Learning in the High Technology Workplace. PUB DATE 1991-00-00 NOTE 349P
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 470 794 CE 084 152 AUTHOR Richardson, Susan Gail TITLE Learning in the High Technology Workplace. PUB DATE 1991-00-00 NOTE 349p. PUB TYPE Reports Research (143) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC14 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Case Studies; Cognitive Style; Comparative Analysis; *Corporate Education; Education Work Relationship; Educational Attitudes; *Educational Environment; Educational Opportunities; Educational Strategies; Individual Characteristics; Information Technology; Interaction; Labor Force Development; Learning Motivation; *Learning Processes; Learning Theories; Literature Reviews; *On the Job Training; Organizational Climate; Organizational Objectives; Participant Characteristics; Participant Observation; *Performance Factors; Productivity; Success; Supervisor Supervisee Relationship; Team Training; Teamwork; *Technological Advancement; Training Methods; Work Environment IDENTIFIERS *Computer Industry; Customized Training ABSTRACT Teaching and learning in the high-technology workplace were examined through case studies of four individuals who were selected for study because they represented a broad spectrum of personal agendas, learning styles, and backgrounds. The employees' one-on-one meetings with their managers were analyzed to identify the kinds of lessons each employee received and how each responded. The following were among the key findings: (1) the bottom line-oriented, fast-paced, productivity-based culture of the corporation create a rather rigid framework for determining how learning takes place and for defining successful performance;(2) individuals whose learning styles, values, and behavior meshed with the corporate agenda were more likely to be successful, whereas those with divergent learning styles, values, and behaviors were likely to have much more difficulty learning what they needed to know;(3) because a concept of team membership is a powerful motivator.to achieve, models for learning at work and in school should be based on a sense of team, shared purpose, and shared responsibility for each team member's success;, and (4) educators should provide a safe learning environment where learners can avoid having their learning constrained by the fear of seeming stupid.(The bibliography lists 82 references. A field note index is appended.) (MN) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. LEARNING IN THE HIGHTECHNOLOGY WORKPLACE ©1991 Susan Gail Richardson U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement E UCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 BEST COPY AVAIILAIBLE Learning in the High Technology Workplace Susan Gail Richardson Abstract This study achieves insights about how teaching and learning take place ina high technology company by creating a broad ethnographic portrait of the workplace culture as well as by closely examining the way teaching and learning take place for four focal individuals. First, ethnographic methods are employed to examine the workplace culture and to illuminate the ways that cultural values affect learning. The study identifies and describes the workplace curriculum and the learning opportunities through which that curriculum can be mastered. It also discusses the motivations and rewards for learning as well as the alternatives to learning. The second part of the study involves case studies of four individuals in the workplace. Through analysis of the focal individuals and their interactions, this portion of the study examines the ways that different individuals' value systems and learning styles affect how they define their jobs, derive satisfaction at work, and engage in teaching and learning. Close analysis of each employee's one-on-one (individual meeting) with hisor her manager illuminates the kinds of lessons each employee receives and how each responds. Previous educational research using ethnographic andcase study methods has focussed primarily on the ways that teaching and learningoccur in classrooms and on the ways that cultural values and practices affect educational outcomes for students in formal educational settings. The theoretical principles and methods which guide the study of teaching and learning have not focussed upon the workplace. One of the key findings of the study is that the bottom-line oriented, fast- paced, productivity-based culture of the corporation createsa rather rigid framework for determining how learning takes place and for defining successful performance. Those whose learning styles, values, and behavior 3 mesh with this corporate agenda are likely to be successful. Those with divergent learning styles, values, and behaviors have much more difficulty learning what they need to know. In the final analysis, businesses must be profitable if they are to survive, and the corporationcan only afford to develop and grow those individuals who bring a profitable returnon investment in terms of their contribution to the company. 2 4 L For my friends and colleagues at Just and for people everywhere who work for their daily bread. I 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study would not have been possible without the support, encouragement, and advice of many wonderful people. I am deeply grateful to them all. Sarah W. Freedman, my teacher and advisor, has enabledme to grow from student to researcher. This is a difficult and sometimes painful process. Sarah has guided me through it with great intelligence, steadfastness, and strength. As anyone who knows Sarah will attest, she is uncompromising in her standards of excellence. Yet, in holdingup those standards, she always communicated an unflagging belief inmy ability to meet them. This combination of traits enabled me to bring to this study all that I had to give. I am proud and grateful to have studied under Sarah. Anne Dyson opened up the doors of case study and qualitative researchto me. Her vision of teaching and learning inspired me from the first day Iwas fortunate enough to be a student in her class. Throughoutmy graduate career as well as during the course of this study, she has provided key insights and recommended paths to explore. Her advice has always shownme a way through when I thought I was at a dead end. She has consistentlyshown caring and compassion for which I am deeply grateful. John Ogbu expanded my horizons inmany directions. His multi-cultural perspective, his appreciation for thepower of culture, and the insights he has shared through his own workon oppositional culture enabled me to think about well-known scenes in entirelynew ways. I have sought to apply that vision to this study and to all that I do. It isa powerful and important way of looking at the world. It questions ethnocentric perspectivesand encourages understanding and appreciation for the richassortment of values and life views in this world. This study would never have been possible withoutthe participation of the people in the Training Department at Just Computers. Theyallowed and encouraged me to observe, question, interview, and discussfindings throughout the course of this study. I could not have wishedfor a more open and cooperative group of people. Iam particularly indebted to the focal individuals who allowed me into their personal worlds andenabled me to iii share what those worlds revealed about learning in the workplace. I hope that the insights gained from that sharing will improve the work world for all of us who give so much of our time and energy to it. I am deeply grateful to the two people who gave me my first experiences with teaching and learningmy parents, Lisa and Bernard Cappe. My mother, a holocaust survivor, ingrained in me the belief that my life must count for something that makes the world a better place. I strive for that daily. My father, a medical doctor who believed that his patients' lives depended upon his knowing all that he could and then pushing the boundaries of knowledge even further, provided for me a model of scholarship and instilled in me a love of learning. Throughout the years of my graduate study, my family has stood solidly by my side, helping, supporting, encouraging, listening, and caring. My children Julie and Scott have encouraged me and shown understanding throughout, even when my studies took me away from them. My husband Steve has listened, offered insights, supported, encouraged, and listenedsome more, with incredible patience, understanding, humor and love. He alwaysseems to know what I need and be able to supply it. Thank you is not enough. iv 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES. 1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 5 Grappling with the Figure-Ground Dilemma: The Theoretical Challenge 5 The Cultural Context 7 Individuals in a Cultural Context 8 Theories Pertaining to Each of the Three Layers 10 General Socio-Cultural System 10 Immediate Learning Environments 11 The social task structure 11 The academic task structure 12 Individual Functioning 12 Summary of Theoretical Models 15 LITERATURE REVIEW OF LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE 16 Overview 17 Adult Education and Instructional Technology 18 Androgogy as an Approach to Learning in the Workplace 20 Instructional