A person-situation perspective of informal learning: the role of supervisor feedback environment

Abstract

Purpose Based on trait activation theory, the purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between the antecedents and outcomes of informal learning with the moderating effect of supervisor feedback environment (SFE) in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach Data (n = 388) were gathered from middle managers of Pakistan’s SME sector by following the purposive sampling technique. The proposed model was examined by means of structural equation modeling analysis with AMOS 24. Findings The study results delineate that middle managers with high-level self-efficacy and motivation to learn more actively participate in informal learning activities. The study also found that the SFE is a strong contextual moderator between the nexus of personal factors and informal learning. In addition, informal learning also has significant and positive effect on work engagement. Practical implications Human resource practitioners and organizational leaders of small businesses can use informal learning to improve employees’ skills and knowledge with less cost. For instance, management should use different strategies to enhance the effectiveness of informal learning by providing SFE. Originality/value There are numerous recent calls for research to ascertain the interaction of individual, contextual factors and outcomes of informal learning. The study addresses these voids by empirically examining antecedents and outcomes of informal learning simultaneously through the person–situation interaction perspective. It demonstrates that informal learning at the workplace becomes more effective in SFE.

Transformational leadership promoting employees' informal learning and job involvement: the moderating role of self-efficacy

“…Finally, we examined the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between TL and informal learning. Following Baron and Kenny (1986), we created an additional variable in SPSS for the interaction, by multiplying the independent variable (TL) and the moderating variable (self-efficacy) (Ranaweera and Jayawardhena, 2014; Zia et al. , 2021).…”

“…Nevertheless, previous studies have not examined how specific leadership styles affect informal learning. Recently, scholars thus have called for research concerning leadership style as an antecedent of informal learning (Anselmann and Mulder, 2020; Zia et al. , 2021).…”

“…During informal learning, the individual learns in a self-directed way; intrinsic motivation plays an important role here (Lohman, 2005; Zia et al. , 2021).…”

“…Self-efficacy refers to how confident an individual is in controlling motivation, behavior and social environment to achieve specific performance outcomes (Bandura, 1977). Although self-efficacy is strongly related with informal learning (Zia et al. , 2021), research on how self-efficacy moderates the linkage of TL and job involvement is lacking.…”

Informal learning behaviors and the role of workplace support: preliminary findings from an India-USA workforce

“…Organizational support refers to the support and resources extended by the organization towards workplace learning activities, which includes human resource development (HRD) policies, learning and development (L&D) policies, and resources allocated for learning. Supervisor support is the support extended by the supervisor for the subordinate to engage in ILBs on the job, which can include demonstrating interest in the subordinate's activities, explaining the value of self-development, identifying and recommending activities to subordinates and positive feedback (Zia et al , 2021). Finally, job support or job characteristics refer to features incorporated into a job that can facilitate the workplace learning activities required to perform it.…”