Understanding informal learning in small- and medium-sized enterprises in South Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinhee Jeong ◽  
Gary N. McLean ◽  
Soyoun Park
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Trial And Error ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Learning Patterns ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Client Needs

Purpose This paper aims to explore informal learning experiences among employees working in South Korean small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 100 employees. This study specifically seeks to understand the characteristics of informal learning in Korean SMEs and culturally sensitive contextual factors that shape informal learning. Design/methodology/approach To understand the complex, holistic nature of the phenomenon, the current study used a phenomenological qualitative approach. Eighteen full-time employees working at South Korean SMEs in knowledge-intensive industries were interviewed. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’s phenomenological analysis. Findings The findings emerged from the field data revealed four characteristics of informal learning in South Korean SMEs: absolute reliance on informal learning; rapid/immediate learning and application; relationship/client needs-based learning; and extensive trial and error. The current study also identified South Korean SMEs’ unique organizational context (i.e. a family-like atmosphere, one employee-multiple tasks, passive investment in employees and the absence of systems) and Korean culture (i.e. Gab-Eul relations and chemyon) that drive the emergence of SMEs’ informal learning characteristics. Originality/value Very little empirical research has been conducted to explain how informal learning actually occurs and why such learning patterns have emerged in South Korean SMEs. The findings of this study have a profound impact on practice and academia, as it unveils characteristics of informal learning in SMEs, the unique cultural context in which Korean SMEs operate and how these characteristics impact the learning process.

Should knowledge management in organizations be rebranded?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maayan Nakash ◽  
Dan Bouhnik
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Qualitative Research Methodology ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Strategic Perspective ◽  
First Time

Purpose This study aims to examine the relevance of the term “knowledge management” (KM) in the organizational context, and deliberates whether there is a need for rebranding of this field. It also enriches the understanding regarding the appropriateness of the term “KM,” which was chosen to represent the discipline. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative research methodology, and a case study approach was followed by conducting 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews with international KM experts working in a global consulting firm. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis method based on the grounded theory approach. Findings The findings provide empirical evidence that attempts are being made to move away from the label “KM” in certain knowledge-intensive organizations. This study sheds light on the challenges associated with this term, which leads some to believe that the name of the discipline needs to change. Originality/value The present pioneering research contributes to empirical knowledge through investigation of an unexplored scientific field. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, its uniqueness can be established by the fact that the opinions of KM professionals are being heard regarding the “KM” label, as well as the need for a rebranding of this discipline in the organizational context. From a practical and strategic perspective, this study suggests that the research community and practitioners pay attention to attempts to shift away from the existing title identified in organizational practice.

Is learning anytime, anywhere a good strategy for success? Identifying successful spatial-temporal patterns of on-the-job and full-time students

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Du ◽  
Juan Yang ◽  
Brett Shelton ◽  
Jui-Long Hung
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Patterns ◽  
Performance Predictors

Purpose Online learning is well-known by its flexibility of learning anytime and anywhere. However, how behavioral patterns tied to learning anytime and anywhere influence learning outcomes are still unknown. Design/methodology/approach This study proposed concepts of time and location entropy to depict students’ spatial-temporal patterns. A total of 5,221 students with 1,797,677 logs, including 485 on-the-job students and 4,736 full-time students, were analyzed to depict their spatial-temporal learning patterns, including the relationships between identified patterns and students’ learning performance. Findings Analysis results indicate on-the-job students took more advantage of anytime, anywhere than full-time students. Students with a higher tendency for learning anytime and a lower level of learning anywhere were more likely to have better outcomes. Gender did not show consistent findings on students’ spatial-temporal patterns, but partial findings could be supported by evidence in neural science or by cultural and geographical differences. Research limitations/implications A more accurate approach for categorizing position and location might be considered. Some findings need more studies for further validation. Finally, future research can consider connections between other well-known performance predictors (such as financial situation, motivation, personality and major) and the type of learning patterns. Practical implications The findings gained from this study can help improve the understandings of students’ learning behavioral patterns and design as well as implement better online education programs. Originality/value This study proposed concepts of time and location entropy to identify successful spatial-temporal patterns of on-the-job and full-time students.

Guest editorial

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 845-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla C.J.M. Millar ◽  
Martin Lockett ◽  
John F. Mahon
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Common Knowledge ◽  
Creative Industries ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Company Policy ◽  
Knowledge Intensive

Purpose This paper aims to further research on leadership and knowledge management through formal knowledge strategies in knowledge-intensive organizations (KIOs), and analyse knowledge management challenges and approaches within KIOs, especially tacit knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on conceptual and literature research. Findings Managing knowledge as an organizational asset involves how knowledge is obtained, stored and organized, and accessed and shared when needed. This is crucial for KIOs. Knowledge that is not captured, understood and transferred, throughout the organization, is useless. This requires the integration of systems and processes with people and leadership. Tacit knowledge generation and transfer is especially important in KIOs. In particular, the success of KIOs depends crucially on management’s ability to give leadership in a way that supports knowledge-intensive teamwork. The global nature of internal and external knowledge networks adds to the leadership challenge. This can be made more complex by cultural differences, intellectual property protection (formal and informal) and talent scarcity. Research limitations/implications Further research is needed to identify the types of KIO and to better understand sound common knowledge management and related leadership principles across all types of KIO and those that are more context-dependent on the type of KIO and/or its business and cultural context. More research is needed on policy making organizations, in-company policy-making research and development and creative industries. Originality/value The paper takes forward research on leading knowledge management in KIOs and introduces 14 challenging new papers in this specific field of research.

scholarly journals Learning to learn differently

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trude Høgvold Olsen ◽  
Tone Glad ◽  
Cathrine Filstad
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Community Health Care ◽  
Learning To Learn ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Patterns ◽  
Formal And Informal Learning ◽  
Experienced Nurse

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether the formal and informal learning patterns of community health-care nurses changed in the wake of a reform that altered their work by introducing new patient groups, and to explore whether conditions in the new workplaces facilitated or impeded shifts in learning patterns. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through interviews with experienced nurses in community health care to learn whether and how they changed their learning patterns and the challenges they experienced in establishing new work practices. Findings In established learning patterns among nurses, the most experienced nurse passes on the knowledge to novices. These knowledge boundaries were challenged and they created new contexts and tasks calling for more cross-disciplinary cooperation. The informants acknowledged the need for formal and informal learning activities to change their learning pattern in addressing new knowledge challenges. Structural and cultural factors in community health care impeded changes in individual and collective learning patterns. Research limitations/implications This paper reports a single case study. Further study is needed on how changes in structural and contextual conditions challenge the established formal and informal learning patterns. Practical implications It is crucial that managers facilitate the development of new routines, structures and cultures to support individual initiatives and the growth of necessary changes in established practice to implement a new reform. Originality/value This study’s contribution to the literature primarily concerns how changes in structural conditions challenge formal and informal learning patterns, and the structural and cultural conditions for these learning patterns.

Top women managers as change agents in the machista context of Mexico

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Barragan ◽  
Mariana I. Paludi ◽  
Albert Mills
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Women Managers ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Promote Gender Equality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on top women managers who act as change agents in the machista culture of Mexico. Specifically, the authors centre the attention not only on the strategies performed by these change agents to reduce inequality, but also on understanding the way in which they discursively reproduce or challenge essentialist notions of gender with respect to the cultural and organizational context. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 top women managers in Mexico who are actively involved as change agents. A feminist poststructuralist methodological framework using critical discourse analysis was used to uncover competing notions of gender and related strategies developed to promote gender equality. Findings The analysis reveals that the 12 change agents perform strategies for inclusion, and only half of them engage in strategies for re-evaluation. The authors were unable to recognize whether these change agents are engaged in strategies of transformation. These change agents also reproduce and challenge “essentialist” notions of gender. In some instances – based on their own career experiences and gendered identities – they (un)consciously have adopted essentialism to fit into the cultural context of machista society. They also challenge the gender binary to eradicate essentialist notions of gender that created gender inequalities in the first place. Research limitations/implications The experience of these 12 top women managers may not represent the voice of other women and their careers. Ultimately, intersections with class, organizational level, nationality, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation must be taken into account so to represent other women’s particular interests with respect to equality. Practical implications For those researchers-consultants who may be involved in an intervention strategy, it is important to focus on helping the change agents in reviewing and reflecting on their own “vision of gender equity”. During the strategic activities of mentoring and training, these change agents could potentially “leak” a particular “vision of gender” to other women and men. Thus, part of the intervention strategy should target the change agent’s self-reflection to influence her capacity to act as change agents. Originality/value The authors contribute to the literature on change agents and interventions for gender equality. Intervention strategies usually centre on essentialist notions of gender. The study offers potential explanations for this approach by paying attention to the process of how change agents, in their efforts to promote gender equality, may be unconsciously projecting their own identities onto others and/or consciously engaging in strategic essentialism to fit into the machista context of Mexico.

Motivation and knowledge sharing: a meta-analysis of main and moderating effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 998-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuyet-Mai Nguyen ◽  
Tuan Phong Nham ◽  
Fabian Jintae Froese ◽  
Ashish Malik
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Avoidance Performance ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Organizational Setting ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on knowledge sharing and the moderating effects of individual demographics, organizational context and cultural context in that relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a meta-analysis of 44 studies involving 14,023 participants to examine the direct and moderating effects of motivation on knowledge sharing. Findings Results revealed that both extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors were associated with higher levels of knowledge sharing, while the effect was stronger for intrinsic motivation. Moreover, results revealed that substantial variance was explained by moderating variables. Further investigation revealed that individual characteristics (age, gender), organizational context (organizational setting vs. open system, IT infrastructure) and cultural context (collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, performance orientation, power distance) moderated the motivation and knowledge sharing relationship. Research limitations/implications As a meta-analysis, this study is confined to variables that have been frequently analyzed in prior research. Future research could further increase our understanding of different types of knowledge sharing and various boundary conditions. Practical implications Organizations should provide customized incentive systems to specific target groups to align motivation and knowledge sharing. Multinational organizations may consider different motivation schemes across countries to better suit cultural differences. Originality/value Despite a growing number of studies highlighting the important role of motivation in predicting knowledge sharing, the evidence is mixed. Based on a meta-analysis, this study identified true relationships and identified moderating effects that help explain prior mixed results.

The competence loop

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rolf Medina ◽  
Alicia Medina
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parent Organization ◽  
Competence Management ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Organizations ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Exploration Exploitation

Purpose – Knowledge-intensive organizations tend to be project intensive having many projects of different size and importance. In this context, competence evolves through projects. The purpose of this paper is to identify the mechanisms that steers competence management in these kinds of organizations and also the factors that are involved in the human capital contribution to competitive advantage in relation to the interaction between parent organizations and projects. Design/methodology/approach – This study has a contingency theory perspective and consists of a literature search in the following domains: project-intensive organizations, knowledge-intensive organizations, competence management, human resource management and dynamic capabilities and learning. Findings – The main contribution of this study is the theoretical framework derived from different domains. The framework is called the competence loop and explains how projects generate competence that the parent organization can either exploit in further activities or use for strategy adjustment. It also explains how an organization can use learning strategies to support competence exploration/exploitation. Another contribution is the description of the relationship between dynamic capabilities and organizational learning in project-intensive organizations. Research limitations/implications – This paper is a conceptual paper intended to create a base for further empirical studies. Originality/value – The paper combines different domains to define a framework that is a new approach to competence management in a project-parent organizational context. The framework includes learning and competence management characteristics and has both theoretical and practical value.

Learning @ work: informal learning strategies of German craft workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 418-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Kortsch ◽  
Eva-Maria Schulte ◽  
Simone Kauffeld
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Employee Turnover ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Patterns ◽  
Learning Strategy Use ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In competitive labor markets, promoting employees’ learning becomes a key challenge for companies. However, in small German craft companies, employee development is always connected with worries about employee turnover. This study aims to investigate the current informal learning strategies of craft workers and how they use the strategies, the effect of learning on employees’ internal and external marketability and beneficial workplace characteristics (autonomy, feedback). Design/methodology/approach An online prestudy (N = 131) explored current informal learning strategies. In the main study (N = 526), cluster analysis was applied to identify patterns of informal learning strategies. The relations of these patterns to workplace characteristics and marketability were investigated. Findings Four informal learning strategies were found (informal learning from oneself, from others, from other sources and from new media). Craft workers used combinations of the strategies (i.e. patterns): three learning patterns (balanced high, person-oriented and balanced low) differed in intensity and combination with the learning strategy use. More intense learning patterns were positively related to internal marketability but were not related to external marketability. Higher autonomy and feedback availability were related to higher learning engagement. Research limitations/implications Studies should have a broader view of informal learning strategies concerning different learning patterns. The use of new media is a learning strategy that might increase in the future. Practical implications Craft companies could promote different informal learning strategies without worries about employee turnover. Originality/value The study reveals how German small- and medium-sized enterprise employees use informal learning strategies in digitalized times and how human resources development can use informal learning strategies.

Towards increased relevance: context-adapted models of the learning organization

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Örtenblad
Keyword(s):  
Learning Organization ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Original Learning ◽  
Service Organizations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Multiple Context ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purposes of this paper are to take a closer look at the relevance of the idea of the learning organization for organizations in different generalized organizational contexts; to open up for the existence of multiple, context-adapted models of the learning organization; and to suggest a number of such models. Design/methodology/approach – The suggested context-adapted models are deduced from works arguing that not all aspects of the idea of the learning organization should be adopted by organizations in some certain generalized organizational contexts. Findings – The idea of the learning organization needs to be reformulated, to some extent, to become fully relevant for public organizations, safety organizations, human service organizations and knowledge-intensive organizations. Research limitations/implications – To achieve a more inclusive contingency model than presented in this article, there is a need for further research examining the (full) relevance of the original learning organizational model for organizations in various certain generalized organizational contexts. Practical implications – Organizational actors could use one of the suggested context-adapted models fitting their particular organizational context as a starting point when considering adopting the learning organization. Social implications – Several adaptations suggested originate in social concerns. Originality/value – In contrast to most previous works on the learning organization, this paper adds to the existing literature by proposing several context-adapted models of the learning organization.

scholarly journals Female knowledge workers and the illusion of working-time autonomy

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 591-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia Tammelin ◽  
Tuija Koivunen ◽  
Tiina Saari
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Working Time ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Hour ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Work Family

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ask: what are the temporal realities of female knowledge workers? It especially focusses on women’s possibilities of using working-time autonomy, and the work and non-work practices that shape their possibility to use work-hour autonomy. In knowledge work, working-time autonomy is usually high, but exercising autonomy is not always possible. The study was carried out in Finland, where full-time work is common also among women, even if they have small children. Design/methodology/approach The data include 19 semi-structured interviews of women who have knowledge-intensive work. The method of analysis is problem-driven content analysis. Findings Female knowledge workers intertwine several temporal realities. The utilisation of working-time autonomy is restricted by unpredictability, continuous interruptions, hurriedness and ineffective work practices. The temporal realities of family life, such as taking children to the daycare or school, other everyday routines and a spouse’s working-time autonomy have an effect on women’s possibilities to use working-time autonomy. The line between work and non-work blurs. Originality/value This study sheds light on working-time autonomy among female knowledge workers. It adds an understanding to the temporal realities of work and outside work that influence the use of work-hour autonomy. This information is needed to understand time demands arising from work, which play a role in work-family research in particular.

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