Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges of low hierarchy and self-organised structures for employees’ learning and competency development at work. In the past decade, interest in employees’ and organisations’ self-directedness has increased. Self-organised structures are perceived as better able to answer to the quickly changing requirements of clients and business environments. Within these structures, employees are expected to take on more responsibility and maintain more control over their workplace learning, which means they must be self-directed and autonomous. An important question for this approach is how can workplace learning and employee competence development be enhanced. Design/methodology/approach Two self-organised Finnish information and communication technology-companies participated in the study. With the help of data-driven content analysis, 36 interviews were analysed. Findings Unclear roles, structures and areas of responsibility caused challenges during the guidance and support of learning, for long-term and sustainable professional development possibilities and in organising and prioritizing work tasks related to learning. Practical implications In self-organised structures, there should be a means of the better supporting individual- and team-based learning. This will allow learning to have as much value as possible in the future and, therefore, be more sustainable. The findings are also important to be taken into account in managers’ and HR professionals’ education and training. Originality/value The findings of this study can offer insights into employees’ well-being emerging from the possibility to learn and be supported in that learning especially in self-organised structures, which so far has been scarcely studied.
The constant change embedded in contemporary working life requires employees and organisations alike to continuously learn and, simultaneously, adapt and be creative. The potential to attract, manage and engage creative people, as well as support learning, has become increasingly important in organisational contexts. It is essential to recognise what the underlying learning theories are and how they connect with the current understanding of creativity. It is also important to study different manifestations of creativity and learning and reactively and proactively discover ways of supporting and developing both aspects in contemporary organisations. In this chapter, we first present our approach to learning and creativity and their connection in the context of working life. Then we introduce and discuss four studies on structural and practical frames supporting creativity and learning in gorwth companies. These studies were carried out as part of a larger research and development project on human resources management (HRM) supporting creativity and learning in Finnish growth companies (HeRMo-project). Both quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview data were utilised, and a variety of analytical tools were employed. The project examined the impact of organisational structures, supervisory work and climate on collective creativity; revealed challenges for workplace learning posed by a self-directed organisational structure; highlighted human resources development (HRD) practices supporting creativity and; made visible the practices and conflicts experienced by HRM when dealing with employee and team operations. Based on the previous literature and the findings of our research project, we have formed four conclusions that focus on supporting creativity and learning at work: 1) Creativity and learning are collective and informal phenomena at work, 2) A variety of structures and practices enable creativity and learning at work, 3) Both, equality and employee orientation in structures and practices are important, 4) Context-specific examination of creativity, learning and supporting practices is needed.
Luet Työsuojelurahaston rahoittaman JoKo-hankkeen (Lähijohtaminen kestävän oppimisen edistäjänä työelämässä) loppuraporttia. Tuomme tässä raportissa esille havaintojamme hankkeen aikana kerätyn haastatteluaineiston annista ja toteutetun ryhmävalmennuksen kokemuksista ja luomme niiden pohjalta syvempää ymmärrystä oppimisen kestävyydestä työssä. Suomalaisessa työelämässä painotetaan osaamisen ja jatkuvan oppimisen merkitystä erityisesti asiantuntijatyössä, mutta ymmärrystä oppimisen kestävyydestä meillä on vielä hyvin vähän. Tutkimusta hyvinvointia lisäävän eli kestävän oppimisen tukemisesta ja johtamisesta meillä on vielä vähemmän. Tällainen ymmärrys on kuitenkin ensiarvoisen tärkeää huomioiden nuorten työntekijöiden kasvavat paineet ja työuupumuksen lisääntymisen. Näihin haasteisiin vastaamiseksi JoKo-hankkeen loppuraportti pyrkii tuomaan lisävalaistusta. Joko-hankkeen tutkimuskontekstit ovat sairaala, poliisin ennalta estävä yksikkö ja ICT- alan organisaatio Pinja Oy. Tutkittavat kontekstit ja organisaatiot ovat valikoituneet tutkimuksen ja kehittämisen yhteistyötahoiksi niiden ajankohtaisuuden vuoksi erityisesti tutkimiemme ilmiöiden suhteen. Viime aikoina esillä ovat olleet niin terveydenhuollon johtamisongelmat ja SOTE-uudistuksiin valmistautuminen kuin teknologia-alan johtamisrakenteiden haasteet. Poliisin ennalta estävän yksikön työn ja oppimisen tutkiminen on ollut tärkeää JoKo-hankkeessa erilaisia uusia yhteiskunnallisia ilmiöitä ymmärtääksemme ja niihin vastaamiseksi poliisityön avulla. Tässä JoKo-hankkeen loppuraportissa kuvaamme hankkeen toteutusta, teoreettisia ja käsitteellisiä lähtökohtia, keskeisiä löydöksiä sekä ryhmävalmennuksen toteutusta. Pohdimme lisäksi, miten löydöstemme perusteella työelämässä tulisi ohjata ja johtaa työssä tapahtuvaa kestävää oppimista, ja mitä oppimisen ja sen tukemisen ymmärtämiseksi tulisi edelleen tutkia. Hankkeessa on tuotettu tämän loppuraportin lisäksi tieteellisiä artikkeleita, kongressipapereita ja kansantajuisia julkaisuja. Raportin loppuun olemme koonneet hankkeen tuotokset: julkaisut, kongressiesitykset ja viestinnän, joiden avulla voi edelleen laajentaa ymmärrystä hankkeen tarkastelun kohteena olleista ilmiöistä. Lisäksi voi tutustua ryhmävalmennuksen aikana tuotettuihin organisaatiokohtaisiin kehittämisideoiden suunnitelmiin. Työssä oppimisen tueksi raportin loppupuolella on myös työkalupakki, jossa esitellään konkreettisia välineitä oppimisen tukemiseksi ja johtamiseksi organisaatioissa. Työkalupakki ja kehittämisideat tarjoavat toivoaksemme sovellettavia ja kokeilemisen arvoisia käytänteitä erilaisiin työyhteisöihin.
In contemporary working life of Nordic countries, employee involvement and well-being are emphasized and organizational functions and demands are continuously changing. Thus, the study of human resource management (HRM) practices and their consequences for employees is relevant. This study examines conflicts related to HRM in Finnish project-based companies and provides new information on the implications of conflicts in HRM practices for theorists and practitioners. The research was conducted qualitatively using content and thematic analysis. The findings suggest that conflicts framed within HRM practices are generally the result of the practices and expectations of the organization and management not meeting the views and expectations of the employees. Moreover, the lack of transparency and deficient or even absent HRM practices generate conflicts. The consequences of conflicts range from motivational problems and individual employees’ fatigue to the deterioration of team and organizational performance.
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