Invited reaction: Informal learning and the transfer of learning: How managers develop proficiency

Abstract

Abstract Enos, Kehrhahn, and Bell have made an important contribution to measuring informal learning and its transfer as proficiency in a set of company‐identified managerial skills. Measurement of informal learning is at the crux of research that seeks to link learning outcomes to other indicators of effective performance. The ability to show how informal learning affects managerial proficiency also would help practitioners build a better business case for planning and supporting informal learning. A drawback to the research methodology employed in this study is reliance on self‐report, which the authors note but do not fully discuss. Questions also arise about the nature of skills measured and the nature of managerial work in what appears to be a period of transition in the company they examined. I conclude with some thoughts on alternative lenses for considering implications for practice.