Att lära genom gemenskap : En studie om arbetsplatslärande på ett svenskt fackförbund

The purpose of this report has been to extend the understanding of employee learning. I have handpicked my selection which consisted of seven white-collar workers employed at the same department at a labour union in Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data for this study. The theoretical framework used has been Etienne Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice and, more specifically his concept boundaries. Findings showed that the respondents’ colleagues often became brokers who contributed to the respondents’ learning. Another find was that managerial behaviours affected the respondents’ learning. Micromanagement and control inhibited the employee learning whilst offering feedback and allowing the employee freedom to fail contributed to their learning. The respondents’ work environment also affected their learning. Having an open environment which allowed the respondents to interact with others, a feedback culture and an organisational vision conveyed throughout the organisation were identified as contributing to employee learning. Bad working environments with high levels of stress, conflicts and or labour union problems were identified as inhibiting learning. The study also showed diversity in the ways the respondents learned. Individual drive and personal qualities were also something identified as contributing to or inhibiting workplace learning. I conclude my study arguing that organisations need to create a learning environment which is able to adapt to its workforce and which allows interaction between employees. Seeing as the individual’s commitment to learning can affect employee learning, it is important to create an environment where learning and development are valued. It is also important that the organisation offers tools so that the individuals can learn on their own, this could be as simple as updating the website with new information or offering handbooks. Lastly, there is a need for the managers to give their employees the freedom to practice their work and let them make mistakes so they can learn from them.