In the workplace, the prospect for learning occurs not only through formal training programmes but also effectively and prolifically through opportunities embedded in everyday work activities. This embeddedness raises still-unanswered questions about how such incidental learning is shaped by aspects of the workplace environment. From that view, the numerous means through which the general workplace environment can influence incidental learning arguably creates a significant gap in the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon. The specific gap addressed by this study is ‘How is incidental learning influenced by aspects of workplace culture?’ To investigate this gap, the study explored perceptions of employees on the impact of aspects of workplace culture on incidental learning within a manufacturing environment; specifically, the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) in Ghana. For this study, workplace culture refers to both organisational-wide cultures and subcultures within organisations. Thus this research examined employees’ means of incidental learning and ways the different aspects of organisation-wide cultures and subcultures support or suppress incidental learning. A phenomenological lens was employed to conduct in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 30 employees selected through quota, purposive, and snowballing sampling methods. The data obtained were analysed through multiple theoretical lenses. The findings showed that employees acquire knowledge through participatory, inquisitorial, and observational means. The findings also provide specific cultural artefacts/practices, values, and assumptions toward a general understanding of the learning/culture relationship and for constructing models for learning-supportive and learning-inhibitive cultures and subcultures at the workplace. The study further demonstrates that employees may have overlapping or multiple identities, which sometimes makes the identification of cultures or subcultures problematic.

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The practice of workplace learning is important for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to stay competitive in the face of today's environmental pressures from globalisation, competition, technological advancement and the knowledge economy. However, firm characteristics such as limited internal resources and capabilities are factors that affect how they practise workplace learning at any given point in time. According to organisational life cycle (OLC) theory, during the firm's growth from inception, to high-growth, to maturity, the internal resources and capabilities of the firm develop. The literature has discussed workplace learning and the organisational life cycle separately, and little is known about how they are related. This study attempts to connect the workplace learning practices in SMEs and the organisational life cycle to understand how they practice workplace learning at different life-cycle stages. The research reports on a case study of30 Hong Kong SMEs at different life-cycle stages (11 at inception, 10 at high-growth and 9 at maturity). Two consecutive phases of data collection are involved. Phase I identifies the life-cycle stage of the firm through theoretical sampling with an OLC questionnaire. Phase II adopts a mixed methods design to explore the workplace learning practices (categorised by learning levels) in those SMEs at each life-cycle stage through the online Learning Practices Questionnaire (LPQ), as well as semi-structured interviews with 4 SMEs identified at each stage through snowball sampling with data gathered until data saturation was reached. Both quantitative and qualitative results lend support to each other. Results of this study show that the levels of workplace learning practised by SMEs are varied in importance between life-cycle stages (except inter-organisational learning which is common to all stages). Four major findings emerge: (1) The individual level of workplace learning is important at all life-cycle stages but most important at inception. (2) The group level of workplace learning is more important at high-growth than it is at maturity. (3) The organisational level of work place learning is more important at high-growth and maturity than it is at inception. (4) The inter-organisational level of work place learning is high at all life-cycle stages and there is no significant difference between stages. To conclude, this study has established a connection between the workplace learning practices in SMEs and the organisational life cycle, providing owner/managers with a better understanding of how the firm's development relates to their workplace learning strategies.

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The study determines the effects of resilience training on team performance. An investigation was undertaken to: * establish a theoretical foundation for using resilience training to improve performance; * identify parameters and criteria for determining the effects of resilience training on the individual within the team; * gain insight on how learners experienced the resilience training; and * whether they implemented the resilience training within the workplace. This study included the review of literature on various motivational theories, resilience, psycho-education, adult learning and team performance. It also included an empirical investigation on the effects of resilience training on the individual within the team and the team performance as such. Data was collected against the main research question: What is the effect of strengths-focussed training on team performance? / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Didactics)

The study determines the effects of resilience training on team performance. An investigation was undertaken to: * establish a theoretical foundation for using resilience training to improve performance; * identify parameters and criteria for determining the effects of resilience training on the individual within the team; * gain insight on how learners experienced the resilience training; and * whether they implemented the resilience training within the workplace. This study included the review of literature on various motivational theories, resilience, psycho-education, adult learning and team performance. It also included an empirical investigation on the effects of resilience training on the individual within the team and the team performance as such. Data was collected against the main research question: What is the effect of strengths-focussed training on team performance? / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Didactics)