No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

It is now widely accepted that informal learning plays a critical role in all workplace learning. Five different literature traditions examined here seemingly converge on the claim that 70% or more of work-based learning occurs informally. Referred to here as the 70% rule, that rule is now seen as a basic fact in the field. Yet a detailed examination of this literature finds that the evidential basis for the 70% rule is weak; human resource development (HRD) policies relying upon that claim are likely to be misleading. The research and scholarship cited in these traditions are critiqued in terms of sloppy scholarship, inconsistent conceptualizations, and fundamental research protocol problems. The implications from this review suggest that the 70% rule of informal learning needs to be set aside. The conclusions to this research offer propositions for redefining the focus of formal and informal work-based learning along with revising the role of HRD in organizations.

The resource-based theory of organizational performance emphasizes the sustained competitive advantages gained from production capabilities that are rare and hard to imitate. Under certain conditions, such capabilities become core competencies and tend to involve the firm's human resources. There is not yet a standard research protocol for how to research core competencies. Based on a review of existing studies on core competencies from a variety of fields, a framework for studying core competencies is proposed here based on four questions: Does the firm have a competitive advantage? If so, is it based on capabilities? What is the nature of the specific core competencies involved? Does the competition have core competencies, and if yes, what are they? The implications of this model for researchers and practitioners are discussed.