A common learning pattern: workers first consult documentary sources, then nearby peers, then distant peers or more senior roles, then supervisors¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2003 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2008: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? When a difficulty or query about organisational processes arises, workers typically seek answers first from documentary sources, then progressively from peers, more distant peers or senior roles, and finally supervisors. → David Boud and Heather Middleton 2003

Evidence¶

David Boud and Heather Middleton 2003¶

David Boud and Heather Middleton. (2003). Learning from Others at Work: Communities of Practice and Informal Learning. Journal of Workplace Learning, 15, 5, 194-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665620310483895

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Cross-site qualitative pattern from interview and network analysis. The article describes an escalating sequence: documentary sources first, then "a peer, generally someone physically close to hand", then peers elsewhere or slightly more senior roles, then the supervisor.

"When a difficulty or query first arises concerning the organisational processes of a job, it is likely a person will seek an answer from a documentary source such as the Intranet or recent precedents, where these exist."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Domain Context — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Workers in the studied workgroups tended to manage their learning needs to minimise their supervisors' involvement, with supervisors not the contacts of first resort for learning — related
• The range of communities of practice and opportunities for informal learning available to an employee increases with seniority in a large organisation — related
• Workgroups in the study could generally not be regarded as communities of practice, though subsets operated as communities of practice for specific issues — related
• Informal learning in the studied workgroups clustered into three areas: mastery of organisational processes, negotiating the political, and dealing with the atypical — related