Posted By JF
Well! got no answers from forum but as i expected, formal are your risk assessments, safe systems etc and informal are audits, inspections, near miss reports etc, bet you all new that though!

Posted By steve e ashton
Its many many years ago now - but the only mention of formal / informal structures I recall from my NEBOSH training relates to the way an organisation relates to itself.

The formal structure is the organisation chart - who manages who, who has dotted line responsibility etc.

the informal structure is the relationships which develop from e.g. who drinks in the same club, who is sleeping with whose wife, how many union reps talk to which managers (outside their direct line of report....) In some organisations, the informal relationships can be more effective (or more damaging) than the formal ones, and much, much harder to understand or influence.

So when I was alleged to have spoken out of turn at a meeting, it took me several weeks to learn the allegation had come from the wife of of one of the Directors. I hadn't known of the relationship. Although even in retrospect I don't think I would have said anything very differently...

Not sure if this might be what your question is asking you to explain?

Steve