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This paper reports findings from five case studies of New Zealand organisations that introduced new initiatives such as TQM and “learning organisation” concepts as a result of facing a business environment of continuous change and uncertainty. The case studies, carried out between 1993‐96, highlight seven crucial limitations in the debate about the appropriate skills for such environments. Research findings also provide: evidence of the core skills that employees and managers need for such environments; and a new paradigm of the critical organisational characteristics, culture and form that facilitate learning in these conditions; and the implications for managers, human resource practitioners and training providers.

The purpose of this paper is to describe how, from 2004‐2006, a New Zealand research team experimented with the “change laboratory” learning process to create a new method of government policy development and implementation, referred to as “practice‐making”. The apple industry in Hawke's Bay was chosen because of the level of tension among government agencies and small/medium‐sized firms in the industry, particularly around the scarcity of seasonal labour, amid growing concerns about the possible collapse of the industry.

The team stimulated a cycle of expansive learning among the network of activity systems in the industry. Laboratory participants were growers, labour contractors, pack house operators, quality controllers, horticultural consultants and government officials. The expansive learning cycle is a core concept in developmental work research (DWR) and cultural‐historical activity theory (CHAT).

Participants created a shared “object” for apple production and its government policy and regulation built around quality, making a substantive shift from adaptive learning to transformational learning, and creating a major redesign of the industry. Many of the new practices are now being implemented in the industry and government.

The CHAT/DWR approach seems particularly well suited for complex problem solving in any network where there are intractable systems contradictions and a strong desire among participants to make real change.

It is understood that this is the first time a change laboratory process has been used for government “practice‐making” with industry, in contrast with traditional policy development and implementation that frequently does not address systemic problems.

The purpose of this paper is to show how activity theory transcends the boundary between workplace learning and organizational learning.

Activity‐theoretical analyses examine collectives and organizations as learners. On the other hand, activity theory is committed to pedagogical and interventionist actions to change and learning characteristic of workplace learning.

Activity‐theoretical studies put an emphasis on the object, i.e. on what is done and learned together in inter‐organizational networks, instead of studying only connections and collaboration of networks. The theory of expansive learning enables a longitudinal and rich analysis of inter‐organizational learning and makes a specific contribution in outlining the historical transformation of work and organizations by using observational as well as interventionist designs in studies of work and organization.

The paper shows that activity theory and the theory of expansive learning provide useful analytical tools for the enrichment of studies in workplace learning, as reported in the articles included in this special issue.

Examines the Baldrige criteria and their use in New Zealand. Government development agencies and private industry groups have recently promoted models of best practice in business organization and strategy. Across these initiatives there is a remarkable unanimity in the version of best practice being advocated, reflecting the influence of the Baldrige Award criteria. Contrasts the types of workplace reorganization advocated in the Baldrige criteria with sociotechnical systems, German diversified quality production, flexible specialization. Argues that each of these systems offers a route to best practice in its related market and business environment. Discusses the limits of reducing workplace change to a single one of these options and managerial action alone. Presents evidence of the value of industry co‐ordinated change, including contrasting case studies from the meat and dairy processing sectors.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight and report on women's work during and after the Christchurch earthquakes.

The paper reports findings of some of a large number of life history interviews conducted with Christchurch women in 2012.

Three specific sets of roles for women are identified, arising from the interviews that were undertaken. The first role is in keeping families together, meeting a range of diverse family needs and supporting all family members. The second role is in working with, and leading, post-quake services to offer disaster relief. Finally, a third role is in working in a range of ways to engage with and beautify communities and improve their lives.

Women's work is often unseen in the post-earthquake environment. But this lack of visibility should not imply that women are not active in earthquake recovery.

As far as the authors are aware, this is the first life history study of women undertaken to understand the impact of the earthquakes on their lives.

Examines a seemingly simple case of gender conflict by analysing the multi‐levelled, intra‐personal, interpersonal‐intergroup, and mass unconsciousness of gender conflict. Both process analysis and psychodynamic analysis are used to show that gender does not stand apart from other demographic diversity factors.

Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the Afro‐American experience and to show the joys, sorrows, needs, and ideals of the Afro‐American woman as she struggles from day to day.