How workplace fun promotes informal learning among team members: a cross-level study of the relationship between workplace fun, team climate, workplace friendship, and informal learning
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-06-2021-0251 |
| Published date | 18 January 2022 |
| Date | 18 January 2022 |
| Pages | 870-889 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Amber Yun-Ping Lee,Po-Chien Chang,Heng-Yu Chang |
How workplace fun promotes
informal learning among team
members: a cross-level study of the
relationship between workplace
fun, team climate, workplace
friendship, and informal learning
Amber Yun-Ping Lee
Department of Public Administration and Management,
National University of Tainan, Tainan, Taiwan
Po-Chien Chang
School of Business, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China, and
Heng-Yu Chang
School of Business, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan and
Administration Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Branch,
Taoyuan, Taiwan
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose is to examine the cross-level relationship between workplace fun and informal
learning with workplace friendship as a mediator and team climate as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach –Adopting a two-wave survey procedure, data were collected from 251
employees working across 45 teams of a leading heat transfer manufacturer in Asia. Hierarchical linear
modeling was used to test our hypothesized cross-level moderated mediation model.
Findings –Out of the three forms of workplace fun, only two –manager support for fun and coworker
socializing –supported our hypotheses. Therefore, not all types of workplace fun are equal and one of the key
factors through which fun influences informal learning is by maintaining harmonious interpersonal
interactions and high relationship quality in teams.
Originality/value –Based on social interdependence theory, this study uncovers the cross-level mechanism
of how workplace fun affects informal learning. The findings extend existing research on workplace fun by
focusing on not only individual factors but also interpersonal and contextual elements. The findings also
provide practical implications for managers to understand the possible impact of workplace fun on employees’
informal learning.
Keywords Workplace fun, Workplace friendship, Team climate of participative safety, Informal learning,
Social interdependence theory
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In currentworkplaces, teamworkis increasingly valuedby organization members,and striking
a greater balancebetween work and fun to improve interpersonal relationshipswithin teams is
becominga common trend (Tews et al.,2015).Marriott’scoreideologicalstatement,“Work hard,
but keep it fun,”reflectssuch a work ethic (Tews et al., 2017). Accordingly, workplace fun has
garnered attention over the past decade,with researchers advocating the value of workplace
fun and encouragingmanagers to regard it as an organizational strategy.When workplace fun
is designed to enhance enjoyment, create a more relaxed atmosphere, and establish friendly
relationships with others (Michel et al.,2019), it provides an encouraging environment for
ER
44,4
870
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 14 June 2021
Revised 10 November 2021
25 December 2021
Accepted 3 January 2022
Employee Relations: The
International Journal
Vol. 44 No. 4, 2022
pp. 870-889
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/ER-06-2021-0251
informal learningin the workplace. Informal learning occurs outside of formal and organized
training programs, emphasizing the acquisition of knowledge and skills for which formal
programsand trainings do not exist.This type of learning is often not highlystructured, occurs
spontaneously,and usually involvessocial interactions amongpeers (Manuti et al.,2015;Tews
et al., 2017). As informal learning largely occursunder individual control, it is one’s decisions
that determinethe level of engagement (Noeet al.,2013).To promote informallearning at work,
employees need to perceive a need, have motivation, and be presented with learning
opportunities(Manuti et al.,2015). That is, workplace funmay provide the motivationfor work,
and the possible beneficial results such as teamwork or active learning that modern
organizations need.
Thisstudy takes theperspective ofsocial interdependence theory(SIT), andfurther proposes
the importance of workplace friendship as the mediator and team climate of participative safety
as the moderator in this mechanism. SIT explains cooperative and competitive relations among
individuals, and has been widely applied in both business and education (Johnson, 2003). It
suggests that positive relationships within teams make it easier for members to proactively
interact with each other, thus contributing to favorable individual and/or team outcomes.
Accordingto SIT, when team membersexperience a higher level of workplace friendship with
each other, the perceived positive interdependence among them also increases, creating
responsibility to motivate each other’sinformallearning(Archer-Kath et al.,1994;Johnson and
Johnson, 2009). Coupledwith this, thisstudy argues thatworkplace friendshipand team climate
of participative safety among team members are more likely to be driven bythe emphasis on
harmonioussocial relationships in theChinese context(Yum, 1988). Therefore, the use of SIT in
this context will establish a comprehensive framework for effective practices of workplace fun in
teams, whichcould subsequently promote informal learningamong team members.
This study conducted cross-level analysis of workplace fun and makes important
contributionsto the literature. First,we view workplace fun as a team-levelvariable with three
differentfacets to examine its impact on team members,resulting in an alternativeperspective
of workplace fun. Past studies have mostly focused on individual-level analysis to emphasize
the influence of individual emotions and attitudes on the outcomes of workplace fun (Michel
et al.,2019;Tews et al.,2017). However,when examining work teams, the conceptof workplace
fun is better suitedas a macro-level concept. As team cohesionis becoming more important in
today’s business world, viewingworkplace fun as a macro-level construct(i.e. at the group or
organizational level) should provide important direction to further understand the effects of
workplacefun, particularlyon informal learning.Second, as Tews et al. (2017) suggest,there are
potential mediators and moderators determining how workplace fun impacts individual
behaviors. We thus echoed their suggestion by proposing a moderated mediation model to
examine the relationship between workplace fun and informal learning. Recognizing the
importance of interpersonal relationships in the workplace, this study employs SIT as a
theoreticalfoundationand focuses on interpersonalrelationships(i.e. workplace friendship)and
interaction patterns (i.e. team climate of participative safety) within teams to discover how
interpersonalrelationships influence teammembers’learning behaviors in the workplace, and
how the positiveeffects of workplace fun can be enhanced.Thus, this study offersa theoretical
framework that can help to explain the mechanism of fun and learning relationships and to
extend research on workplace fun by focusing on not only individual factors but also
interpersonal and contextual elements. Moreover, it provides practical implications for
managers to understand the possible impactof workplace fun on employee informal learning.
Literature review
Workplace fun as a key to promoting informal learning
Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in the discussion of workplace fun as
it appears to foster a joyful and more relaxed working environment for organizational
Fun and
informal
learning among
team members
871
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