Polycontextuality and boundary crossing in expert cognition: Learning and problem solving in complex work activities

Engeström, Yrjö; Engeström, Ritva; Kärkkäinen, Merja

doi:10.1016/0959-4752(95)00021-6

Cited by 615 publications

(402 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Properties of a teams' external environment have only been studied as input factors for team learning (Antoni and Hertel 2009). In most working contexts, however, teams do not work in isolation; rather they are part of a larger system in which they focus on different tasks in different collaborative settings (Engeström et al 1995). Apart from collaborating in their specific team, the university teachers in our study are part of different research departments, and are a vital part of the broader study program for which they design and teach their course.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, inter-team learning provides team members with inspiring ideas that may positively contribute to constructive intrateam discussions. Engaging in inter-team learning provides a team with a greater diversity in knowledge, and as such may help to overcome inertia and groupthink (Engeström et al 1995) and may facilitate to Blearn in the 'right' direction^ (Decuyper et al 2010, p. 117).There is a growing amount of empirical work on the direct effect of inter-team learning on team performance (e.g. Chan et al 2003;Van Woerkom and Croon 2009), and overall, prior research has evidenced that engaging in inter-team learning Bis a crucial element in fostering innovation in the workplace^ (Hülsheger et al 2009(Hülsheger et al , p. 1139.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Joint Influence of Intra- and Inter-Team Learning Processes on Team Performance: A Constructive or Destructive Combination?

Bron

Endedijk

Veelen

et al. 2018

Vocations and Learning

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In order for teams to build a shared conception of their task, team learning is crucial. Benefits of intra-team learning have been demonstrated in numerous studies. However, teams do not operate in a vacuum, and interact with their environment to execute their tasks. Our knowledge of the added value of inter-team learning (team learning with external parties) is limited. Do both types of team learning compete over limited resources, or do they form a synergistic combination? We aim to shed light on the interplay between intra-and inter-team learning in relation to team performance, by including adaptive and transformative sub-processes of intra-team learning. A quantitative field study was conducted among 108 university teacher teams. The joint influence of intra-and inter-team learning as well as structural (task interdependence) and cultural (team efficacy) team characteristics on self-perceived and externally rated team performance were explored in a path model. The results showed that adaptive intra-team learning positively influenced self-perceived team performance, while transformative intra-team learning positively influenced externally rated team performance. Moreover, intra-team and inter-team learning were found to be both a constructive and a destructive combination. Adaptive intra-team learning combined with inter-team learning led to increased team performance, while transformative intra-team learning combined with inter-team learning hurt team performance. The findings demonstrate the importance of distinguishing between both the scope (intra-vs. inter-team) and the level (adaptive vs. transformative) of team learning in understanding team performance. Teamwork has become a self-evident aspect of work in organizations (Kozlowski and Ilgen 2006). By means of team learning, teams build a shared conception of their tasks and how to execute them, which is crucial for team performance: the degree to which teams reach or transcend their goals (Antoni and Hertel 2009; Van den Bossche et al. 2011). The first models on team learning mainly focussed on learning processes within the team (Edmondson 1999). While the importance of teams' external environment has been stressed in theoretical models (Decuyper et al. 2010;Kozlowski and Bell 2013), to date, empirical studies investigating both intra-team learning and inter-team learning simultaneously are scarce. As a result, insight in how inter-team learning and intrateam learning mutually influence team performance is still lacking, with some studies pointing to an added value of inter-team learning (Bresman 2010), while others demonstrate that inter-team learning forms an interference to team performance (Wong 2004). In the current study, we take an interactive approach and study how intra-team learning and inter-team learning may complement or compete over each other in their contribution to team performance.Team learning has been studied in a variety of professional contexts, for example among medical staff in healthcare (Timmermans et al. 2012), mil...

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Joint Influence of Intra- and Inter-Team Learning Processes on Team Performance: A Constructive or Destructive Combination?

Bron

Endedijk

Veelen

et al. 2018

Vocations and Learning

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“…In order to coordinate research communities and networks, common ground has to be found; specific mid-range notions and models -not too specific, not too abstract -can play a role as nodal notions. Nodal notions are one way to avoid the solidification of boundaries; in that sense they are "boundary-crossing" objects (Engeström, Engeström & Kärkkäinen, 1995;Tuomi-Gröhn & Engeström, 2003).…”

Section: Moving Forward Through Collaborative Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragmentation or Differentiation: Questioning the Crisis in Psychology

Zittoun

Gillespie

Cornish

2008

Integr. psych. behav.

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“…Research seeking to understand the multifaceted relationships between workplace spaces and an individual's exercise of learning agency have been informed by a range of theoretical approaches, including situated learning (Lave and Wenger 1998), activity theory (Engeström et al 1995) and social ecology (Evans, Waite and Kersh 2011). These theoretical approaches provide useful insights into the ways individuals can develop through a variety of work-based learning experiences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking the learning space at work and beyond: The achievement of agency across the boundaries of work-related spaces and environments

Kersh

2015

Int Rev Educ

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This paper focuses on the notion of the learning space at work and discusses the extent to which its different configurations allow employees to exercise personal agency within a range of learning spaces. Although the learning space at work is already the subject of extensive research, the continuous development of the learning society and the development of new types of working spaces calls for further research to advance our knowledge and understanding of the ways that individuals exercise agency and learn in the workplace. Research findings suggest that the current perception of workplace learning is strongly related to the notion of the learning space, in which individuals and teams work, learn and develop their skills. The perception of the workplace as a site only for work-specific training is gradually changing, as workplaces are now acknowledged as sites for learning in various configurations, and as contributing to the personal development and social engagement of employees. This paper argues that personal agency is constructed in the workplace, and this process involves active interrelations between agency and three dimensions of the workplace (individual, spatial and organisational), identified through both empirical and theoretical research. The discussion is supported by data from two research projects on workplace learning in the United Kingdom. This paper thus considers how different configurations of the learning space and the boundaries between a range of work-related spaces facilitate the achievement of personal agency.

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Polycontextuality and boundary crossing in expert cognition: Learning and problem solving in complex work activities

Cited by 615 publications

References 8 publications

The Joint Influence of Intra- and Inter-Team Learning Processes on Team Performance: A Constructive or Destructive Combination?

The Joint Influence of Intra- and Inter-Team Learning Processes on Team Performance: A Constructive or Destructive Combination?

Fragmentation or Differentiation: Questioning the Crisis in Psychology

Rethinking the learning space at work and beyond: The achievement of agency across the boundaries of work-related spaces and environments

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