Performance Management: Putting Research into Action

Characteristics of the Worker That Influence Informal Learning

Characteristics of the worker have been shown to be important to formal learning. For example, individual differences in cognitive ability have been shown to be strong predictors of job and training performance (Hunter & Schmidt, 1996; Jensen, 1980). In the Baldwin and Ford (1988) model of training transfer, they state that cognitive ability, personality, and motivation are important worker characteristics that influence transfer of learning. These same characteristics are very likely to have a strong effect on informal learning, though there are few studies, other than formal training and transfer of learning studies, that demonstrate the relationship.

In a meta-analysis of ...