Today, rapid change is a constant challenge in the workplace, and thousands of individuals need to be involved in continuous learning. Traditional training approaches, however, do not emphasise informal and incidental learning. Furthermore, since informal learning us seldom designed, learning outside of a structured experience may lead to mistaken or dysfunctional learning. Strategies for improving informal learning are urgently needed. This book, first published in 1990, responds to this need by taking a challenging look at many assumptions about workplace learning outside of the classroom and by proposing methods to improve it. They develop a theory of informal and incidental workplace learning based on current developments in training and human resource development which they illustrate with readable and illuminating case studies which tell vivid stories of adult education and human resource development practice. Informal and Incidental Learning in the Workplace is essential reading for researchers and practitioners of human resource development, and also for students of education and adult learning.

With comprehensive coverage of topics related to learning, training, and development, this volume is a must-have resource for industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologists, human resource (HR) scholars, and adult education specialists. Brown provides a forward-looking exploration of the current research on workplace training, employee development, and organizational learning from the primary point of view of industrial organizational psychology. Each chapter discusses current practices, recent research, and, importantly, the gaps between the two. In analyzing these aspects of the topic, the chapter authors both present the valuable knowledge available and show the opportunities for further study and practice.

The nature of the workplace and the workforce has changed rapidly in post-industrial society. Most workers are now facing the need for high levels of preparatory education, retraining for new jobs and the ability to continue learning at work in order to keep up with new developments. The book, first published in 1987, argues that training in the workplace often fails because it is based on conditions that no longer prevail in modern organisations. The mechanistic approach of the behaviourist paradigm, it is argued, views the organisation as a machine and training as the preparation of workers for machine-like work according to their levels in the hierarchy, much as on an assembly line. The humanists’ advocation of collaborative learning has changed but not fundamentally altered this conception. This book will be of interest to students of education and business management.

This book presents a research thesis of a large-scale study conducted with over 50 large organizations in 7 countries with 80 business leaders to understand how businesses speed up the proficiency of their employees to meet business challenges. The book describes a start-to-end research study that explored the concept of 'accelerated proficiency' of employees in organizations. The book is organized into five chapters. The book introduces the concept of accelerated proficiency in a business context in light of reviews of four decades of classic studies. The research methodology to identify sources, recruit participants, and the mechanism to collect as well as analyze data have been explained in detail. The book reveals six business practices implemented by organizations across the board that seem to make a major impact in shortening the time to proficiency of employees. Important observations and findings have been discussed as implications in regards to how organizations orchestrated six business practices as an input-output-feedback system to reduce the time-to-proficiency of the workforce. The book briefly explains how these six practices were implemented through a set of twenty-four strategies in various contexts. The concepts and findings discussed in this book contribute significantly to the body of knowledge on accelerated proficiency. In particular, the conceptual model and the framework developed in this study can be implemented across a range of contexts, business sectors, job types, and settings to reduce the time-to-proficiency of the workforce.

Developmental relationships constitute interdependent, generative connections that promote growth and learning among individuals. While studies reporting the impact of developmental relationships on learning, performance, and career development leaves no doubt about its relevance to the human resource development (HRD) field, we lack an in-depth understanding of how developmental relationships apply to the myriad of topics relevant to contemporary HRD research and practice such as social justice, diversity and equity, leadership development, career transitions, knowledge sharing, organization development, employee engagement, organizational learning culture, globalization, national HRD, and technology at work. This book presents a comprehensive collection of evidence-based studies and conceptual articles that explore how developmental relationships that are cultivated within and outside of the workplace apply to those clusters of topics in HRD. Organized around six themes, the chapters examine topics such as knowledge management, critical perspectives on gender, diversity, and equity, building a learning organization, talent development, and emotional closeness in the context of virtual workplaces. In doing so, the book highlight how research on developmental relationships can be the underlying thread connecting the otherwise disconnected varied topical foci of HRD research and practice, thus broadening our understanding of the relevance of developmental relationships within the HRD field. This volume advances HRD scholarship and will appeal to researchers interested in exploring the nature and benefits of developmental relationships including mentoring and coaching.

The initial ‘idea’ for the book emerged during the seminar Sharing of Innovative Pedagogical Practices that occurred at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) in 2018. Like all ‘good ideas’, this one originated in a conversation between colleagues from the University of Coimbra and the University of West London in the United Kingdom. The ‘idea’ of this book was to move away from sharing experiences related to teaching and learning in higher education in just one or two countries, but instead to organise a more European view about the policy, research and teaching practices that are shaping the way our students learn, academics teach and do research. We have a total of 16 chapters from academics in Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic. The book is organised in four interrelated themes: (1) policy and quality; (2) professionalisation of teaching and academic development; (3) research and teaching nexus; and (4) pedagogy and practice. Enjoy reading the book!