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Employee learning processes in New Zealand small manufacturing firms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Alan Coetzer ,
Raja Peter  and
Vasanthi Peter
Alan Coetzer
Affiliation:
School of Management, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
Raja Peter
Affiliation:
School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
Vasanthi Peter
Affiliation:
School of Business, Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
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Abstract

We investigate differences between the ways novices and experienced specialists perceive their workplaces as learning environments and also examine differences between the learning processes of these two groups of employees. The study's research questions are explored by applying discriminant analysis to survey data collected from 218 employees in 31 New Zealand small manufacturing firms. We found that novices and experienced specialists do differ significantly in their perceptions of (1) work-environment conditions that either help or hinder learning, (2) supervisors' proximate support for learning, and (3) satisfaction with workplace learning. We also found that novices and experienced specialists do differ significantly in terms of the sources and methods of learning that they use. Our results identify the individual variables that contribute most to the discrimination between the two groups. Limitations of the study and the implications of our findings for researching and managing employee learning in small firms are discussed.

Keywords

continuous learningemployee learningsmall firmsmanufacturingdiscriminant analysisNew Zealand
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 17 , Issue 6: 25th ANZAM Anniversary Edition Remembering 2011: Managing for the Human Spirit , November 2011 , pp. 764 - 781
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2011

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