Editorial

Citation

Kekäle, T. and Cervai, S. (2015), "Editorial", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 27 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-06-2015-0047

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Workplace Learning, Volume 27, Issue 6

“Beyond being present”. This thought, a part of the title of the first article of this issue, by Marianne Döös et al., sums perfectly what we think leadership should be in the learning context. We know from previous research that learning of the organization is dependent on the motivation of the learners, and that learning is also enhanced by the right environmental and organizational factors. But who should cater for them? The management! If quality is 98 per cent dependent on management choices and actions and only 2 per cent due to bad will of the workers, as Deming is supposed to have said, then learning in any organization must be a great deal dependent on the management. They (we managers, leaders!) shall want learning, they shall arrange opportunities for learning, they shall be leaders in learning. If the management does not believe in learning, especially in scholarly settings, then who will? So we leaders must do our utmost to enhance and create learning and learning opportunities – beyond just being present.

In this issue, as luck would have it, we simultaneously got several articles that take a look at the role of leadership in learning. This is our first-ever “leadership in learning” issue, and we are a bit ashamed that we have overlooked this self-evident organizatory role this far. We will try not to let it take too long to follow-up on the topic; thus, we encourage research on the role of leaders in organizational and workplace learning.

In this issue, as noted, Marianne Döös, Peter Johansson and Lena Wilhelmsson are the first authors to be presented. Their data set comprised interviews with nine middle managers about ways of working during a period of organizational change. A learning – theoretical analysis model was used to categorize managerial acts of influence. They have found two mechanisms of managerial action that help lead workplace learning: one aligning that narrows organizational members’ discretion, and one freeing that widens discretion. The first is required to make sure the organization learns; the second, to enable anybody in the organization to learn.

Next in the theme, we have an input from a long-term contributor from Finland, Iris Humala. Her article concentrates on creativity and virtual work in a start-up context, and what kind of leadership such development requires. In brief, she finds that “collaborative coaching leadership and assertiveness for start-ups to minimize mistakes in virtual work. Practitioners must unlearn old courses of action to learn to operate in a start-up environment and utilize information and communication technology (ICT) in a smart way”.

The third article in this issue is also very much to the point, our current theme. Even the title says precisely what we want to emphasize as the main task of the leaders: developing a supportive learning environment. In the article, Sue Lancaster examines the factors that employees perceived were important in creating a supportive learning environment in a newly formed organization. In the fourth and last article, Kate Black takes on several middle managers’ own stories about how they keep on learning despite ageing, and, among other issues, what roles their mentors play. “Later-career workers need to be alerted to the learning potential within their jobs and the capabilities to leverage this potential, such as critically reflective skills, need to be fully developed.”

Thus, this issue has important implications, but, as always, more research on this topic of leadership for learning is needed. Keep these submissions coming for another thematic issue or for any increased insights into workplace learning. It is a competitive advance.

Tauno Kekäle and Sara Cervai - Editors