Brazilian scientific studies about informal learning in organizations: mapping the field and exploring future possibilities

Informal learning is understood as the learning process based on intentional experience, however, not formally structured; lead by a process of critical reflection, action, proactive behavior and creativity; embedded in the social context and daily practices. It may be planned or not, although it involves some level of consciousness from the learner. Its relevancy for the workplace has been attested for several authors. This research has the objective of identifying, describing and analyzing the production concerning this subject in Brazil, from 2006 through 2012. The set of 21 articles selected to be part of this research reunite theoretical and empirical studies published in national journals of the Business Administration field, evaluated with a B2 or superior concept by the CAPES's WebQualis. The study involved two steps. The first step was to define the data and sample sources to be used in the work. The second step consisted in the analyses of articles considering the following dimensions: study focus (origin, theme and objective), learning level, referenced authors, theoretical perspective, epistemological positioning, types of research, production context data and main discoveries. The results show a scattered production that still needs to be developed in relation to theoretical drafts taken as reference for the deepening of the theme.

Informal learning; Workplace learning; Learning in organizations