“Trial by fire”: exploring informal and social learning in an IT managed service provider Open Access

Learning at work happens in many ways. New employees commonly use formal development programs to meet specific goals and learning objectives (Chen and Klimoski, 2007). Research indicates formal development programs are valuable for employee growth (e.g., Chen and Klimoski, 2007). However, most learning in the workplace, around 70–90%, happens informally (Noe et al., 2013). The Association for Talent Development (2024) reported that about 35% of employee training and development takes place without an instructor. Unlike formal training programs, which are generally structured and not tailored to the individual needs of learners, informal workplace learning (IWL) occurs naturally and allows employees to decide what they learn and when. Furthermore, formal training programs often struggle to keep up with the changing demands of workforce competence and changes within job requirements and technological advances (Decius et al., 2019).

Keeping up with the demands of daily work and rapid change in technologies and services is challenging for employees within the Information Technology (IT) sector. Businesses rely on IT to operate efficiently and effectively and ensure their own survival in a competitive global market economy. Managing an IT infrastructure’s complex changes and fast pace has become progressively difficult. As such, businesses rely on the ability to outsource their IT and networking support to managed service providers (MSPs).

MSPs provide IT consulting and services to businesses that require up-to-date and reliable technological solutions to support their operations but lack the fixed infrastructure to support those solutions. Kumbakara (2008) described MSPs as organizations that provide clients with remote monitoring and support, service desk operations, problem management, network services and other technology-related management processes. Due to rapid technological advancements, MSPs have become more expansive as dated solutions to new technological issues are no longer applicable. As technology continues to advance, MSPs play multifaceted organizational roles. Specialized clients have unique issues that need to be solved quickly, creating a demand for scarce expertise. Such expertise resides within MSP organizations, and a collaborative MSP community has emerged, so knowledge is shared and efforts are not redundant.

Per Fortune Business Insights (2024), the global market value of MSPs is over 270 billion and is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate of 14.5% from 2024 to 2032. This growth is attributed to businesses relying on technology, cloud services and cybersecurity. While the U.S. dominates the MSP market, the Asian-Pacific region is expected to see the highest growth rate due to its rapid digitization, growing IT infrastructure and move toward adopting managed services.

Like any organization that relies on technology, MSPs encounter challenges as competition, pricing and the need to update services and technologies continuously increase. Rickner (2016) stressed that individuals employed within MSPs should collaborate with one another to remain abreast of new and emerging services for their clients. Therefore, IWL and SNT are key for employee success in MSPs. Our study aims to add unique findings related to IWL and SNT within MSPs about how relationships, collaboration and organizational culture impact learning and development within such organizations.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), as a distinct organizational category, have specific structural and resource contexts that influence how they engage with learning and human resource development. Compared with large companies, SMEs characteristically experience limited resources, use a great deal of informality in how they learn and utilize the skills they gain and emphasize adjustability based on the smaller scale and closer interpersonal contexts of the firm (Tam and Gray, 2016).

As such, informal learning within the SME has been widely established. Watkins and Marsick (1992) asserted incidental and informal learning lie within the fabric of working life and is action-orientated and often tacit in character. This propensity toward incidental and informal learning is particularly pronounced within the environment of the SME due to the less formal training environments and the use of knowledge exchange among closely networked employees (Coetzer et al., 2017). The owner-managers play a critical facilitative role, often with proximity, instant feedback provision and the demonstration of required behavior (Coetzer et al., 2023). This scenario aligns with the use of SNT and collaborative learning, emphasizing the need to outline how the environment of the SME facilitates and curtails such processes.

Tannenbaum and Wolfson (2022) emphasized a great majority of workplace learning–ranging from 70% to 90%–happens informally and is specifically pronounced in the case of SMEs where investment in training has often been limited. This highlights the significance of collaboration and minimal hierarchy within the SME environment, wherein such organizational attributes are not incidental but often intrinsic to learning processes (Nolan and Garavan, 2016; Tam and Gray, 2016). Similarly, Coetzer et al. (2020) highlight how SMEs provide opportunities for employees to engage in formal and informal learning, impacting work engagement and innovation. This has applicability within the framework of the SME environment, wherein the line between working and learning becomes tenuous, allowing for experiential and situational knowledge acquisition (Cerasoli et al., 2018). Finally, Eraut’s (2004) conceptual framework defines informal learning as being embedded in practice, tacit and relational in nature.

Informal workplace learning (IWL) is integrated into daily activities of SMEs and affects worker development through experiential and situational learning. The informality in SMEs, close interpersonal networks and scarce resources create a climate in which learning is continuous, tacit and action centered. Owner-manager positions, collaborative SME settings and low hierarchy contribute to informal learning processes. With most learning happening informally in the workplace, acknowledging and capitalizing on such processes is crucial to enhancing worker engagement, innovation and overall business performance.

Informal Workplace Learning (IWL) and Social Network Theory (SNT) are complementary frameworks through which employee development and knowledge exchange can be conceptualized within organizations, particularly in dynamics sectors such as Managed Service Providers (MSPs).

IWL has become a crucial aspect of the development of employees, contributing to individual performance and organizational success. IWL is mainly self-directed and characterized by unplanned, unstructured activities that occur in the workplace (Islam et al., 2024; Kittel et al., 2021). Recent studies indicate IWL is more common than formal learning, comprising approximately 75% of workplace learning (Federman, 2020; Tannenbaum and Wolfson, 2022) and is achieved through interaction with others, emphasizing knowledge construction as cooperative (Grandy and Mavin, 2020). Given their reliance on up-to-date technological solutions, MSPs present opportunities to examine IWL strategies.

For MSPs, continuous learning is driven by the speed with which technological development and customer needs change. Every organization should establish an environment that encourages individual and group learning. Lee et al. (2022) suggested that a team climate with conditions of participative safety and interpersonal relationships can provide a richer context for the practice of learning and thus support employees in pursuing more active participation in informal learning activities.

Although IWL is beneficial in many ways, this approach also comes with challenges. Berg and Chyung (2008) advised that informal learning may strengthen knowledge silos and inherently lack the structure required for developing strategic skills. Organizations can combine informal learning into larger learning ecosystems, thus offering a mix of structured formal training and allowing improvisation times in acquiring knowledge (Kittel et al., 2021). Organizations can leverage social structures to foster knowledge-sharing and flow of resources, in some way mitigating the limitations seen in informal learning.

Liu et al. (2016) examined SNT as sets of people or groups connected with each other through meaningful social relationships, specifically in how relationships impact the flow of knowledge, resources and information, which also aligns with Shanks’ (2023) concept that informal coaching and mentoring occur naturally within the workplace. Today, virtual social networks provide a context for social interaction, mainly provoking people to connect with people who share similar interests, hence creating social unity (Badiei et al., 2024).

The applications of the SNT cut across all fields and sectors, from education to health care and criminal investigations (Daly et al., 2010). Daly et al. (2010) stressed that the closely knit networks supported collaboration and brought into light the role of social structures in driving organizational change through collaboration. More specifically, relational resources in social networks generate crucial avenues to knowledge, aid and other resources because of social capital (Bieke and Maarten, 2012). Social capital bases its approach on social relationships, networking and the building up of trust and highlights personal benefits as a tool to secure broader social benefits and gain meaning within the context of public interest (Badiei et al., 2024). However, unless regular communication occurs, these social relations and the social capital they create are at risk of depreciation.

Integrating IWL and SNT is beneficial to understanding learning processes within the context of MSP organizations. IWL develops employee competence and organizational performance through autonomy, collaboration over job issues and continuous feedback; this is the most required feature in dynamic sectors like MSPs. SNT further underpins IWL by analyzing how formal and informal relationships foster information flow and contribute to organizational outcomes. In the context of MSPs, SNT specifies how network dynamics may drive knowledge diffusion, collaboration and workflow efficiency. By aligning IWL with SNT, we can effectively examine how an MSP develops collaborative environments where knowledge is developed and shared.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the learning process among employees in an MSP organization. This research employed a case study approach, which is used to explore a real-life bounded system through detailed, in-depth data collection (Creswell and Poth, 2024). The case study approach allowed for “a holistic understanding of a problem, issue, or phenomenon within its social context” (Hesse-Biber, 2017, p. 317). Specifically, a single instrumental case study was employed because the focus was on a specific issue – learning – rather than the case itself (Stake, 1995). Qualitative research allows for a detailed understanding of issues or phenomena (Creswell and Creswell, 2023) and, therefore, is ideal for examining employees’ learning experiences in MSPs.

An MSP in a large metropolitan city in the Southwest U.S. was selected as the site. The MSP has been in business for over 20 years and has recently expanded to four other cities. This MSP was selected due to its recent growth, longstanding market presence and uniquely informal organizational structure, ideal for deeply exploring informal learning dynamic. We gained access to the employees at this MSP through the personal network of one of the researchers. With approval from the company owner and the university’s Institutional Review Board, we recruited participants via email using purposeful participant selection to specifically target network engineers from the MSP, aiming to gain insights into the learning processes (Creswell and Creswell, 2023). All ten invited network engineers were male; the MSP used for the study had no female employees at the time of participant recruitment. Nine network engineers agreed to participate in the study. To protect participants’ identities, all interviewees were assigned pseudonyms for the study. Table 1 displays participant information.

Data were collected through demographic data forms, content analysis of the customer relations management (CRM) system and semi-structured interviews, which provided rich, thick descriptions (Geertz, 1973) from the participants about their experiences learning and working for the MSP. Participants completed a 12-question demographic data form before the interview. Interviews were conducted either in person or virtually using Zoom video conferencing software. Interviews followed a 30-question interview protocol established by the research team, which included questions to elicit details about learning, collaboration and knowledge sharing within the workplace. Each semi-structured, 60–90 min interview was audio recorded and transcribed for analysis.

The customer relations management (CRM) system was an informal knowledge base providing unique information about customer problems and solutions. The CRM was updated regularly as work was done, and employees felt that sharing their actions could benefit other employees. The CRM contained thousands of pages of knowledge shared since the organization was founded in the early 2000s. We reviewed the last six months of information shared in the CRM to gain insight into the knowledge-sharing process.

We followed Saldaña’s (2016) two-cycle coding method for analysis. A holistic coding method was used for the first cycle to determine preliminary themes as this method is best used when “the researcher already has a general idea of what to investigate in the data, or to ‘chunk’ the text into broad topics as a preliminary step before more detailed analysis” (Saldaña, 2016, p. 166). Following pattern coding for the second cycle allowed preliminary themes to be organized into final themes. All researchers met to agree upon final themes and quotes to support themes, which were shared with three participants, who confirmed their accuracy. Finally, to enhance the credibility and validity of the findings, peer debriefing was used to seek feedback from two experts with over three decades of experience in the MSP field who confirmed the learning process presented in the findings was accurate.

The research question guiding this study was: how does informal learning occur within an MSP organization? Findings pointed to collaboration, employee relationships and mentorship as the learning elements within the MSP. Figure 1 portrays our findings, which are outlined in narrative form in this section.

The open workspace and communication defined collaboration in this study. An open design workspace wherein all employees are in one room, where they can see and hear everything the team is doing. This created an open environment for communication to flow easily. The collaborative workspace setup, also referred to as a bullpen, was described as “useful” by all participants as the open space allowed access to one another. Jeff explained, “since we are all sitting in one big room, we can hear other people’s conversations through their phone, and you’re like, ‘oh hey, I ran into that problem before,’ so you jump in and help them out as well.” Kenny, who is the most senior employee in the office, found the open environment to be a useful training tool. He said, “one of the advantages of being in the office is that I’m in the middle of the queue where these guys are so I can overhear their conversations”.

The open space and close proximity provided the ideal space to “bounce ideas off each other” and work through problems through collaboration. We found collaboration was a key part of informal learning within the MSP. Jeff maintained collaboration comprised 95% of his job and said “overcommunication is the best.” Similar to Jeff, most employees shared that learning their duties involved collaboration. Most participants explained they would only spend 15–20 min solving a problem on their own before seeking assistance from a coworker. All participants agreed that communicating with one another to collaborate on a problem is essential to learning and performing their job. Jeff said, “there’s no, like hey you cannot talk to me, or I’m too busy. Everyone is available.” Through collaboration, employees can learn new ways to solve problems and thus learn how to perform their job. The open workspace cultivated an atmosphere of sharing ideas with employees, helping each other out and learning from one another. The bullpen environment enhances problem-solving quickly and supports informal learning.

The collaborative nature of the workplace is inherently embedded within the company culture, in which socialization and relationship-building are high priorities, and the hierarchy is very informal to create a friendly and supportive environment.

The second element of learning within the MSP was the employee relationships, which included socialization and the organizational hierarchy. Through in-depth analysis, the researchers noticed meaningful and genuine relationships among all the interviewed employees. Bentley shared:

Other employees echoed these sentiments, explaining that the long hours in the office create a space for trusting relationships to develop. For instance, Reggie said:

Nate framed relationships as a necessary part of the job stating, “you have to work with each other […] on a day-to-day basis […] so you have to be friendly with them or else you’re just going to be miserable.” Common interests, such as games and technology, shared mentality or being “technically driven,” and similar personality types were also expressed as factors in employee relationship development. Bentley described the shared relationships as a “brotherhood,” and Kenny felt that similarities in personalities, which he coined as “the social nerd,” enabled friendships and trust to develop among the employees.

While relationships were developed in the office, we also discovered that the employees spent time together outside the workplace. These outings include meals, gatherings at an employee’s home or activities such as laser tag, escape rooms or trivia. Employees at all levels of the organization participated in social endeavors outside the workplace. The loose and vague hierarchy and casual environment in which this MSP operates are essential to all previously discussed aspects of learning. Kenny describes the work environment as:

Employees are encouraged to seek input or advice from any employee they feel has the appropriate knowledge, not necessarily who has the most seniority, and can be as informal and casual with one another as they want. There was not a clear hierarchy or organizational chart within this organization. Participants shared that the owner would ask questions just as a new or seasoned engineer would. In fact, questions were encouraged. Reggie shared that when he started working at this MSP, he was told several times to not be “afraid to ask questions because there’s no stupid questions because everyone’s still going to learn.” The employee relationships within the organization fostered learning in an informal and collaborative nature, and all participants shared that they sincerely enjoyed their coworkers and work environment.

The collaborative and informal nature of the relations at the MSP underlines a supportive culture that promotes connection and professional development. An environment without strict hierarchies and shared experiences with colleagues created a space for people to thrive on mutual trust, camaraderie and a shared sense of purpose. From developed employee relationships, continuous learning occurred and formed strong teamwork and mentorship.

The final element of learning within the MSP was mentorship, which involved job shadowing and informal mentoring. When asked how employees were trained, the consensus among all participants was a process they called “trial by fire.” Kenny explained the training process: after a brief introduction to the customer relationship management system by any available employee, the new employee will begin working on tickets in the queue. When employees encounter a problem they cannot solve, they consult a coworker. There were no training courses or manuals to reference because technology changes quickly and solving client problems is not a one-size-fits-all approach; each problem is handled case by case. There were also no designated trainers for new employees. Any employee who has time to answer questions or teach the new employee will perform the training. All employees agreed that this training method is effective. An advantage of this training process is that it allows new employees to get familiar with the existing employee knowledge base, which will assist them in the future when trying to determine with whom to consult on various issues they encounter. Reggie explained that each employee has more experience in different technologies, so he must know which coworker to trust to be his resource or who can point him in the right direction to solve the problem.

Additionally, this multi-person training process allows mentorships to develop. Since the new employee is exposed to several different seasoned employees’ methods to approach problems and answer questions, the new employee can naturally find a mentor with whom they can trust and consult throughout their career. Participants shared that they would choose with whom they would seek advice, whether work-related or not. Indeed, it seemed that situational knowledge would foster such relationships. For instance, if an employee knew that a coworker had knowledge or expertise on a topic, that would trigger or reinforce a mentor-type relationship. Wade shared that he had a mentor in the office who helped with “work-related issues specific to a problem or just personal matters.” Likewise, Kenny explained that he was mentored by a former employee and, as the most senior employee at the time, managed four mentees whom he guided personally and professionally. This MSP had an environment that supports learning via strong relationships, open collaboration and trust. An informal hierarchy and supportive atmosphere outline the possibility for workers to seek advice freely, build connections and enjoy their work.

The study found meaningful relationships and collaboration, informal training structure and loose organizational hierarchy were key drivers to learning success among employees within the MSP. The hiring practices, training processes and family environment foster deep, meaningful relationships between the employees, ultimately creating a trustworthy social network (Umar et al., 2023). In this section, we use literature to discuss our findings.

Relationships among participants extended beyond the workplace creating a comfortable collaborative and learning environment. The team climate in the MSP embodied recommendations by Lee et al. (2022) that team climates should foster interpersonal relationships to provide a rich context for learning. Relationship development began in an open environment wherein employees could ask questions, learn the responsibilities of their jobs and socialize about personal interests. Relationships developed, and employees began socializing outside the workplace to strengthen their relationships, which enhanced collaboration and innovation in the workplace.

Examining the study through the SNT lens allowed us to determine the strong impact relationships had on the flow of knowledge, resources and information (Liu et al., 2016). Established rapport and relationships between employees, both personal and professional, along with the loose organizational hierarchy, allowed new employees to feel comfortable asking questions and learning from veteran employees. As they learned more about one another’s skills and areas of expertise, knowledge sharing and acquisition became easier and more efficient.

Meaningful relationships played a pivotal role in engaging learning and collaboration among MSP employees. The social and professional ties formed through open communication, shared experiences and teamwork created trust and reliance on each other. These relationships facilitate knowledge sharing, induction and learning within the organizational culture. The SNT has underlined the strength of interpersonal relationships and their significant relation to knowledge transfer and work. The results put emphasis on relationship-building, collaboration and a flexible, informal training structure as the basis for better employee and organizational development.

Collaboration was key to the success of the participants in this study. Borgatti et al. (2014) stressed the role of collaboration and knowledge sharing among teams to learn effectively. Employees within this MSP created a team wherein collaboration was the norm and valued within the organization as knowledge was shared openly. Any employee, including the company owner, is approachable for guidance. This echoes Coetzer et al. (2023) notion that owner-managers play a critical facilitative role in collaboration. Without their relationships and collaboration, it is hard to determine whether their job could be done as effectively and efficiently or even done at all. Reinforced by the SNT that stressed collaboration results are determined by the quality of the connection among team members (Daly et al., 2010), the participants in this study showed strong relationships that transferred to successful workplace collaboration and learning.

Our research echoes Eraut’s (2004) definition of informal being largely unseen, embedded in work and relationship dependent. Collaborative knowledge sharing, workplace networks and informal mentoring are key to staff development. With MSPs, technological advancements occur at a high rate, so constant upskilling is required, making collaboration with peers crucial for coping with challenges. Informal learning is not only a result of work but an ongoing process that maintains performance and growth.

The informal training structure lends itself to the new wave of learning and development in the workplace, especially within SMEs with limited training resources (Tannenbaum and Wolfson, 2022). Most learning among the MSP employees occurred naturally and allowed them to develop skills as they grew, a key element of IWL (Decius et al., 2019; Watkins and Marsick, 1992). With little to no formal training protocol, employees relied on one another to learn their duties, ensure clients were serviced according to their contracts and receive the most up-to-date technologies and software to ensure their businesses ran effectively. Such an informal training structure is common within SMEs as resources and access to formalized training programs limited (Coetzer et al., 2020; Short, 2019). Employees in this study learned from peers, thus indicating the role of healthy workplace relationships in knowledge transfer (Jeong et al., 2018; Tam and Gray, 2016).

Cautioning the use of IWL, Berg and Chyung (2008) advised that informal learning may strengthen knowledge silos and inherently lack the structure required for developing strategic skills. However, our case study revealed lesser formality of learning within an MSP was not subjected to the possible pitfalls given the ability to foster an environment based on cooperation, mutual trust and open knowledge sharing. Employees in this study created high levels of social bonding inside the firm and maintained access to resources, information and skill dispersion between the group members. Employees were regularly involved in knowledge-sharing practices through on-the-job conversations and less formally outside the job where they may not have realized learning was occurring due to its informal nature (Watkins and Marsick, 1992). Such an organizational culture can familiarize new employees with their jobs and create an environment where technical and contextual knowledge can be easily shared.

The social network that emerged from these collaborative efforts formed a decentralized learning institution for the organization that staff utilized when expertise or problem-solving assistance was needed. This was further enhanced by the absence of a rigid organizational hierarchy, which made approaching more experienced employees, or even the owner, with questions. In a broader managed services context, parallels can be made between IT MSPs and other in-demand fields, such as managed cybersecurity, HR and finance, in which employees alike must similarly depend on expedient knowledge transfer and ad-hoc mentoring to keep pace (Tam and Gray, 2016; Tannenbaum and Wolfson, 2022). The loose, non-hierarchical structure of this MSP permitted great collaboration.

The development of solutions, competitors in the industry and a sense of community through knowledge shared by employees rather than competing against each other or developing solutions in isolation. The environment minimized any risks that Berg and Chyung (2008) mentioned through the assurance that individuals did not hold critical knowledge but were in constant flow in the team. The study highlights the balance of connecting flexibility with intentional strategies in ensuring that informal learning leads to temporary problem-solving, sustainable skill development and organizational success.

This study offers implications for theory, practice and policy. Furthermore, this study contributes to the scant research related to the growing industry of managed services in IT. Our study’s findings help MSPs identify how employees can learn efficiently and effectively, which can be applied to other rapidly changing industries such as financial technology, health care and education.

In theory, linking IWL with SNT enabled us to thoroughly examine learning within an IT organization and contribute to scholarship marrying these theories. Our study found that informal learning in SMEs is best when strong social relationships are formed to support collaboration and knowledge sharing. Furthermore, informal training protocols can be valuable when collaboration and relationship-building are fostered. Tam and Gray (2016) emphasized that learning and networking with peers enhances skill acquisition and reinforces social capital in SMEs, which aligns with the findings from our study. With cost-effectiveness and just-in-time applicability, informal learning is a strategic approach for SMEs.

In practice, organizations could consider utilizing an open workspace to encourage collaborative learning and relationship building. Team-oriented bullpens encourage frequent communication and interactions and have been deemed influential for workflow effectiveness, flexibility and cost (Becker, 2001). Such a workspace can encourage trust and camaraderie, which is essential to a positive workplace where employees are willing and excited to share information (Rickner, 2016). As such, the first step to this is creating a physically open environment.

For practice, trainers, leaders and educators could consider relying on IWL whenever possible. This study supports research indicating that IWL is beneficial, especially among SMEs (Association for Talent Development, 2024; Federman, 2020; Tam and Gray, 2016; Tannenbaum and Wolfson, 2022). For instance, in this study, implementing an unstructured training protocol was deemed effective, which aligns with current data related to the increase in reliance on IWL (Islam et al., 2024). Likewise, pairing new employees with seasoned employees allows for organic mentorships to develop and new employees to identify ways to solve problems in rapidly changing industries. An informal training protocol and informal mentorship create opportunities for relationships to develop and extend beyond the workplace. Based on findings from this study, strong relationships and social networking can positively impact the ability to collaborate and share knowledge in the workplace.

Consequently, without structure, training may lead to inconsistencies and knowledge silos (Berg and Chyung, 2008). To mitigate such challenges, trainers and educators must balance informal learning with lightweight structured elements, such as quick reference guides, job aids and the occasional knowledge-sharing session, so learning aligns with business goals and is available to all employees. Structured guidance amplifies the power of informal learning and ensures that critical knowledge is systematically diffused throughout an organization, enabling the development of individuals and teams (Andoh et al., 2022).

For policy, considerations to remove or restructure rigid hierarchies could create a non-competitive environment that enables employees to share information and ask questions without judgment freely (Belloc et al., 2023). This is probably the most surprising finding, as much of the literature would likely advise against the lack of hierarchy within an organizational structure. However, for this small organization, the lack of hierarchy and the proximity and access to the owner work exceptionally well.

Limitations of this study include all-male participants, a single site and limited number of participants. Contextualizing the gender composition of the majority of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) employees, specifically within the IT industry, is important to note. The World Economic Forum (2024) reported women comprise 29% of STEM employees. Looking at computer and math-based work specifically, Noonan (2017) indicated less than 25% of employees identified as female, highlighting how women within this area are vastly underrepresented. Noonan (2017) expanded on their findings, stating that this disproportionate representation of male-to-female employees is gender stereotyping, lack of female role models and the gender wage gap. While strides must be made to support women’s equity within the IT and STEM workforce environment, it is also important to understand how the MSP industry expects to keep up with the projected growth through innovation and learning strategies. While gender diversity is a major issue in MSP, this research focuses on existing structures and learning processes in MSP. Future research should focus on how those structures and processes could be modified to create a context more supportive of gender diversity.

While the single MSP site limits this study, the findings provide intimate descriptions of learning within MSPs, which can be applied to related organizations. This study could be replicated at other MSPs or similar fast-paced organizations to provide further insight into learning within this context. Future research using quantitative methods would be beneficial in reaching a larger audience of MSP and IT employees to glean further insight into learning processes and their impact on workflow and efficiency. Future research using qualitative methods such as observations might provide more detail to the training and mentoring process. A study examining team roles and leadership styles would also contribute to the dearth of knowledge surrounding learning in fast-paced work environments such as MSPs. Furthermore, qualitative studies focusing on the validation of learning in IWL settings would also be beneficial.

MSPs represent dynamic organizations that play a critical role in supporting the technological infrastructure of businesses, especially SMEs. With continuous technological development, deciphering how learning occurs in fast-paced and rapidly changing environments, such as MSPs, is crucial. This study developed an understanding of IWL and dynamics within social networks in pursuit of collaboration, adaptability and knowledge sharing in MSPs. Key findings supported the challenge of traditional models of workplace learning, in which relaxed environments, informal hierarchies and open workspaces promote in-depth relationships, trust and communication – the foundations of effective learning and problem-solving. By moving the focus toward collaboration and informal mentorship over structured training protocols, MSPs can create an environment where employees can adapt rapidly to changing challenges and be better prepared to contribute to organizational success.

These insights go beyond MSPs into other fast-changing and complexly demanding industries, guiding toward collaborative effort and agility in the workforce. The study, however, indicates that a balance needs to be created between informal learning and strategic structure in order not to be at risk of knowledge silos and inconsistencies. This study emphasizes trust, collaboration and open communication as necessary for organizations that want to thrive in a continuously changing technological environment.