Towards a strategic use of computer mediated communication to support flexible learning in the workplace

A number of central precepts of flexible delivery of workplace training are challenged by research showing that vocational learners are typically non-verbal, and prefer structured and social learning environments. That research is reviewed, together with a number of strategies that will assist flexible delivery to these learners. These strategies are largely amenable tocomputer-mediated communication.<br /

Technical rationality and professional artistry in RD practice

This paper outlines the limitations of a technical rationalist approach to HRD practice without seeking to negate it. It then offers a complementary view based on Schon\u27s notion of the reflective practitioner which exhorts HRD practitioners to embrace complexity and reflection. We outline, first, a number of dimensions of diversity which confer complexity upon HRD practice, and, second, a series of suggested questions that may aid the framing of practical problems in a more effective way than might be the case with a purely technical rationalist approach. We urge novice (and expert) HRD practitioners to adopt a mind set that is contemplative of the diversities that they may encounter in practice and which is conjectural with regard to how these diversities may impact upon problems and their solutions.<br /

Leadership and learning: facilitating self-directed learning in enterprises

Purpose - To show that a key aspect of learning and development of individual employees is that of self-directedness. This paper will consider the role of the leader in facilitating workforce development in terms of employees\u27 self-directedness for learning. The research was designed to investigate the views that \u27learning leaders\u27 in organizations have towards the development of self-directedness in employees; and to identify strategies that are feasible in developing self-directedness in operating organizations. Design/methodology/approach - Draws on a national research project undertaken in 12 organizations in Australia, representing a range of sizes and a number of industry sectors. Data collection involved interviewing learning and development managers in each organization to gauge the relative feasibility of the implementation of a number of pre-identified strategies designed to develop self-directedness among employees within operating work environments. Findings - Showed that: learning managers and leaders were generally well disposed towards the development of self-directedness, and some had already moved to do so; and identified a number of possible strategies for implementation of varying degrees of feasibility. The paper will consider these findings in relation to the concept of a \u27learning leader\u27. Research limitations/implications - Although the research was conducted in a diverse set of 12 enterprises, applicability of the results across an even wider set of enterprises would need to be tested. Originality/value - The findings of this research provide guidance to learning and development personnel on feasible strategies to use within their own organization to assist with the development of self-directed learning among employees. <br /

Informal and Incidental Learning in the Liminal Space of Extended Independent (Gap-Year) Travel

Significant student learning experiences occur informally and incidentally in the liminal spaces that are “betwixt and between” various educational, professional, and life stages. However, the learnings which take place in such liminal spaces are not well understood; they are both problematic and powerful and have untapped potential. Our research explored informal and incidental learning processes and outcomes in the liminal space of extended independent (gap year) travel. Based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of the detailed accounts of the learning experiences of 27 participants, we present a six-stage model of how learning occurs in the liminal space of extended independent travel. In studying the relationships between informal and incidental learning in this space we uncovered a process whereby participants, at times as the result of experiencing a disorienting dilemma, had the opportunity to reflect on old ‘habitual’ ways of being and, through reflexivity, engage with new ‘re-authored’ ways of being. The implications of our findings for learning in general and management learning and education in particular are discussed. Keywords: informal and incidental learning; liminality; reflection; reflexivity; transformatio

Exploring creativity as experienced by world-leading chefs

This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring the phenomenon of creativity as experienced by world-leading chefs in the organizational setting of their creative industry - haute cuisine. By capturing holistically the complexities and interactions of high-level creativity in high-performance settings, we endeavoured to illustrate how world-leading haute cuisine chefs constructed and understood their experience of being creative and what this can tell us about the nature of creativity more generally. The experiences of our sample of chefs indicate that the phenomenon of creativity is an evolutionary process of 'becoming creative'. Insights into the experience of high-level creativity in a deeply creative commercial setting explain how intra-subjective meaning making of what high-level creativity entails impacts directly on creative outcomes and what this means for creative workers' self-concept, and can be generalized to other settings

Teaching and learning intuition: Some implications for HRD and coaching practice

Purpose: examine conceptual and theoretical links between intuition and coaching; investigate accomplished coaches’ practical experiences of intuition; identify skill set of an intuitive coach; discuss implications of findings for coaches’, HRD professionals and line managers’ learning and development. Method and Sample: in-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews with 14 accomplished experienced executive coaches (eight males and six females) averaging 14.5 years as a coach. Findings: outline of core attributes of an intuitive coach. Implications: immersion in experience, a reflective approach to practice, effective feedback and supervision, and attending to personal well-being are likely to enable coaches, HRD practitioners and line managers to take a more informed and intelligent approach to ‘going with their gut’ in coaching situations

Perspectivas clásicas y modernas de las virtudes en la empresa (II)".

Este cuaderno contiene: "En busca de la virtud: el papel de las virtudes, los valores y las fortalezas de carácter en la toma de decisiones éticas" "Participar en el bien común de la empresa" "Antes de la virtud: biología, cerebro, comportamiento y ‘sentido moral’" "La posibilidad de la virtud