Weiterbildung, also organisiertes Lernen nach dem Abschluss der ersten Bildungsphase, erfolgt zu großen Teilen im betrieblichen Kontext. Dort ist Weiterbildung nicht das primäre Ziel, sondern findet als beigeordnete Bildung statt. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurde im Rahmen des Promotionsvorhabens das Spannungsfeld von pädagogischen und ökonomischen Zielvorstellungen im Kontext betrieblicher Weiterbildung betrachtet. Der Fokus lag auf der betrieblichen Programmplanung, als Untersuchungsgegenstand wurde der Prozess der Bedarfserschließung gewählt. Dabei wurde das Ziel verfolgt, Gestaltungsspielräume sichtbar zu machen, um so den Einfluss pädagogischer Zielvorstellungen in der betrieblichen Weiterbildung zu stärken. Das Promotionsvorhaben ist im Rahmen eines DFG-Projekts entstanden und umfasst neben der vorliegenden Dissertationsschrift drei bereits veröffentlichte Einzelarbeiten (von Hippel/Röbel 2016, Röbel 2016, Röbel 2017, siehe Anhang). Datengrundlage sind drei vergleichende Unternehmensfallstudien in Großunternehmen aus verschiedenen Branchen (Gesundheit, Einzelhandel, Energie). In der vorliegenden Dissertationsschrift wird erstens das Promotionsvorhaben in den aktuellen Theorie- und Forschungstand eingeordnet. Dabei werden neben erwachsenenpädagogischen Arbeiten auch Ansätze aus der Wirtschaftsethik berücksichtigt. Zweitens wird die Gesamtkonzeption vorgestellt und der Beitrag der Einzelarbeiten erläutert. Drittens werden im Sinne einer abschließenden Diskussion Muster der Bedarfserschließung beschrieben und Bildung als pädagogische Zielvorstellung diskutiert. / Adult education and training to a large extent take place as workplace learning (in the sense of employer-sponsored learning). Workplace learning by definition takes place in institutions with other primary goals than the provision of Adult Education. Against this background, the doctoral thesis has explored the relation of educational and economic objectives in the context of workplace learning. The focus was on program planning. The processes of needs assessment were chosen as object of investigation. The aim was to make leeways for decision-making visible in order to strengthen the influence of pedagogical objectives in workplace learning. The dissertation project was developed during a research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). It comprises three publications (all already published) as well as the present text. The data base consists of three comparative case studies in large companies from various sectors (health, retail, energy). In this paper, first of all the state of research relevant to the dissertation project is presented. Besides recurring to adult education theory and research, approaches from the discipline of business ethics are introduced. Second, the overall concept of the dissertations project is presented and the contribution of the individual publications is explained. Thirdly, as a final discussion, patterns of need-assessment are described and the idea of Bildung is discussed as an educational objective.

<p>Avhandlingen behandlar en grupp industriarbetares deltagande i olika läraktiviteter på arbetsplatsen i samband med en organisationsförändring. Företaget var i behov av mångkunnig personal och organiserade därmed läraktiviteter. Syftet är att beskriva anställdas deltagande i dessa läraktiviteter i termer av faktiskt deltagande och inställningen till deltagande, samt att förklara eventuella skillnader.</p><p>Deltagande förstås i termer av motivation som utvecklas i ett komplext samspel mellan individrelaterade faktorer och faktorer som har med arbete, läraktiviteter, förändringsprocess och yttre omgivning att göra. De motivationsteorier som används är förväntan-valensteori, arbetsrelaterad teori samt en kontextuell motivationsteori.</p><p>Studien baseras på en fallstudie inom en avdelning vid ett traditionellt produktionsföretag. Det huvudsakliga empiriska materialet utgörs av intervjuer med de industrianställda. Dessutom har ett flertal informella studiebesök på arbetsplatsen genomförts, liksom dokumentinsamling och informantintervjuer.</p><p>I resultatet framträder tre grupper med olika deltagarmönster, som utifrån mönstren kan benämnas de ”engagerade”, de ”motvilliga” och de ”osäkra”. Det visar att industrianställda inte är någon enhetlig grupp. För gruppen ”engagerade” fanns få hinder för att delta i läraktiviteter. De hade även egna personliga motiv för deltagande. De individrelaterade förklaringarna, tycks vara särskilt viktiga för att förklara motivationen, och de hade kommit in i något som kan beskrivas som positiva lärspiraler. Gruppen ”motvilliga” såg inte deltagandet i läraktiviteter som något viktigt. De var inte överens om företagets mål och kände sig inte delaktiga i förändringsprocessen. De kontextuella förklaringarna har alltså ett stort värde för att förstå deltagandet i denna grupp. Gruppen ”osäkra” hade låg tilltro till sin förmåga, och hade ringa erfarenhet av tidigare läraktiviteter. Hur läraktiviteterna var utformade, var särskilt viktiga för denna grupp. De ”osäkra” liksom de ”motvilliga” tycks ha kommit in i negativa lärspiraler. Studien visar således att olika faktorer är betydelsefulla för olika grupper.</p> / <p>This dissertation focuses on the participation of a group of industrial workers in different learning activities at the workplace in connection with an organizational change. The purpose is to describe the employees’ participation in learning activities in terms of actual participation and attitude to participation, and to try to explain any differences.</p><p>Participation is understood in motivational terms, which exist in a complex interaction between individual-related factors and factors connected to work, learning activities, change process and external environment. The motivational theories used are the expectancy-valence theory, work-related theory and one contextual motivation theory.</p><p>The study is based on one case study within a department of a traditional production company. The empirical material consists mainly of interviews with the industrial workers. In addition, data have been collected through informal study visits at the workplace, as well as through documentary analysis and informant interviews.</p><p>Three groups with different participation patterns emerge from the data, and based on these patterns they are called “the dedicated group”, “the reluctant group” and “the insecure group”. This indicates that industrial workers are not a homogenous group. The “dedicated” group saw no obstacles in participating in learning activities. They also had their own personal motives for participation. The individual-related explanations seem particularly important to explain motivation, and this group had entered something which could be described positive learning spirals. The “reluctant” group did not consider it important to participate in learning activities. Their relationship to the company appear to be significant. Consequently, the contextual explanations are of great importance in order to understand the participation of this group. The “insecure” group showed little confidence in their own ability and had limited experience of previous learning activities. The design of the learning activities was especially important to this group. The “insecure” and the “reluctant” groups seems to have entered negative development spirals. The study thus shows that different factors are important to different groups.</p>

This narrative inquiry explores how the Building Skills, Building Homes Project, which was undertaken in Saskatchewan, Canada from April November 2003, exemplified a learning strategy for self-sustainable community development through the straw bale construction of two buildings. Being self-sustainable involves searching for an interconnected way of living with our environment. Finding a strategy that connects what is ecologically sound, such as straw bale construction, with current modes of living, is a complex process that necessitates new kinds of community education relationships. A retrospective analysis of the authors experience with the project and a conversational interview with one of the participants of the Building Skills, Building Homes Project will illustrate the adult learning that happens between learners working together on a joint project, which facilitates a growing awareness of what self-sustainable living entails. The research question framing this study is: What links can community educators make using the Building Skills, Building Homes Project as an example of ecological community sustainability?

This narrative inquiry explores how the Building Skills, Building Homes Project, which was undertaken in Saskatchewan, Canada from April November 2003, exemplified a learning strategy for self-sustainable community development through the straw bale construction of two buildings. Being self-sustainable involves searching for an interconnected way of living with our environment. Finding a strategy that connects what is ecologically sound, such as straw bale construction, with current modes of living, is a complex process that necessitates new kinds of community education relationships. A retrospective analysis of the authors experience with the project and a conversational interview with one of the participants of the Building Skills, Building Homes Project will illustrate the adult learning that happens between learners working together on a joint project, which facilitates a growing awareness of what self-sustainable living entails. The research question framing this study is: What links can community educators make using the Building Skills, Building Homes Project as an example of ecological community sustainability?

Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka stressfaktorer som upplevs av handläggare på Försäkringskassan samt vilka resurser de skulle önska för att minska den upplevda stressnivån. De formulerade frågeställningarna lyder; Vad upplevs stressande på arbetsplatsen hos handläggarna, Vilka faktorer påverkar handläggarnas upplevelser samt Vilka resurser skulle de önska för att kunna minska stressen? Studiens empiri bygger på en kvalitativ studie med semistrukturerade intervjuer av sex stycken respondenter. Den teoretiska referensramen består av Krav- &amp; Kontrollmodellen samt Känsla av Sammanhang. Studien utgår från tidigare forskning i området: Försäkringskassan, stress och arbetsplatslärande.Resultatet visar att de faktorer som handläggarna upplever stressande dels är att bli avbrutna i sitt arbete och därmed behöva omstrukturera sina arbetsuppgifter. En annan faktor är att de upplever ett bristande stöd från arbetsgivarnas håll och från medarbetare med specialistkompetens. Därtill upplevs en avsaknad av resurser i form av mer personal och mer tid i förhållande till mängden arbetsuppgifter, vilket skapar en känsla av otillräcklighet. Resultatet visar även att handläggarna önskar kompetensutveckling i och med att omorganisationen har bidragit till ökade krav.Vidare kan konstateras att de önskade resurserna hos handläggarna på Försäkringskassan är ett mer tillgängligt stöd och utökad kompetens, vilket i sin tur skulle kunna leda till en ökad känsla av kontroll. Vad som också har lyfts fram som ett behov är tydligare direktiv från cheferna i hur handläggarna ska prioritera, strukturera samt planera sitt arbete. / The purpose of the study is to investigate the stress factors experienced by administrators at an Swedish insurance agency, and what resources they would need to reduce the perceived level of stress. The formulated questions reads; What is perceived stressful at the workplace among employees, What factors influence employees experiences and What resources would they need in order to reduce their stress? The empirical data is based on a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with six people at the Social Insurance Agency in the Stockholm area. The theoretical framework consists of Demand- &amp; control model and Sense of Coherence. The study is based on previous research in the field of Social Insurance, stress and workplace learning. We intend to examine what employees perceive stressful at work and the resources they see necessary to reduce the perceived stress and thus cope with their daily work better. The result shows that the factors the employees experiencing stressful is to be interrupted during their work and therefore have to restructure their tasks. Another factor is that they experience a lack of support in form of social support from the employer and from colleagues with specialist skills. In addition, in terms of resources such as more staff and more time, creating a sense of inadequacy. What the result shows is that the employees want more time to develop their skills, since the reorganization has contributed to increase the demands. Furthermore, it can be stated that the employees wished to have a more accessible support and enhanced skills from their employer, which could lead to an increased sense of control. What also have been requested is clearer directives from the employer in how to prioritize, organize and plan their work.

Les tendances de la participation à la formation des adultes au Canada n’ont pas évolué depuis des décennies, malgré les nouvelles influences économiques qui ont stimulé l’augmentation et la diversification permanente de la formation des employés et malgré les initiatives plus nombreuses en faveur de l’apprentissage des employés en milieu de travail. Il est donc nécessaire de ne plus se contenter d’étudier les prédicteurs de la formation déjà connus dans les profils des employés et des employeurs. Il est, en revanche, indispensable d’étudier les antécédents de la participation des employés à la formation, y compris les aspects et les étapes du processus qui la précède. Cette étude porte sur les antécédents de la participation des employés aux formations dans un important collège communautaire urbain en Ontario. Afin de préparer le recueil des données, un cadre théorique a été élaboré à partir du concept d’expression de la demande. Ce cadre implique l’existence d’un processus qui comporte plusieurs étapes, au cours desquelles plusieurs intervenants interagissent et dont la formation est susceptible d’être le résultat. Les résultats de l’enquête sur le profil d’apprentissage ont permis de conclure que le comportement des employés et de l’employeur est conforme aux modèles de prédicteurs existants et que les taux et les types de participation étaient similaires aux tendances nationales et internationales. L’analyse des entrevues d’un groupe d’employés atypiques, de leurs superviseurs, ainsi que de représentants du collège et du syndicat, a révélé d’importants thèmes clés : l’expression de la demande n’est pas structurée et elle est communiquée par plusieurs canaux, en excluant parfois les superviseurs. De plus, la place de l’auto évaluation est importante, ainsi que la phase de prise de décision. Ces thèmes ont souligné l’interaction de plusieurs intervenants dans le processus d’expression de la demande d’apprentissage et pendant la prise de décision. L’examen des attentes de chacun de ces intervenants au cours de ce processus nous a permis de découvrir un désir tacite chez les superviseurs et les employés, à savoir que la conversation soit à l’initiative de « l’autre ». Ces thèmes clés ont été ensuite abordés dans une discussion qui a révélé une discordance entre le profil de l’employeur et les profils des employés. Celle-ci se prête à la correction par l’employeur de son profil institutionnel pour l’harmoniser avec le profil dispositionnel des employés et optimiser ainsi vraisemblablement son offre de formation. Ils doivent, pour cela, appliquer un processus plus systématique et plus structuré, doté de meilleurs outils. La discussion a porté finalement sur les effets des motivations économiques sur la participation des employés et a permis de conclure que, bien que les employés ne semblent pas se méfier de l’offre de formation de l’employeur et que celle ci ne semble pas non plus les décourager, des questions de pouvoir sont bel et bien en jeu. Elles se sont principalement manifestées pendant le processus de prise de décision et, à cet égard, les superviseurs comme les employés reconnaissent qu’un processus plus structuré serait bénéfique, puisqu’il atténuerait les problèmes d’asymétrie et d’ambiguïté. Les constatations de cette étude sont pertinentes pour le secteur de la formation des adultes et de la formation en milieu de travail et, plus particulièrement, pour la méthodologie de recherche. Nous avons constaté l’avantage d’une méthodologie à deux volets, à l’écoute de l’employeur et des employés, afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre l’offre de formation et la participation à la formation. La définition des antécédents de la participation sous la forme d’un processus dans lequel plusieurs intervenants remplissent plusieurs rôles a permis de créer un modèle plus détaillé qui servira à la recherche future. Ce dernier a démontré qu’il est indispensable de reconnaître que la prise de décision constitue une étape à part entière, située entre l’expression de la demande et la participation à la formation. Ces constatations ont également révélé qu’il est véritablement indispensable que le secteur de la formation des adultes continue à traiter les questions reliées à la reconnaissance de la formation informelle. Ces conclusions et la discussion sur les constatations clés nous ont inspiré des recommandations à appliquer pour modifier les retombées du processus précédant la participation des employés à la formation. La majorité de ces recommandations ont trait à l’infrastructure de ce processus et ciblent donc principalement l’employeur. Certaines recommandations sont cependant destinées aux syndicats, aux superviseurs et aux employés qui peuvent aider l’employeur à remplir son rôle et favoriser la participation efficace de tous à ce processus. Les recommandations qui précédent impliquent que ce sont les antécédents de la formation qui gagneraient à être plus structurés et non la formation elle même. La structuration de l’infrastructure de l’apprentissage présente cependant des risques à elle seule. En liaison avec ce phénomène, une étude spécifique des effets de la nature, de la qualité et de l’asymétrie de la relation superviseur employé sur la participation des employés à la formation serait bénéfique. Mots clés : formation en entreprise, formation professionnelle continue, antécédents à la participation, employés de soutien / Trends in adult learning participation in Canada have remained unchanged for decades. This is despite emerging economic pressures to increase and widen continuous employee participation in learning and despite increased efforts towards employee learning in the workplace. This means that there is a need to go beyond examining the already well-established learning predictor profiles of employees and employers. There is in fact a need to examine the antecedents to participation, including aspects and steps of the process that precedes participation. This study set out to research the antecedents to participation in employer-sponsored learning among the support staff population in a large, urban community college in Ontario. In preparation for the data collection, a theoretical framework was developed based on the concept of expression of demand. This framework implies that there is a multi-step process involving interactions between several parties and wherein participation may be the outcome. Based on the results of the Learning Profile Survey, the employees and the employer were found to be behaving according to existing predictor models and the rates and types of participation were similar to national and international trends. The analysis of the interviews conducted among a group of atypical employees, their supervisors, as well as with representatives from the college and from the union, revealed important key themes: informality of the expression of demand through multiple channels, sometimes excluding the supervisors, the reliance on self-assessment, and the importance of the decision-making phase. These themes reinforced the fact that there are several parties interacting during the process of expressing demand for learning and during decision-making. By examining the expectations of each party during the process, we uncovered a tacit desire by the supervisors and by the employees to have “the other” initiate the conversation. The key themes were then discussed in relation to the research and knowledge gaps identified as the basis and context for this study. In this light, the misalignment between the employer and the employees’ profiles revealed some opportunities for the employer to address its institutional profile in order to better match the employees’ dispositional profile and thus be more likely to maximize the employer’s learning offer. The deconstruction of the antecedents to participation in learning activities provided insights along the same lines. Here there are opportunities for the employer, the supervisors and the union to better support the employees in the identification of their learning needs and the articulation of their learning demand by providing a more systematic, more formalized process with better tools. This would once again be a better match for the employees’ situational and dispositional profile. Finally, the discussion examined the impact of the economic drivers on the employees’ participation and concluded that even though the employees did not appear suspicious or deterred by the employer’s offer of learning, there are indeed issues of power in play. Those manifested themselves mainly during the decision-making process, and in this regard, both the supervisors and the employees agree that a more formalized process would be beneficial as a way to mitigate the issue of asymmetry and the issue of ambiguity. The findings of this study have implications for the field of adult education and workplace learning, particularly in regards to research methodology. We found that the use of mix methodology capturing the employer and the employees’ voice was beneficial in providing new insights about the alignment between the offer and the uptake. The recognition of the antecedents to participation as a process involving several, multi-faceted actors allowed for the creation of a more detailed model useful for further research. It identified the need to separate decision-making as a stand-alone step between the expression of demand and participation in learning. The findings also reinforced the need for the field of adult education to continue to address issues related to the recognition of informal learning. Based on the results and the discussion of key findings there are several recommendations that can be considered if we are to affect the outcome of the process preceding employee participation in learning. Most of the recommendations pertain to the infrastructure that supports the process and therefore are largely targeted at the employer. However, as the employers consider the implementation of a more solid infrastructure and the use of more intervention methods, there are recommendations for unions, supervisors and for employees that can assist the employer living up to its role and facilitate everyone’s effective participation in the process. The above recommendations imply that it is the antecedents to learning that could benefit from greater formality, not the learning itself. On the other hand, there are risks associated with formalizing even the infrastructure for learning. Future research should further explore the new type of workplace learning participants for whom participation is an expression of control and power over their work. In relation to this phenomenon, a specific study on the impact of the nature, quality and asymmetry of the supervisor-employee relationship on employee participation in learning would be beneficial. Keywords: workplace learning, antecedents to participation, support staff

Avhandlingen behandlar en grupp industriarbetares deltagande i olika läraktiviteter på arbetsplatsen i samband med en organisationsförändring. Företaget var i behov av mångkunnig personal och organiserade därmed läraktiviteter. Syftet är att beskriva anställdas deltagande i dessa läraktiviteter i termer av faktiskt deltagande och inställningen till deltagande, samt att förklara eventuella skillnader. Deltagande förstås i termer av motivation som utvecklas i ett komplext samspel mellan individrelaterade faktorer och faktorer som har med arbete, läraktiviteter, förändringsprocess och yttre omgivning att göra. De motivationsteorier som används är förväntan-valensteori, arbetsrelaterad teori samt en kontextuell motivationsteori. Studien baseras på en fallstudie inom en avdelning vid ett traditionellt produktionsföretag. Det huvudsakliga empiriska materialet utgörs av intervjuer med de industrianställda. Dessutom har ett flertal informella studiebesök på arbetsplatsen genomförts, liksom dokumentinsamling och informantintervjuer. I resultatet framträder tre grupper med olika deltagarmönster, som utifrån mönstren kan benämnas de ”engagerade”, de ”motvilliga” och de ”osäkra”. Det visar att industrianställda inte är någon enhetlig grupp. För gruppen ”engagerade” fanns få hinder för att delta i läraktiviteter. De hade även egna personliga motiv för deltagande. De individrelaterade förklaringarna, tycks vara särskilt viktiga för att förklara motivationen, och de hade kommit in i något som kan beskrivas som positiva lärspiraler. Gruppen ”motvilliga” såg inte deltagandet i läraktiviteter som något viktigt. De var inte överens om företagets mål och kände sig inte delaktiga i förändringsprocessen. De kontextuella förklaringarna har alltså ett stort värde för att förstå deltagandet i denna grupp. Gruppen ”osäkra” hade låg tilltro till sin förmåga, och hade ringa erfarenhet av tidigare läraktiviteter. Hur läraktiviteterna var utformade, var särskilt viktiga för denna grupp. De ”osäkra” liksom de ”motvilliga” tycks ha kommit in i negativa lärspiraler. Studien visar således att olika faktorer är betydelsefulla för olika grupper. / This dissertation focuses on the participation of a group of industrial workers in different learning activities at the workplace in connection with an organizational change. The purpose is to describe the employees’ participation in learning activities in terms of actual participation and attitude to participation, and to try to explain any differences. Participation is understood in motivational terms, which exist in a complex interaction between individual-related factors and factors connected to work, learning activities, change process and external environment. The motivational theories used are the expectancy-valence theory, work-related theory and one contextual motivation theory. The study is based on one case study within a department of a traditional production company. The empirical material consists mainly of interviews with the industrial workers. In addition, data have been collected through informal study visits at the workplace, as well as through documentary analysis and informant interviews. Three groups with different participation patterns emerge from the data, and based on these patterns they are called “the dedicated group”, “the reluctant group” and “the insecure group”. This indicates that industrial workers are not a homogenous group. The “dedicated” group saw no obstacles in participating in learning activities. They also had their own personal motives for participation. The individual-related explanations seem particularly important to explain motivation, and this group had entered something which could be described positive learning spirals. The “reluctant” group did not consider it important to participate in learning activities. Their relationship to the company appear to be significant. Consequently, the contextual explanations are of great importance in order to understand the participation of this group. The “insecure” group showed little confidence in their own ability and had limited experience of previous learning activities. The design of the learning activities was especially important to this group. The “insecure” and the “reluctant” groups seems to have entered negative development spirals. The study thus shows that different factors are important to different groups.

Bakgrund: En kvalitativ studie av arbetslivspedagogik i en särskild kontext vid en arbetplats med dubbla funktioner, arbetsplatsen är delvis rehabiliterande utöver sin funktion som arbetplats. Syfte:  I studien  belyses expansivt lärande utifrån möjligheter som kan finnas i den undersökta organisationen. Studien syftar till att  belysa lärande möjligheter inom  organisationen  KRIS och Unga KRIS, Halmstad. Beskrivning sker utifrån ett medarbetarperspektiv. Metod:  Studiens empiriska material insamlades genom  en enkät med Cultural- Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). Vilken används som teoretisk utgångspunkt i studien. Ytterligare  empiri insamlades  genom ett samtal inspirerat av Change Laboratory (CL). Resultat: Studien visar att organisationen som helhet har ett gott arbetsklimat och att medarbetarna på KRIS och Unga KRIS, Halmstad har goda möjligheter att påverka  och utveckla  organisationen. Vidare visar studien att  medarbetaren efter tre års tjänstgöring  hos tidigare nämnda organisationer ska vara redo för den reguljära arbetsmarknaden. Implikation: Organisationen KRIS och Unga KRIS, Halmstad bör  arbeta för att  förbättra lärlingssystemet smat att tydligare  arbeta med lärande i syfte att erbjuda  medarbetaren attraktiv  kompetensutveckling med anledning utav organisationens målsättning  för sina medarbetare. / Background: A qualitative study in work life pedagogy in a particular context of  a workplace  which has a partial rehabilitative purpose in addition to its primary function of beeing a workplace. Objective: This study aims to  shed  a light  on learning  opportunities  within the organization KRIS  and Unga KRIS, Halmstad. The description is based on a  employee perspective. This study also shed a light on  expansive learning based on  the opportunities  that may exist within the organization that have been studied. Method:  the study´s empirical data was collected through a feedback conversation  inspired by  Change laboratory (CL).  Results:  The  study  demonstarates  that the whole  organization  has  a good  work  climate  and that  the employees  on KRIS and Unga KRIS, Halmstad have good opportunitys to influence  and  further develop  the organization.  Furthermore, the study demonstrates  that the employee after three years of employment in  previously mentioned organizations shall be redy to enter the regular labor market. Implications: The organization KRIS and Unga KRIS, Halmstad should work  to improve  the trainee system and  more clearly work  on learning in order to  offer attractive  employee competence  development  considering  the organizational goal  for  their employees.

Contemporary organisations face a raft of challenges in coping with competing demands and rapidly changing environments. With these demands and changes comes the need for those within the organisation to be adequately skilled to meet these challenges both now and into the future. There is a growing concern that the rate of change is such that learning will not be sufficient and that individuals will need to be skilled in unlearning or letting go of past practice and behaviour. This research investigated individual unlearning as it applies in the workplace, and enabled the development of a process model of unlearning that provides specific indication of factors affecting unlearning during times of change. In particular, this thesis highlights the critical importance of elements of a more personal and affective nature; often referred to as "soft" issues. Six key factors at the level of the individual were identified as impacting unlearning; positive prior outlook, individual inertia, feelings and expectations, positive experience and informal support, understanding the need for change, and assessment of the new way. Two factors emerged from the organisational level that also impact unlearning; organisational support and training and history of organisational change. Many change efforts will fail because of lack of attention to individuals, how they unlearn and the level of feelings and expectations that accompany change. This research demonstrates that organisations must provide resources and education to provide both those in supervisory roles and those impacted by change with the necessary skills to unlearn and to embrace change at an individual level.

This thesis reports on the development of a generic online system to support learning and teaching at the University of Melbourne. New online technologies, the fostering of innovation at national and university levels and my position within a central educational unit provided the opportunity in 1996 to adapt a previous software package for online use. My observations of the problematic nature of computer-facilitated learning (CFL) production led me to take an open approach to the development, seeking both a practical product and enhanced understanding. A series of formative questions defined the scope and goals of the study, which were to: *produce a generic online learning system; *increase understanding of the workplace experience of that development; and *develop an organisational model for the further development of generic CFL systems. Given this multi-disciplinary focus, many paradigms in the literature could potentially have guided the study. A number of these aligning with the research purposes, context and constructivist philosophy of the study, were reviewed from the perspectives of learning, CFL development and the organisation.