Informal Learning In Workplace In The Perspective Of Knowledge Creation Metaphor

Because of the spread and influence of lifelong education and learning, also with the support of network and information technologies, any one in anywhere can learn in any time. Boundaries between work and life gradually blurred and increasingly integrated. The effect of learning and the development of individual professional competence are closely related to organizational performance upgrade. People’s attention for workplace learning has gradually increased, but mainly to formal learning such as training, informal learning at work that accounted for 70%-80% learning needs is less noted by human resource managers and educators.As samples in this study, a company’s marketing team was observed and recorded of informal learning in workplace. During the study, informal learning methods and processes, knowledge generation, transfer and sharing become the focus of observation. The author introduces three metaphors of learning:acquisition metaphor, participation metaphor and knowledge creation metaphor as study framework. As knowledge creation metaphor are more concerned about the community’s multiple interactive and the collaboration of knowledge creation, it is possible to update the angles and apply more comprehensive approach to study informal learning in the workplace.The author uses the knowledge creation metaphor to analyze the informal learning in the workplace; with the three metaphors as a framework and through case studies of the marketing team, the author tries to build a operating model in the perspective of knowledge creation and summarizes the content and features of informal learning in the workplace.