Using the PIAAC survey, this study examined social characteristics of work and cognitive skills. Results negatively associated collaboration at work and PIAAC scores, contradicting current thinking on workplace interactions

Collins, Joshua

Lopes, Tobin

Scully-Russ, Ellen

Zarestky, Jill

English

Kansas State University

Kansas State University Libraries New Prairie Press Adult Education Research Conference 2018 Conference Proceedings (Victoria, BC Canada) Collaboration and Cognitive Skills in the Workplace: Results from the PIAAC Survey Joshua Collins University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, collinsj@umn.edu Jill Zarestky Colorado State University - Fort Collins, jill.zarestky@colostate.edu Ellen Scully-Russ The George Washington University, scullyru@gwu.edu Tobin Lopes Colorado State University, tobin.lopes@colostate.edu See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/aerc  Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Commons, and the Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License Recommended Citation Collins, Joshua; Zarestky, Jill; Scully-Russ, Ellen; and Lopes, Tobin (2018). "Collaboration and Cognitive Skills in the Workplace: Results from the PIAAC Survey," Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2018/papers/44 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Adult Education Research Conference by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact cads@k-state.edu. Author Information Joshua Collins, Jill Zarestky, Ellen Scully-Russ, and Tobin Lopes This event is available at New Prairie Press: https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2018/papers/44 Adult&Education&Research&Conference&2018,&University&of&Victoria,&Canada,&June&7?10&!Collaboration&and&Cognitive&Skills&in&the&Workplace:&Results&from&the&PIAAC&Survey&!Joshua!C.!Collins!University!of!Minnesota5Twin!Cities!!Jill!Zarestky!Colorado!State!University!!Ellen!Scully5Russ!The!George!Washington!University!!Tobin!P.!Lopes!Colorado!State!University!!!Abstract:!Using!the!PIAAC!survey,!this!study!examined!social!characteristics!of!work!and!cognitive!skills.!Results!negatively!associated!collaboration!at!work!and!PIAAC!scores,!contradicting!current!thinking!on!workplace!interactions.!Keywords:!PIAAC,!workplace!collaboration,!workforce!development!!An!implicit!assumption!in!much!of!the!learning!organization!literature!is!that!collaboration!will!enhance!individual!learning!and!development!of!a!variety!of!technical!skills,!especially!for!jobs!that!require!coordinating!with!others.!However,!there!is!contrary!evidence!suggesting!confirmation!bias!(Beckman,!1990)!and!other!faulty!learning!dynamics!(Marsick!&!Watkins,!2015)!in!teams!inhibit!learning.!Though!the!workplace!and!learning!organization!literature!examines!strategies!to!leverage!learning!and!collaboration!to!support!the!development!of!occupational!skills!and!collective!knowledge!generation,!there!is!little!research!on!the!link!between!collaboration!and!the!development!and!maintenance!of!fundamental!skills,!such!as!literacy,!numeracy,!and!problem5solving!in!technology5rich!environments!(PS5TRE),!that!employers!now!say!are!lacking,!yet!required!for!workers!to!continuously!learn!in!work!today.!The!purpose!of!this!study!is!to!investigate!the!connections!among!collaboration!and!information!sharing!at!work,!as!measured!by!the!Program!for!the!International!Assessment!of!Adult!Competencies!(PIAAC),!a!survey!of!adult!skills!conducted!in!33!countries,!as!guided!by!the!following!research!questions:!!2!•! To!what!extent!are!respondents’!level!of!collaboration!or!cooperation!at!work!predictive!of!their!literacy,!numeracy,!and!problem!solving!in!technology5rich!environments?!!•! To!what!extent!are!respondents’!level!of!information!sharing!at!work!predictive!of!their!literacy,!numeracy,!and!problem!solving!in!technology5rich!environments?!&Background&and&Theoretical&Framework&Led!by!the!Organization!for!Economic!Cooperation!and!Development!(OECD,!2012),!an!international,!governmental!collaborative!dedicated!to!economic!development,!the!PIAAC!dataset!comprises!extensive!background!demographic!data,!including!but!not!limited!to!educational!and!work!history,!family!background,!civic!engagement,!and!health!information.!In!addition,!the!background!questionnaire!includes!a!Job!Requirements!Approach!(JRA)!module!to!assess!the!relevance!of!job!skills!that!are!critical!to!the!respondents’!work.!PIAAC!included!these!questions!to!support!research!on!the!demand!side!of!the!labor!market!and!to!conduct!skills!gap!analyzes.!Particularly!relevant!to!this!study!are!JRA!questions!related!to!the!social!dimensions!of!jobs,!including!the!time!spent!cooperating!with!co5workers!and!sharing!work!related!information.!!Rapid!change!in!technology!and!the!economy!has!sparked!renewed!interest!among!policy!makers,!practitioners,!and!scholars!in!the!skill!sets!that!contribute!to!individual!performance!and!career!security!(International!Labor!Office,!2010).!Recently,!workplace!learning!scholars!(Kim,!Hawley,!Cho,!Hyun,!&!Kim;!Marsick!&!Watkins,!2015;!Rausch,!2013;!Skeul,!2014)!have!turned!their!attention!to!understanding!the!characteristics!of!jobs!that!demand!a!high!degree!of!learning!among!the!incumbent,!sometimes!referred!to!as!learning!intensive!jobs!(Skuel,!2014).!Central!to!this!research!is!understanding!how!work!structures!support!or!thwart!high!levels!of!individual!learning!and!skill!development!of!relevant!work5related!technical,!cognitive,!and!so5called!non5cognitive,!social!skills!(OECD,!2009).!Another!important!question!is!whether!and!how!an!individual!can!increase!their!cognitive!capabilities!and!competence!by!engaging!in!work!activities!(Rausch,!2013)!!The!primary!focus!of!the!PIAAC!survey!and!the!central!value!of!the!dataset,!however,!is!derived!from!a!skills5based!assessment!of!participants’!literacy,!numeracy,!and!PS5TRE!proficiencies.!Although!data!exists!for!numerous!nations,!in!this!paper!we!focus!specifically!on!the!US!dataset.!The!argument!is!often!made!that!collaboration!will!enhance!individual!learning!and!skills,!and!yet!the!empirical!evidence!to!support!this!claim!is!limited.!The!PIAAC!data!set!represents!a!rare!opportunity!to!examine!these!phenomena!on!a!large!scale.!The!framework!for!this!study!integrated!recent!research!on!the!characteristics!of!jobs!that!require!a!high!degree!of!learning,!or!learning!intensive!jobs,!with!the!PIAAC!background!questions!that!solicited!the!!3!task!and!skill!requirements!of!the!respondent’s!job.!Table!1!identifies!the!variables!and!questions!related!to!the!social!characteristics!of!learning!intensive!jobs.!!Table!1.!Social!Characteristics!of!Learning!Intensive!Jobs!as!Related!to!the!PIAAC!Background!Questionnaire!!Learning!Intensive!Jobs! PIAAC!Background!Questionnaire!Team!learning,!spirit!of!collaboration!and!collaborative!skills!(Yang,!Watkins,!&!Marsick,!1998)!Assistance!in!performing!tasks!(feedback,!etc.)!(Rausch,!2013)!!D_Q13a:!how!often!do!you!learn!from!peers!and!supervisor!F_Q02b:!Teaching!others!!High!degree!of!exposure!to!the!demands!of!others!(Skule,!2014)!!Inquiry!and!dialogue!(Yang,!et!al,!1998)!Openness!and!accessibility!of!people!(Marsick!&!Watkins,!2014)!!F_Q01b:!percent!of!time!working!cooperatively!with!others!!F_Q02a:!Sharing!information!!Work!across!boundaries!(Marsick!&!Watkins,!2014)!Extensive!professional!contacts!(Skule,!2014)!F_Q02c,d:!how!often!make!speeches/presentations,!sell!products/service!F_Q04b:!negotiate!with!people!in!and!out!of!firm!G_Q05h:!participate!in!discussions!on!the!internet!!!Informal/tacit!communications!(Marsick!&!Watkins,!2014)!Tacit!communication!with!supervisor!(Kim,!et!al,!2016)!Tacit!communication!with!co5workers!(Kim,!et!al,!2016)!G_Q05h:!participate!in!discussions!on!internet!!&Methodology&Within!the!PIAAC!dataset!(OECD,!2016),!the!study!was!delimited!to!eight!industry!sectors,!shown!in!Table!2,!that!are!predicted!to!add!a!significant!number!of!new!jobs!to!the!US!economy!in!the!next!decade!(U.S.!Bureau!of!Labor!Statistics,!2015).!Given!the!focus!of!US!industries,!this!study!examined!data!from!the!United!States!PIAAC!Household!Survey.!The!complete!U.S.!PIAAC!data!set!included!8,670!respondents!(OECD,!2016)!all!of!whom!were!between!the!ages!of!16!and!74!years.!Across!all!industries,!approximately!55%!of!respondents!were!women!and!the!most!common!level!of!educational!attainment!was!a!high!school!diploma!or!equivalent,!at!!4!about!41%.!For!this!study!only!those!who!identified!into!one!of!the!eight!industries!and!answered!the!questions!on!collaboration!and!information!sharing,!as!well!as!gender!and!education!level!were!included,!which!yielded!a!total!of!2,601!respondents.!We!used!SPSS!in!conjunction!with!the!IDB!Analyzer!in!order!to!account!for!the!plausible!values!of!literacy,!numeracy,!and!problem5solving!in!technology5rich!environments!(PS5TRE)!and!the!sampling!weights!of!the!PIAAC!questionnaire.!To!respond!to!the!research!questions,!we!built!a!linear!regression!model!for!each!industry!corresponding!to!the!PIAAC!response!variables,!background!questionnaire!variables!(including!collaboration,!F_Q01b,!and!information!sharing,!F_Q02a),!and!the!demographic!variables,!gender!(AN_01)!and!education!level!(derived!from!BQ_01a).!For!all!models,!significance!was!determined!by!an!alpha!level!of!0.05.!&Select&Results&The!coefficients!of!the!independent!variables!in!each!of!the!eight!industry!models!are!presented!in!detail!in!Table!2.!The!analysis!shows!that!while!there!are!some!consistencies!across!industries!–!such!as!education!level!being!positively!related!to!all!three!PIAAC!scores!in!all!but!one!case!(PSTRE!scores!in!Construction)!–!there!are!some!results!that!contradict!current!thinking.!The!PIAAC!data!shows!that!the!level!of!collaboration!people!engage!in!at!work!is!negatively!associated!with!their!PIAAC!scores!for!seven!of!the!eight!included!industries,!with!the!largest!negative!impacts!occurring!in!the!Administrative!and!Support!Service!Sector!(AdSupp)!and!the!Wholesale!and!Retail!Trade!Sector!(WRT).!In!AdSupp!the!models!show!that!for!each!step!in!increasing!collaboration!the!predicted!LIT!score!is!reduced!by!7.33.!This!means!that!a!person!who!collaborates!all!of!the!time!has!a!predicted!LIT!score!about!29!points!less!than!someone!who!does!not!collaborate!at!all.!For!WRT!the!difference!between!two!such!people!is!34!points.!These!collaboration!effects!are!largely!made!up!for!through!education!–!however!this!data!shows!that!while!we!might!think!collaboration!leads!to!personal!development!and!growth,!this!data!seems!to!show!that!is!not!the!case.!Such!results!have!implications!in!the!adult!education,!human!resource!development,!and!training!fields.!!Discussion&and&Conclusions&Collaboration,!as!seen!in!the!literature!on!the!learning!intensity!of!jobs,!is!a!key!factor!in!whether!and!how!learning,!both!individual!and!collective!learning,!occurs!on!the!job.!However,!in!this!study!there!is!little!to!suggest!a!connection!between!collaboration!and!the!development!or!maintenance!of!cognitive!skills,!as!defined!by!PIAAC.!These!results!suggest!Adult!Education!!5!(AE)!and!other!training!and!development!professionals!need!to!deepen!their!understanding!of!the!industry!contexts!and!the!implications!of!context!for!commonly!held!understandings!of!the!learning!potential!of!jobs.!In!particular,!the!field!needs!to!both!broaden!and!deepen!its!focus!on!the!types!of!skills!that!are!accounted!for!in!learning!models!and!interventions.!As!work!becomes!increasingly!collaborative!and!skills5based,!more!emphasis!on!development!basic!cognitive!skills!must!be!integrated!into!AE!strategies!and!programs.!Practitioners!must!become!more!aware!of!the!nature!of!work!being!performed!in!certain!settings!and!how!differences!in!the!way!work!is!structured!and!the!broader!cultural!context!call!for!different!types!of!collaboration!and!different!skill!sets.!One!sized!strategies!and!interventions!cannot!account!for!these!differences.!A!new!focus!on!AE’s!role!in!the!development!and!maintenance!of!basic,!cognitive!skills,!as!defined!in!PIAAC!is!also!required.!!AE!scholarship!can!be!enriched!by!a!new!focus!on!the!changing!nature!of!work,!and!in!particular!the!implications!for!the!labor!market!and!the!skills!of!the!workforce.!Although!organizational!scholars!recognizes!the!importance!of!knowledge,!skill,!and!learning!in!work!today,!this!body!of!research!lacks!a!robust!theory!of!learning!and!an!empirical!framework!to!study!the!learning!practices!and!processes!that!underlie!emerging!work!configurations!(Sawchuk,!2013).!The!result!is!that!the!rich!learning!lives!of!workers,!as!wells!as!the!challenges!workers!face!in!developing!and!maintaining!vital!cognitive!skills!are!often!overlooked!in!research!on!new!forms!of!work.!New!scholarship!is!needed!into!the!dynamic!reciprocal!relationship!between!work,!learning,!and!opportunity!in!the!emerging!labor!market.!&References&Beckman,!M.!(1990).!Collaborative!learning:!Preparation!for!the!workplace!and!democracy?!College&Teaching,!38(4),!1285133.!Bureau!of!Labor!Statistics,!U.S.!Department!of!Labor.!(2015).!Industry&employment&and&output&projections&to&2024.!Retrieved!from!https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/article/industry5employment5and5output5projections5to5202451.htm.!International!Labor!Office.!(2010).!A!skilled!workforce!for!strong,!sustainable!and!balanced!growth:!A!G!20!Training!Strategy.!ILO,!Geneva.!Kim,!H.,!Hawley,!J.,!Cho,!D.,!Hyun,!Y.,!&!Kim,!J.!(2016).!The!influence!of!learning!activity!on!low5skilled!workers’!skill!improvement!in!the!South!Korean!manufacturing!industry.!Human&Resource&Development&International,!19(3),!2095228.!Marsick,!V.!&!Watkins,!K.!(2015).!Informal&and&Incidental&Learning&in&the&Workplace.!New!York,!NY.!Routledge.!OECD.!(2009).!PIAAC&BQ&JRA&V5.0&Conceptual&Framework.!Retrieved!from:!http://www.oecd.org/edu/48865373.pdf!!6!OECD.!(2012).&Literacy,&numeracy&and&problem&solving&in&technologySrich&environments:&Framework&for&the&OECD&Survey&of&Adult&Skills.!Retrieved!from!http://www.oecd5ilibrary.org/education/literacy5numeracy5and5problem5solving5in5technology5rich5environments_97892641288595en!OECD.!(2016).!Program&for&the&International&Assessment&of&Adult&Competencies&(PIAAC)!2012/2014![Data!file].!Retrieved!from:!http://piaacgateway.com/datasets/#nationaldata!Rausch,!A.!(2013).!Task!characteristics!and!learning!potentials:!Empirical!results!of!three!dairy!studies!on!workplace!learning.!Vocations&and&Learning.!Vol!6/1,!p!55579.!Sawchuk,!P.!(2013).!Contested&learning&in&welfare&work:&A&study&of&mind,&political&economy,&and&the&labour&process.!Cambridge,!UK:!Cambridge!University!Press.!Skule,!S.!(2014).!Learning!conditions!at!work:!A!framework!to!understand!and!assess!informal!learning!in!the!workplace.!International&Journal&of&Training&and&Development,!8(1),!8520.!Yang,!B.,!Watkins,!K.,!&!Marsick,!V.!(1998).!The!construction!of!the!learning!organization:!Dimensions!Measurement,!and!Validation.!Human&Resource&Development&Quarterly,!15(1),!31555.!!7!Table!2!Means&and&Regression&Coefficients&of&PIAAC&Measures&by&Industry&!Note:!Bold!indicates!significance!at!the!.05!level.!!!Industry Sector N R 2 βi SE t R 2 βi SE t R 2 βi SE tAccommodation and food service 331 0.12 0.13 0.04M 217.8 13.92 15.65 198.5 14.01 14.17 251.09 17.15 14.64Education level 15.07 2.7 5.58 16.32 2.84 5.75 6.81 2.89 2.36Collaboration 3.79 3.54 1.07 2.8 3.57 0.79 3.66 3.91 0.94Information sharing 0.92 2.57 0.36 1.42 2.6 0.55 -1.65 2.63 -0.63Gender  -1.31 6.31 -0.21 7.9 6.58 1.2 0.8 6.06 0.13Administrative and support service 172 0.26 0.3 0.11M 237.36 20.4 11.64 221.98 22.61 9.82 276.13 19.59 14.1Education level 14.27 2.9 4.92 17.72 3.22 5.5 6.08 3.45 1.76Collaboration -7.33 3.33 -2.2 -8.38 3.7 -2.27 -4.42 3.33 -1.33Information sharing 7.37 4.15 1.78 5.66 4.63 1.22 0.02 4.48 0Gender  -10.68 7.43 -1.44 0.94 8.49 0.11 -12.85 9.53 -1.35Construction 190 0.12 0.15 0.07M 247.78 17.92 13.83 221.34 15.16 14.6 251.79 20.05 12.56Education level 11.39 3.73 3.05 14.69 3.56 4.13 5.44 3.31 1.64Collaboration -5.83 4.36 -1.34 -6.81 4.5 -1.51 -5.42 5.31 -1.02Information sharing 5.97 3.63 1.65 6.5 3.98 1.63 6.41 5.54 1.16Gender  -10.44 8.18 -1.28 9.78 10.31 0.95 -11.73 12.62 -0.93Education 415 0.16 0.17 0.07M 270.81 10.68 25.36 249.72 11 22.7 279.66 12.46 22.45Education level 8.45 1.88 4.49 9.38 1.85 5.07 4.86 2.05 2.37Collaboration -4.68 1.69 -2.77 -5.67 1.99 -2.85 -4.55 1.74 -2.61Information sharing 2.49 1.96 1.27 3.06 1.98 1.55 0.91 2.08 0.44Gender  -0.78 5.48 -0.14 11.54 5.76 2.01 0.2 5.08 0.04Literacy Numeracy PS-TRE! 8!Table!6!(Continued)!!!Industry Sector N R 2 βi SE t R 2 βi SE t R 2 βi SE tFinancial and insurance 183 0.19 0.33 0.14M 255.57 18.09 14.13 199.89 20.41 9.79 245.9 16.27 15.12Education level 11.21 2.49 4.51 16.4 2.6 6.3 9.46 2.34 4.04Collaboration -6.17 3.1 -1.99 -3.79 3.1 -1.22 -1.21 2.72 -0.44Information sharing 6.44 3.62 1.78 8.99 3.31 2.72 3.2 3.68 0.87Gender  -5.37 7.13 -0.75 10.48 7.23 1.45 5.05 6.98 0.72Human health and social work 546 0.29 0.3 0.17M 210.74 10.79 19.53 191.35 11.24 17.02 217.93 14.51 15.02Education level 13.87 1.41 9.82 15.34 1.72 8.91 9.08 1.43 6.36Collaboration -4.71 1.59 -2.95 -5.76 1.68 -3.43 -2.83 1.76 -1.61Information sharing 10.08 2.41 4.19 9.39 2.53 3.72 7.95 3.2 2.49Gender  9.33 6.38 1.46 20.22 6.19 3.27 13.33 6.22 2.14271 0.17 0.22 0.12M 238.5 22.08 10.8 222.87 22.68 9.83 255.83 19.23 13.3Education level 10.41 2.42 4.3 12.29 2.58 4.76 8.34 2.23 3.73Collaboration -1.74 2.8 -0.62 -3.16 3.18 -1.00 0.55 2.63 0.21Information sharing 5.94 4.41 1.35 4.22 4.9 0.86 -0.84 4.4 -0.19Gender  3.78 5.93 0.64 20.35 6.93 2.94 11.43 8.25 1.39493 0.25 0.24 0.14M 239.92 10.67 22.49 224.92 11.44 19.66 252.7 13.66 18.5Education level 11.66 1.63 7.17 11.83 1.71 6.93 7.4 1.95 3.8Collaboration -8.55 1.84 -4.64 -10.01 1.83 -5.47 -7.25 1.82 -3.99Information sharing 10 1.88 5.33 9.93 2.04 4.87 6.93 2.26 3.07Gender  -3.74 4.66 -0.8 9.87 4.84 2.04 0.3 4.7 0.06Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcyclesPublic administration and defense; compulsory social securityLiteracy Numeracy PS-TRE

Collaboration and Cognitive Skills in the Workplace: Results from the PIAAC Survey

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Collaboration and Cognitive Skills in the Workplace: Results from the PIAAC Survey

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