Understanding changing conceptions of work: Implications for development of training initiatives

Considering the enormous changes in work practices and associated training required to address the needs of new practices, there has been very little research undertaken that attempts to describe how workers perceive these changes. This paper reports on the findings of 40 participants aged over 40 years of age, who were interviewed and observed to obtain data concerning their conceptions of work with regard to the changes occurring around them. The participants were from a medical service and an engineering organisation. The data were analysed qualitatively to investigate workers' conceptions of work. Results indicate four hierarchical conceptions of work, with the distribution of the participants' conceptions more towards the lower levels. The conceptions provide baseline data to understand workers' behaviour in light of current changes in work practices.C