solved Read: A cross-level investigation of informal field-based learning and performance

Read: A cross-level investigation of informal field-based learning and performance improvements.pdf
After reading the Wolfson, Tannenbaum, Mathieu, and Maynard article on performance improvement (2018), identify three (3) findings that you find relevant in your findings and how they may be applicable to your organization.

Provide your evaluation of the quality and validity of their findings and its applicability in your organization. 
Were there areas for improvement in their conclusions? 
Why might this not work in your organization?
Identify three findings that you find relevant in the findings and how they may be applicable to your organization.

Student 1 (Dyesha)
A cross-level investigation of informal field-based learning and performance improvements talks about different learning styles in comparison to informal learning. Informal learning has become a more popular trend that has evolved in present day’s society. The findings in this article support the theory of differential correlations between various learning styles and informal learning outcomes. My opinion, informal learning is a necessity for organizations because it allows more engagement with employees. When trainings are constantly forced upon employees, it becomes more of a burden than an enjoyable learning experience because it takes away initiative. Employees’ motivation to interact in any training or learning activity can rely on how employers provide access to information pertaining to the success of the organization. If employees see their employer is motivated, they’re more likely to be motivated themselves. Being a Probation Officer, informal field based learning may not always be the best for us because we have to follow state mandate and laws. We may feel, at times, there are things we want to do to improve performance but it may not be supported by state officials.
The 3 findings that are relevant and may be applicable to my organization are:
1. Formal training and development: Because we are law enforcement, there are certain policies and procedure we must follow by the book. Deviating from this can actually lead to lawsuits being filed against us and/or being reprimanded, even terminated.
2. On-the-job training: There are specific programs and systems we used to look up criminal background records, driving records, charges from other states and counties, etc. Because of the sensitivity of this information, we have codes and passwords we have to use. This can only be done in the office, after the proper clearance and certification is obtained. Thus, only being done while on the job.
3. Continuous learning: We are presented with new changes constantly, which means we are always learning something new. What we learned 5 years ago may not be the same today, therefore our behavior and the way we approach situations must be adjusted to the new skills and knowledge gained.
Student 2 (Sofia)
The article engages in a very holistic and comprehensive discourse on how organizations should take deliberate steps and strategies towards improving their general performance. One conclusion that the three scholars make is that organizations ought to leverage on informal learning and training of their employees. The benefit in such a measure is that it allows all the employees to get some level of self-initiative rather than having to wait for their employers to sponsor for their training (Wolfson, Tannenbaum, Mathieu & Maynard, 2018). The second finding is that employees should be re-oriented in their particular portfolios to ensure that they can adapt to different situations in the workplace. Finally, the three researchers conclude that performance should be pegged on consistency rather than meteoric rise.
The conclusions that were arrived at by the three scholars are quite legitimate and based on empirical thought. Since diversity and complexity have increasingly become key elements of today’s work ecosystems, it the means that employees need to learn about adaptability in such scenarios (Lindberg, Tan, Yan & Starfelt, 2015). This assertion or claim requires employees never to be static in their profession to maintain a learning mindset for them to progress well. The best conclusion that can work in my organization is that of encouraging informal learning on all employees. This undertaking will help all our employees to become creative in their special ways instead of just sitting back waiting for formal training that is sanctioned by the organization. However, the conclusion that performance should only be pegged on consistency may be hard to attain in my organization whereby evaluation is done based on short to middle term achievements.