Föreliggande uppsats ämnar öka kunskapen och förståelsen gällande chefers synsätt på betydelsen av lärande samt hur dem arbetar för att generera ett lärande hos de anställda. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats, där datamaterialet består utav sex stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer. De frågeställningar som ligger till grund för studien är följande: Hur uppfattar cheferna lärandes betydelse? Vilka möjligheter för lärande ges de anställda? Hur struktureras arbetsplatsen för att generera ett lärande hos de anställda? Det framkomna materialet har sedan analyserats genom en tematisk analysmetod. Diskussion kring resultatet sker med stöd i tidigare forskning samt genom teoretiska begrepp från Etienne Wengers teori Communities of Practice (COP). Studiens resultat visar att respondenterna betraktar lärande som en ständigt närvarande process, som har stor betydelse både för den enskilda individen, gruppen eller företaget. Det är bland annat genom lärande som företaget och de anställda kan behålla sin aktuella position på arbetsmarknaden, vilket innebär att det är viktigt att hela tiden underhålla lärandet. Resultatet visar respondenternas ståndpunkt att för medarbetarna har ett eget ansvar för sitt lärande, genom att leta upp önskvärda utbildar och därefter motivera för relevansen av dessa i arbetet. Respondenterna betonar även vikten av att som chef utmana medarbetarna, ge dem förtroende och därmed mandat till att fatta vissa beslut. Ytterligare ett resultat som uppvisas är att kulturen på arbetsplatsen har betydelse för lärandet, där samtliga respondenterna strävar efter ett tryggt klimat där det finns utrymme för misstag.

Thesis advisor: Jane E. Regan / Today's Christian communities find themselves situated within a dynamic framework of "otherness" in relationship to society in general, as well as in ecumenical and interreligious contexts. In addition to this complex ad-extra environment, there are also intra-ecclesial tensions within the Catholic community that arise from its own pluralistic reality, hindering the church from being the kind of community it is called to be. Chapter One acknowledges these concerns, and suggests that against such a pluralistic backdrop, the human need for connection and relationality cannot be overvalued. Toward this end, conversation as a means toward building mutuality cannot be overlooked. Indeed, "dialogue" has become a buzzword in religious, business, social and political circles, as people recognize the value of having spaces of meaningful relationship with those "other" than themselves. Yet, a sense of true connection--one that might be more adequately expressed by "conversation" and that supports a mutual movement toward understandings of difference in a spirit of reverence--continues to elude. The impoverished condition of conversation within the church raises questions: why isn't life-giving, intra-ecclesial conversation happening? Why aren't we having meaningful interactions that lead to an expanded sense of honoring the other, and a desire to come together in understanding, reciprocity and mutual support, in view of the church's ministry? Chapter Two suggests that one way to begin addressing the issue of creating space for more effective conversation within a pluralistic church broadly considered, is to look to small faith communities within the church as "communities of practice" in which adult learning can occur. These small faith communities of practice, such as parish councils, faith-sharing groups, ministerial teams, etc., are not merely task-oriented groups, focused on management strategies, business tactics or the mere exercise of democracy in their ways of being together. In an ecclesial context, they are communities intent on being and becoming groups that learn together and create conditions that support a lived adult faith. Because conversation factors largely in adult learning, attending to and valuing conversation in these small faith communities can lead to a "habitus of conversation" that might serve the wider ecclesial community as a whole. To realize such a "habitus of conversation", small faith communities must be supported by inner convictions and shored up by a theological perspective that points toward this stance, a perspective that is capable of upholding a life of koinonia/communio and sustaining it over the long haul required by the hard work of meaningful conversation. The theological lens that grounds such a "habitus of conversation" is a living Trinitarian faith. Exploring the dialogic dynamism of Godself reveals the consequent relationality of the human person made in Imago Dei. The dialogic nature of Godself thus provides a rich theological warrant for the anthropological stance that can support conversation as a theological posture and an educational project. This is the topic of Chapter Three. Chapter Four looks to established dialogical teaching methods as a resource for religious education. Within small faith communities, fostering such a "habitus of conversation" toward the teleos of koinonia/communio is a unique contribution that adult faith formation can offer, providing a concrete locus for enacting a conversational pedagogy that might suggest a model for venues beyond religious education itself, at the service of the broader Catholic Christian community as a whole. With this in mind, Chapter Five concludes the dissertation by addressing pedagogical practices that religious educators can resource as a framework for placing conversation at the center of educating in faith. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

Thesis advisor: Jane Regan / This dissertation argues that adults need to develop a potential ecclesiology of youth such that adults envision, anticipate, and empower adolescent contribution to the faith community. A potential ecclesiology begins when adults see adolescents for what he or she may contribute and invite them to join the church's work in the world for the reign of God. Relationships are understood as the primary location for Christ's transforming activity among people and communities. Christianity is an ecclesial faith, and the mark of maturity includes learning to move from being with others to being for others, a shift from me to we. Therefore, belonging to a community where adolescents can learn to live as Christians with others, cultivating both knowledge and competence, is vital to a maturing faith in Christ. In light of this, a potential ecclesiology compels adults to invite adolescents into the unfolding drama as growing contributors to God's redeeming work in the world. A potential ecclesiology is somewhat antithetical to a service-based youth ministry, which is a dominant model among contemporary Protestant churches characterized by adults providing a service (both content and experiences of faith) for adolescents to passively receive. Individual faith formation is the primary objective. Research verifies a disparity between increased efforts and resources allocated to support adolescent faith formation and the high attrition of post-high school participation in faith communities. When reconciled, this assumed problem of retention is actually a problem of integration, revealing that the service-based model resists inviting adolescents to join with a local community of faith as contributors to God's redemptive purposes in the world. Built on a biblical and theological foundation, this dissertation argues that fostering a maturing Christian faith is bound to the vital relationship between the person and the community where maturity is both personal and communal. Positive Youth Development literature affirms the central role of others in adolescent development broadly, which includes changes in knowing who I am (independence) alongside who I am with others (interdependence). Adolescents who are "thriving" are those who contribute to the larger purposes of the community. Additionally, a social theory of learning takes seriously doing the faith with others as a means of learning, which includes exposure to and engagement with the larger purpose of the faith community. Faith communities support a maturing faith by contextually enacting five values: communal memory, responsible mutuality, burgeoning maturity, generative relationships, and imaginative contribution. Attending to the adolescent's experience with the community and creating avenues for authentic contribution should guide a church's vision and practices and thus enact a potential ecclesiology of youth. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.

Personalvetarprogrammet läses under tre år, studier visar dock att kunskapen som studenter får med sig när de är klara på många sätt är otillräcklig på dagens arbetsmarknad. Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap kring hur nyutexaminerade personalvetare ser på den kunskap som förvärvats genom utbildningen och i arbetslivet, samt vilken roll deras arbetsgivare spelat i detta. För att finna information om detta genomfördes åtta semi-strukturerade intervjuer med alumner som läst program med inriktning mot personal- och arbetslivsfrågor vid Uppsala universitet. För att generera kunskap om alumnernas upplevelse har vi använt Wengers (1998) teori om lärande, Communities of Practice och vi har kompletterat denna teori med Lundmarks (1998) kompetensblomma samt Olofssons (2012) utbildningskontrakt. Genom en tematisk analys har studiens tre frågeställningar besvarats. Studiens resultat visar att praktiska kurser är det som respondenterna främst tog med sig från universitet. Resultatet visar även att synen på viktig kunskap är relativt intakt, men att betydelsen av det som ansågs som viktig under studietiden, fick en ökad betydelse när de började arbeta efter uttagen examen. Arbetsgivaren spelar en stor roll i att fylla de kunskapsluckor som finns hos nyutexaminerade personalvetare, men upplevelsen skiljer sig beroende om en person har börjat arbeta på sitt nuvarande företag efter examen eller om personen under studietiden arbetade deltid på företaget, för att sedan påbörja en heltidstjänst efter examen. / The Bachelor's degree in Human Resources (HR) is a three-year program. Studies show that the knowledge that students possess when they have completed is insufficient in numerous of ways in today's labor market. The purpose of this research is to gain information about newly graduated Human Resource professionals view regarding the knowledge received at University and at work, and what role their employer played in this. To gain information eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with alumnis from Uppsala University who has studied the program with focus on HR. To gain knowledge about their experience we have used Wenger's (1998) theory about learning, Communities of Practice and we have extended this theory with Lundmark's (1998) competence flower and Olofsson's (2012) education contract. Through thematic analysis the study's three main questions have been answered. The outcomes show that practical courses are what respondents mainly brought with them from the university. The result also shows that the view of important knowledge is relatively intact, but when they started working after graduation they understood the importance about this knowledge. Employers plays a major role in filling the knowledge gaps that exist for newly graduated HR-professionals. The experience differs depending on whether a person started working at its current company after graduation or if the person worked part-time at the company during the study, and began a full-time job after graduation.

Information System (IS) implementations are a risky business with studies showing only a 16%-29% success rate. This research explores the use of social capital to support technology implementations. This research brings together two distinct bodies of knowledge: social network analysis (SNA) and technology acceptance models, in order to better understand the relationship between social capital and technology acceptance. The first aspect of the research looks at social network centrality and influence measures as an alternative means to measure social influence in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The social influence construct has proven to be inconsistent in past research. An individual‟s decision to adopt a new technology is influenced by their social context or the informal social network within which they work. The social capital of others influences their attitudes and decision to adopt a new technology. Social Capital, as measured through social network analysis, could be substituted for the social influence construct of the UTAUT model. Two revised UTAUT models are developed and tested. The second aspect of this research uses social capital to inform membership of a Community of Practice (CoP) to support a Finance Management System implementation in a higher education organization. SNA can be used to gain an understanding of the social network and identify individuals with high social capital. There is growing evidence that CoP support successful organizational change initiatives but it is less clear how CoP membership might be determined. SNA provides an evidence-based approach to CoP formation. The IS implementation cases described in the paper demonstrate an innovative approach to IS implementation grounded in social capital and technology acceptance research that add to the body of knowledge in both theory and practice.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-06-09T14:55:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Débora Junge Baum.pdf: 2353364 bytes, checksum: 5f1533355c44784c68c2134c28420360 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-09T14:55:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Débora Junge Baum.pdf: 2353364 bytes, checksum: 5f1533355c44784c68c2134c28420360 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-13 / Nenhuma / A busca das organizações pela diferenciação e pelo desenvolvimento de vantagens competitivas, passa pela habilidade em capitalizar conhecimento. Na maioria das vezes, esse conhecimento se encontra distribuído entre os colaboradores, muitas vezes dispersos geograficamente. Nesse contexto, as comunidades de prática surgem como uma solução, promovendo o compartilhamento e construindo conhecimento. A dissertação tem como tema as estruturas de redes sociais em comunidades de prática. O objetivo principal é identificar como as características da estrutura da rede social impactam no desenvolvimento de comunidades de prática, tendo como objeto de estudo três comunidades de prática da empresa Gerdau. O estudo aborda em sua fundamentação teórica os temas de aprendizagem social, comunidades de prática e redes sociais. De caráter exploratório e natureza quantitativo-qualitativa, o estudo de caso utilizou Análise de Redes Sociais, análise documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas, em uma triangulação de dados. Dentre os resultados da pesquisa, destaca-se a identificação dos construtos, sendo eles: interação entre os membros, envolvimento, papéis formais, perfil dos membros, centralização e clusters. A identificação desses construtos promove contribuição teórica, à medida que a temática das comunidades de prática ainda é pouco explorada sob o prisma de redes sociais. Adicionalmente, os resultados da pesquisa demonstram que as características da estrutura das redes sociais das comunidades de prática impactam significativamente no seu desenvolvimento e que a análise das comunidades de prática sob o viés dos construtos possibilita a identificação de oportunidades de atuação, contribuindo para sua gestão e seu desenvolvimento. / The search for differentiation and for the development of competitive advantages resides on the ability of organizations to capitalize knowledge. Most of the times, these knowledge is embedded into the mind of employees, who are frequently geographically dispersed. In this context, communities of practice arise as a solution, providing knowledge sharing and building. The dissertation theme is social network structures in communities of practice. The main objective is to identify how the characteristics of the social network structures affect the development of communities of practice, having as an study object three of Gerdau’s communities of practice. In its theoretical foundation the study addresses issues such as social learning, communities of practice and social networks. With an exploratory character and a qualitative-quantitative nature, the case study used Social Networks Analysis, documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews, providing data triangulation. Among the research results are a set of constructs formed by: members interaction, engagement, formal roles, members profile, centralization and clusters. The identification of these constructs provides theoretical contribution, as the theme of communities of practice is still little explored in the light of social networks. Besides, research results show that the characteristics of the social network structures in communities of practice affects significantly it’s development and that analyzing communities of practice under the bias of the constructs allows the identification of action opportunities, contributing to its management and development.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-07-15T12:15:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Debora Novak de Souza.pdf: 924928 bytes, checksum: de4963166620013aab712a461fd21dc0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-15T12:15:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Debora Novak de Souza.pdf: 924928 bytes, checksum: de4963166620013aab712a461fd21dc0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-28 / Nenhuma / A dinâmica da evolução de produtos e serviços concorrentes no ambiente de tecnologia da informação pede eficiência e agilidade na aquisição de novos conhecimentos que levem à criação de soluções inovadoras. Algumas empresas estão valendo-se do modelo de comunidades de prática para atingir esse objetivo. De forma complementar, capacidade absortiva organizacional facilita a incorporação de novos conhecimentos pela empresa, através de cinco elementos centrais: comunicação, processos, aquisição, assimilação, transformação e aproveitamento de conhecimento. Dessa forma, este estudo visa analisar como uma comunidade de prática numa empresa do setor de serviços de tecnologia da informação contribui para o desenvolvimento de capacidade absortiva. A pesquisa foi realizada através de um estudo de caso na unidade brasileira de uma empresa do setor de serviços de tecnologia da informação. Entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram realizadas com doze dos membros mais ativos de duas comunidades de prática da empresa. Os resultados deste estudo indicam que os elementos comunicação, aquisição e aproveitamento de conhecimento encontram-se presentes nas comunidades de prática investigadas. Os resultados desta pesquisa, no entanto, não indicam a presença de processos ou das dimensões assimilação e transformação de conhecimento. A partir disso, é possível entender que os participantes dessas comunidades obtêm novos conhecimentos que são válidos para seu trabalho, levando a novos produtos e soluções para dificuldades enfrentadas. Por outro lado, não é possível, apenas com esses resultados, afirmar que as comunidades contribuem efetivamente para ampliação da capacidade absortiva da organização. / The dynamics of evolving competitive products and services in the information technology industry calls for efficiency and agility in acquiring new knowledge which will lead to innovative solutions. Some companies are adopting the use of communities of practice to reach this goal. Complementarily, organizational absorptive capacity facilitates the incorporation of new knowledge in a company via five central dimensions: communication, processes, acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation of knowledge. Thereby, this study aims to analyze how a community of practice in a company from the information technology services sector contributes to the development of absorptive capacity. The research was carried out through a case study with a Brazilian subsidiary of a global company from the information technology services sector. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve of the most active members of the two communities of practice selected for investigation. The results of this research indicate the presence of the communication, acquisition and exploitation dimensions in the communities investigated. However, there is little to no indication of the presence of the process, assimilation and transformation dimensions. From these findings it is possible to conclude that the individual community members are obtaining new knowledge which can be incorporated into their daily work, leading to new product development and problem solving. On the other hand, it is not possible to assert that the communities are effectively contributing to the development of this organization ́s absorptive capacity.

Em comunidades de prática, a aprendizagem ocorre por meio da interação e colaboração constante de seus participantes, o caráter social destes ambientes é fundamental para a construção do conhecimento. Por este motivo, esta dissertação busca compreender a forma como os usuários interagem em comunidades de prática e propõe a estruturação destas informações em torno de um perfil dinâmico de usuário. A aplicação de perfis de usuário neste contexto permite entender o indivíduo, seus interesses e necessidades. A partir da representação dos participantes de comunidades de prática é possível desenvolver sistemas de aprendizagem inteligente, sistemas de recomendação, elementos de gamificação e sistemas de acesso e recuperação de informação personalizados. Estes mecanismos procuram estimular o engajamento dos participantes e promover a aprendizagem colaborativa. A representação das informações neste trabalho será apoiada pelo uso de tecnologias da web semântica e de ontologias para a formalização das relações em comunidades de prática. O desenvolvimento de softwares educacionais baseados na web semântica amplia a capacidade de implementação de novos mecanismos de aprendizagem, contribuindo para a análise das interações e a inferências sobre as informações dos usuários. O uso de ontologias permite a formalização das informações e torna possível a elaboração de uma rede de conhecimento que pode ser processada e consumida por agentes de software, contribuindo para a interoperabilidade do sistema. / In communities of practice, learning is built through constant interaction and collaboration of their participants, the social aspect of these environments is crucial for the knowledge construction. For this reason, this work intends to understand how users interact in communities of practice and proposes a dynamic user profile to structure this information. An user profile applied in this context allows us to understand the person, his interests and needs. The representation of participants in communities of practice allow us to develop intelligent learning systems, recommender systems, gamification elements and systems for personalized access and personalized information retrieval. Those mechanisms intend to stimulate participant engagement to promote collaborative learning. In this work, semantic web technologies and ontologies are used to represent this informations. The development of educational software based on the semantic web expands the capacity to implement new learning mechanisms, contributing to the analysis of the interactions and the inferences about user informations. The use of ontologies allows the formalization of information and enables the elaboration of a knowledge network that can be processed and consumed by software agents, contributing to the system interoperability.

Magister Library and Information Studies - MLIS / This study investigated knowledge sharing (KS) practices at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) in Zimbabwe. The study assessed the knowledge sharing practices in the ZOU regional campus faculty departments and identified gaps, with the aim to find out how knowledge is being managed, shared in an Open and distance learning institution and if knowledge management (KM) is playing a role. The quantitative study was undertaken at the 10 regional campuses of the Zimbabwe Open University. A questionnaire survey was carried out to collect data from a sample of 100 academic staff in the 10 Regional Centres. The underlying question was whether the university academic members were aware of the knowledge that exists, how this knowledge is created and, shared and flows in the organization. The study also sought to establish the views of academic staff, on the benefits that can be reaped from KM practices. The study confirmed that there is willingness to engage in knowledge sharing activities. However, the lack of a clear knowledge policy negatively impacts on the university’s ability to competitively position itself in the knowledge economy as a knowledge driven university and this impacts research productivity and distance learning course delivery at the ZOU. One of the key recommendations emanating from this research is that the university should have a Knowledge policy aligned to its strategic plan which will act as a guideline on the sharing of knowledge internally and externally as well as make it mandatory for academic staff to publish internally as well as to store their publications in the university repository.

This dissertation explores the work-based language education practices of undocumented Latino and Korean immigrants employed in Korean supermarkets and restaurants of Koreatown, New York City. The primary goal of this dissertation is to understand how immigrants educate each other about the communication strategies necessary for accomplishing work together. In Koreatown, Latinos and Koreans engage in cooperative sense-making in workplace "communities of practice" where they participate in joint activities, build new ways of using language together, and learn to dominate language. Interviews, handwritten glossaries, and audio-recorded multilingual workplace conversations reveal how immigrants' engage in sense-making together and learn about the rules, norms, and expectations of their new environments. Analysis of everyday labor practices shows how kitchen assistants, dishwashers, and supermarket workers transform their social positions through evolving language practices. This study also shows how experienced immigrants actively participate as teachers, translators, and guides for immigrant newcomers in Koreatown, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries in the process.