brains develop at different paces in
different people.
• Brains do not store the same
information in the same way.
• One size-fits-all is not a fit.
Embracing informal means opening
up new possibilities.

17. #3: We are Self-Interested
• We don't pay attention to boring things
(self-interested)
• How long did it take you to tie your
shoes?
• Our brain eliminates information and
inputs that it deems irrelevant—is your
learning meeting that threshold?
• Relevancy is everything.

18. Thank You!
Remember:
• We are biologically wired for
informal learning
• It can be measured and
managed
• Remove the barriers to
successful adoption
Thank You!
• Ben Eubanks
• ben.eubanks@lhra.io
• @beneubanks