ABSTRACT
Among the various aspects of individual learning in organizations, the variability of employees learning mechanisms is one of the most important issues. Studies on the subject stated that the use of a greater variety of individual learning mechanisms provide a more effective learning. However, this view is not unanimous, as there is questioning of the relationship between the variety of mechanisms and higher learning, which serves as a stimulus to further research. This article presents the most significant individual learning mechanisms identified in the Systems Development Department of a public company of information technology, in the acquisition of knowledge about free open source software, and the assessment of its variability. The investigation of the individual learning mechanisms that are employed in an organization is relevant for two main reasons: to identify the most significant individual learning mechanisms and as a way of eliminating from future analyzes the individual learning mechanisms that have no real relevance for population’s study. There was no significant association between greater variability of the adopted mechanisms of learning and the learning obtained, which generated new questions about this relationship. The research addresses the formal individual learning and the informal individual learning.
Keywords:
Individual Learning; Free Open Source Software; Variability of Individual Learning