This study is concerned with workers, workplace learning and organisations. In the current climate of techno-logisation and globalisation, change is constant. Consequently, development of workers??? capacity to grow and adapt is essential for both the employability of the individual, and the economic survival of organisations. Capacity is considered essential because it encompasses more than current ability, it enables the growth of innovative approaches to work, which are required to adapt to change. Learning is central to capacity-development and so learning skills and related ???general skills??? are vital, but these skills must be developed in a specific context to be useful tools. Learning involves balancing the chaos of uncertainty and the old grooves of experience. Learning also involves personal growth. This study explores ways of helping workers develop capacity and especially learning skills, in a context of complexity, to meet the demands of their changing environment. The methodological approach taken is two fold, including both a conceptual and an empirical component. Firstly, a framework, based on conceptual innovation, is constructed to direct the design of workplace-based programs aimed at developing workers??? capacity. This is done as guidance in tailoring a program that promotes the development of an understanding of the necessary skills and knowledge in the context of the work undertaken, how to use them effectively, and the impact they have on the worker and their environment. It is contended that this framework promotes continued and sustained growth in workers??? skills and adaptability, that is, it develops capacity. Secondly, fieldwork based on a program developed for a group of tax administrators to instantiate this framework is reported. The findings show that this workplace-based program designed for the Australian Taxation Office has precipitated the development of the participant workers??? capacity, and in so doing, has shown the empirical significance of the conceptual innovation. Finally, the broader implications of developing workers??? capacity are explored. These include the need for organisational support for workers??? capacity-development, the possibility of the development of a learning culture in organisations, and the general applicability of the framework to other organisations, professions, and industries.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/242984 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | McManus, Jacqueline, Law, Faculty of Law, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Law |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Jacqueline McManus, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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