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11 – 20 of 26
Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

Lennart Svensson, Per‐Erik Ellström and Carina Åberg

A model for workplace learning is presented, which intends to integrate formal and informal learning with the use of e‐learning. An important underlying assumption is that the…

9849

Abstract

A model for workplace learning is presented, which intends to integrate formal and informal learning with the use of e‐learning. An important underlying assumption is that the integration of formal and informal learning is necessary in order to create desirable competencies, from both an individual and an organisational perspective. Two case studies are presented in which the model was tested. One of the studies was carried out in an industrial setting, the other in a hospital context. The results are promising in terms of flexibility and accessibility, but some problems remain to be solved. These problems have to do with the integration of individual and organisational learning, but also with the lack of time for reflection and learning during conditions of down‐sizing and rationalisation.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 16 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 January 2012

Staffan Nilsson and Per‐Erik Ellström

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to illuminate the problems that are associated with defining and identifying talent and to discuss the development of talent as a…

25237

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to illuminate the problems that are associated with defining and identifying talent and to discuss the development of talent as a contributor to employability.

Design/methodology/approach

The world of work is characterised by new and rapidly changing demands. Talent management has recently been the target of increasing interest and is considered to be a method by which organisations can meet the demands that are associated with increased complexity. Previous studies have often focused on the management of talent, but the issue of what exactly should be managed has generally been neglected. In this paper, the authors focus on discussing the substance of talent and the problems associated with identifying talent by using the following closely related concepts: employability, knowledge, and competence.

Findings

Employability is central to employee performance and organisational success. Individual employability includes general meta‐competence and context‐bound competence that is related to a specific profession and organisation. The concept of employability is wider than that of talent, but the possession of talent is critical to being employable. In this paper, the authors suggest a model in which talent includes individual, institutional, and organisational‐social dimensions.

Practical implications

The illumination of different meanings of talent management and the substance of talent is crucial to the practical implication of central human resource development practices, such as training and development.

Originality/value

The paper shows that clarification of the conceptual boundaries and the presentation of a typology that is relevant to the understanding of talent are central to the creation of valid talent management systems that aim to define and develop talent.

Details

European Journal of Training and Development, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-9012

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 January 2020

Peter E. Johansson and Andreas Wallo

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the competence in use when working with interactive research, which is a continuation and elaboration of action research.

1264

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the competence in use when working with interactive research, which is a continuation and elaboration of action research.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research approach was adopted for the study. The main body of empirical material in this paper is based on two sources of data – a survey comprising open-ended questions, followed by a series of focus group interviews. The respondents were researchers with varying degrees of experience in using interactive research.

Findings

The findings provide illustrations of what characterises interactive research as work and identify an additional set of activities that go beyond traditional research activities. Some activities are relatively easy to describe, while others exist in the gaps between other activities – e.g. boundary spanning – and are harder to explicitly define in terms of implications for the involved researchers’ competence. The work activities reaching beyond the traditional research boundaries are implicit and are not a common shared practice. From a competence point of view, this implies that the competence in use for these implicit tasks of interactive research becomes individually carried. Based on these findings, a number of individual aspects of what constitutes competence in use are suggested.

Research limitations/implications

In future studies, it would be valuable to use a mixed-method approach that also includes longitudinal observations of the actual work of conducting interactive research.

Practical implications

The findings and suggestions for how to understand the competence of interactive researchers can be used as guidance for training in research education.

Originality/value

This study contributes to previous research by describing important requirements and critical elements of competence in use when conducting interactive research.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 31 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2008

Henrik Kock, Andreas Gill and Per Erik Ellström

The purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of why firms, specifically small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), participate in a programme for competence…

1568

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of why firms, specifically small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), participate in a programme for competence development and why firms use different strategies for competence development.

Design/methodology/approach

A study of 17 SMEs that all received support from the European Social Fund, Objective 3 programme. The collection of data is based on semi‐structured interviews with management/owners, internal project leaders, employees and union representatives, feedback seminars with representatives from the studied enterprises, and on analysis of documents.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that all SMEs reported driving forces for competence development relating to both external organizational conditions and internal organizational conditions, to at least a certain degree. Furthermore, there appears to be a strong relationship between observed patterns of driving forces and the strategy for competence development used by the firm.

Practical implications

The SMEs that experience a relatively stronger driving force for competence development initiate problem‐solving efforts to design and implement more elaborated strategies for competence development. The SMEs that experience a lesser degree of driving force for competence development implement less elaborated strategies for competence development.

Originality/value

The paper finds that both external and internal organizational conditions are important in understanding why SMEs undergo competence development programme. Furthermore, the importance of external and internal organizational conditions is not only limited to why the companies participate in a programme for competence development, but also for how they participate, i.e. the strategies used for competence development.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 22 February 2008

Sara Cervai and Tauno Kekäle

282

Abstract

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2011

Erik Laursen

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate organizational development projects considered as ways of implementing new methods – technologies and ways of organizing work in…

1716

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate organizational development projects considered as ways of implementing new methods – technologies and ways of organizing work in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical study presents four organizational development projects (covering the organizations as a whole) run by four Danish upper secondary schools (“gymnasium”). The study included questionnaires as well as interviews with the management and staff, as well as a survey of selected written materials and documents.

Findings

The empirical study offers a description of the activities actually organized by the projects, as well as the various ways in which different groupings among the staff and the management are relating to the project. A special focus is directed towards the different perspectives on the projects established by the staff and the management and what consequences these different perspectives have on what is actually learned. Another finding is the weak links that exist between what is known by the staff as “ordinary problems” of the organizations and the objectives and goals of the development projects.

Practical implications

The possible transformation of management emerging through the development projects, should be outlined and discussed in an open and explicit manner instead of constituting a hidden – and often highly controversial – agenda for the projects.

Originality/value

A typology of development projects is presented and discussed as a tool to describe and understand different ways of framing organizational learning processes. The study also points out a possible relation between loosely coupled organizations (Weick, 1976; Brunsson, 2003) and the learning outcome of organizational development projects.

Content available
Article
Publication date: 3 December 2020

Kristina Safsten and Glenn Johansson

417

Abstract

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 31 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Content available
Article
Publication date: 4 April 2008

Tauno Kekle and Sara Cervai

345

Abstract

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2014

244
Content available
Article
Publication date: 3 August 2012

Sara Cervai and Tauno Kekale

3

Abstract

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

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