Understanding informal learning in small- and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to explore informal learning experiences among employees working in South Korean small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 100 employees. This study specifically seeks to understand the characteristics of informal learning in Korean SMEs and culturally sensitive contextual factors that shape informal learning. Design/methodology/approach To understand the complex, holistic nature of the phenomenon, the current study used a phenomenological qualitative approach. Eighteen full-time employees working at South Korean SMEs in knowledge-intensive industries were interviewed. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’s phenomenological analysis. Findings The findings emerged from the field data revealed four characteristics of informal learning in South Korean SMEs: absolute reliance on informal learning; rapid/immediate learning and application; relationship/client needs-based learning; and extensive trial and error. The current study also identified South Korean SMEs’ unique organizational context (i.e. a family-like atmosphere, one employee-multiple tasks, passive investment in employees and the absence of systems) and Korean culture (i.e. Gab-Eul relations and chemyon) that drive the emergence of SMEs’ informal learning characteristics. Originality/value Very little empirical research has been conducted to explain how informal learning actually occurs and why such learning patterns have emerged in South Korean SMEs. The findings of this study have a profound impact on practice and academia, as it unveils characteristics of informal learning in SMEs, the unique cultural context in which Korean SMEs operate and how these characteristics impact the learning process.

Integrative Literature Review on Informal Learning: Antecedents, Conceptualizations, and Future Directions

“…Marsick (2009) pointed out that the impact of national culture on informal learning is still unknown and called for more research. For example, Jeong, McLean, and Park (2018), in their qualitative study, found that Korean culture (e.g., Confucianism, face-saving) makes a profound impact on shaping experience of informal learning among employees working in SMEs. Bednall et al (2014) also recommended, that researchers investigate the potential moderating effects of national culture on the association between performance appraisal and informal learning.…”

Work Characteristics or Workers’ Characteristics? An Input-Process-Output Perspective on Informal Workplace Learning of Blue-Collar Workers

“…SMBs cannot invest as much time and financial resources in formal personnel development as larger enterprises (Abel and Wagner 2017;Coetzer et al 2017;Decius and Schaper 2017). Furthermore, learning in SMBs is characterized by the sudden need for workers to learn and to apply what they have learned directly (Jeong et al 2018b). In such cases, it is challenging for SMBs to release employees to participate in (external) formal trainings, as it is more difficult for SMBs than for larger companies to compensate for the temporary absence of staff in often strictly planned work processes (Blings 2008).…”

The Changing Landscape of Women’s Leadership in India and Korea From Cultural and Generational Perspectives

“…Specifically in Korea, the highest power distance culture in the world (Hofstede, 2018), clear unequal relationships between people who have different power are common throughout society (Chai et al, 2016). The cultural behavior of power inequality is typically called sang-myung-ha-bok , which describes unconditional obedience to superiors (Rowley & Bae, 2004), or gab-eul , which clearly distinguishes and underlines the power difference between people in which gab (people with strong power) rule over eul (people with weaker power; Jeong, McLean, & Park, 2018). Gender, in Korea, is a major factor associated with power in the workplace and is linked to position and authority.…”