Integrative Review of Workplace Learning and Its Outcomes

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Empirical Studies of Workplace Learning - Workplace Learning (Training, Development, Learning) and its Outcomes

WL as Independent Variable (IV)

Author(s)

Workplace Learning as IV

Outcomes (Mediators (M) & Dependent variables (DV) )

Measures of WL/Assessment of WL

Sample

Research Purpose and Results

Froehlich, Segers, & Van den Bossche (2014)

Informal workplace learning

(subjective) job performance

- Subjective job performance

- Perceived career development

- Job appraisal performance

Measures

The learning approaches toward informal workplace learning (three learning approaches: deep, surface-rational, and surface-disorganized learning) Individuals with a deep learning approach are

intrinsically interested in a topic and aim for understanding and development

of specific competences.

While this study intended to investigate the effect of informal workplace learning on learning outcomes, informal learning was measured by the learning approaches toward informal workplace learning (deep, surface-rational, and

surface-disorganized learning)

self-report using Learning at Work Questionnaire (AWQ)

143 Austrian bank managers

examines the relationship between learning

approaches, experienced leadership style, organizational learning culture, and

learning outcomes among 143 Austrian bank managers. The research found that the positive effect of deep learning on subjective job performance.

Rowold, J., & Kauffeld, S. (2009)

Formal learning (formal career-related continuous learning)

Informal learning (informal career-related continuous learning)

Competencies development

Formal CRCL: three types of formal CRCL activities (professional, method, and social CRCL)

Examples for professional CRCL activities were

management, costing and accounting, and hard selling trainings; examples for method

CRCL were problem solving and creativity skills trainings; and examples for social

CRCL were communication and team building trainings.

Informal learning: the degree of agreement in each item

Assessment

- Formal CRCL: the total amount of hours participated in three types of CRCL in the last eight years

- Informal learning: self report

372 employees working in one of 19

companies from a wide range of industries in Germany.

examine how employees’ formal (e.g. off-the-job training) and

informal (e.g. discussion with colleagues) career-related continuous learning (CRCL) activities affect

the development of self-reported work-related competencies.

Results revealed that informal CRCL affected professional, method, and social

competencies. In addition, employees’ participation in formal CRCL activities that focused on social

issues was positively related to social competencies. Three types of competencies (professional,

method, and social) are distinguished in the present study.

Formal and informal learning positively affect comptetencies. The impact of informal learning is greater.

Van der Heijden, Van der Klink, & Meijs (2009).

Formal job-related learning, Informal job-related learning

Control factors: employee characteristic – gender, age, educational qualification, marital status, job tenure, job contract(full-time versus part-time)

Affecting factors of learning: organizational factors – learning climate (lack of time for learning, team support)

Employability (DV)

Measures

- Formal job-related learning: training and/or development programs, in the past year, 1) in the area of their current job or in adjacent area , 2) in other areas or aimed at a further personal development, thus not related to their domain-specific expertise or current job.

- Informal learning: 1) interaction with one’s supervisor (leader-member exchange), 2) learning value of the job, 3) networking within one’s own organization, & 4) networking outside one’s own organization

Assessment

- Formal job-related learning: the number of days employees attended training and/or development programs, in the past year

- Informal learning: perceived amount of engagement in informal learning

- , this study used an objective measure to assess formal training and development activities, and subjective ones to measure informal learning activities. For job-related formal learning, the total amount of training and development (over the past year) in the employee’s current job area, or in adjacent areas, was aggregated, while for other formal learning, the amount of training days in other areas or related