The Other 80%

At work we learn more in the breakroom than in the classroom. We discover how to do our jobs through informal learning -- observing others, asking the person in the next cubicle, calling the help desk, trial-and-error, and simply working with people in the know. Formal learning - classes and workshops and online events - is the source of only 10% to 20% of what we learn at work.

Yet corporations, non-profits, and government invest most of their budgets in formal learning, when it?s apparent that most learning is informal. This stands common sense on its head. It?s the 20/80 rule: Invest your resources where they?ll do the least good.

Informal Learning -- the Other 80% is the theme of the May 16th meeting of eLearning Forum. We'll offer numerous suggestions on how to leverage informal learning. I need a little help fleshing out our agenda. Specifically, I'm looking for:

• Anecdotes about informal learning in corporations (which might include such things as story-telling, blogs, IM, mentors, creating space and time for informal learning, etc.). We'll post the stories on the Forum website.

• A brief, whiz-bang demo of Instant Messanger from someone who uses IM in their work. The more remote the location, the better.

Posted by Jay Cross at April 30, 2003 11:54 PM | TrackBack