It User Learning the Role of Informal Processes

Based on Piaget’s theory of cognitive disequilibrium and Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development, as well as on memory theory and research, it is supposed that informal organizational processes and personal communication make it easy to produce and transmit knowledge necessary for optimal information technology use. Such processes complement competence deficits, which originate in inadequate formal training. Informal learning processes identify easily any concrete problem, and produce support of high accuracy very well adapted to the actual lack of knowledge. Research presented in this paper shows that, when education fails, users most often prefer to ask help from another humans, for example help-desk or colleagues, and to establish informal support networks among themselves, rather than search in manuals and other tools. Accordingly, IT design and implementation processes must support the acquisition of individual and organizational skills to establish and run informal learning networks. 1. THE NATURE OF INSTRUCTION Advanced and sophisticated IT systems are depended heavily on the competence of users. Competence development is therefore necessary in order to achieve the optimal use of a system. For that purpose training is given in introductory courses and continuous support is offered through manuals, electronic means and help-desks. Introductory education and tools are based on previous knowledge of future problems. The solution of such foreseeable problems is the content of manuals, electronic tools, and introductory training. However, the main characteristic of problem situations during the use of IT systems is that they are difficult to anticipate and, consequently, impossible to construct education and tools that can help users with these problems. Any successful construction, implementation and use of information technology systems require many different things. Satisfaction of economical and technological aspects used to (and still are) in focus, but today other aspects such as organizational structure and dynamics, work environment, work task, user competence, even ethical issues, take a bigger part in the way a system functions. Consequently one has to take into consideration all these