Beyond training: reconceptualising learning at work

Abstract

Radical shifts are taking place in management theory; equivalent shifts need to occur, we argue, in the theory of training and development. The move towards a knowledge economy makes such a shift particularly urgent. Notions of training tend to foreclose on outcomes; typically they are short‐term and assume transferability of skills. Notions of personal development may be insufficiently focused on the workplace. We argue for a conception of workplace learning that foregrounds the dialectical relationship between persons and their organisations. Crucial in that relationship are notions of openness, uncertainty, complexity, relationships, reflection, reframing and restoration.