Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the specific pathways through which mentorship is associated with employee goal orientation. Drawing on social learning and goal-setting theories, the study investigates the indirect effects of mentorship on employee goal orientation through person-job fit (PJF) and personorganization fit (POF), examining how mentorship relates to employees’ perceived alignment with their job duties and organizational culture. Design/methodology/approach The research model was tested using survey data collected from 211 employees. The study used partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships between mentorship, fit perceptions and goal orientation. Findings Results indicate that mentorship is positively associated with employee goal orientation primarily through stronger PJF, while the indirect influence of POF is not significant. Research limitations/implications The study relies on self-report survey data from a single sample, which limits causal inference and generalizability. Future research should use longitudinal, multisource or experimental designs to verify directionality and examine whether these pathways vary across roles, industries or organizational contexts. Practical implications Organizations should design mentorship programs as intentional workplace learning interventions that build role-specific competence and clarify job expectations rather than focusing primarily on cultural assimilation. Targeting job alignment can strengthen positive employee outcomes. Social implications When organizations prioritize PJF over cultural assimilation, mentorship becomes a more inclusive developmental tool. This shift helps eliminate barriers for newer or marginalized employees who may lack access to established informal networks. Originality/value This paper advances workplace learning scholarship by disentangling PJF and POF as indirect influences linking mentorship to goal orientation. It shows that the value of mentorship for motivating employees stems chiefly from improving job-specific alignment rather than from strengthening perceived cultural fit.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how social media-enabled fragmented learning (SMFL) influences employee creativity, the mediating roles of declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge and the moderating role of gender in knowledge construction. Design/methodology/approach A two-wave survey yielded 311 valid employee responses, which were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling and partial least squares multigroup analysis. Findings Social media-enabled fragmented learning from local communities of practice (SMFLCOP) and social media-enabled fragmented learning from electronic networks of practice (SMFLNOP) positively influence employee creativity. Declarative and procedural knowledge mediate the relationships between SMFLCOP and SMFLNOP and employee creativity. Gender moderates the relationships between SMFL and knowledge acquisition. Originality/value This study conceptualizes SMFL as two dimensions, highlighting the critical role of user-generated content in employee learning. By establishing the relationship among SMFL, knowledge acquisition and employee creativity, the study addresses controversies surrounding fragmented learning and enriches the literature on social media and creativity. Moreover, examining gender differences extends constructivist learning theory.
Purpose This study aims to explore how project managers enact leadership practices that enable workplace learning in complex public sector projects. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a qualitative case study conducted within the Swedish Transport Administration. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten project managers, nine field observations, and the researcher’s reflective notes. The material was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring themes of leadership practices enabling learning. Findings The findings point to five inherent tensions that leaders foreground as sensemaking triggers when enabling workplace learning in everyday project work. These include balancing planning and adaptability, individual experience and collective understanding, structure and autonomy, reflection and delivery pressure, and internal coordination and external collaboration. Rather than resolving these tensions, managers foreground and navigate these tensions in ways that learning emerges. Managers enable learning by creating opportunities for teams to collectively interpret project complexity through dialogue and reflection. Practical implications The findings suggest that project managers can enable workplace learning by structuring everyday project work in ways that actively foreground inherent tensions, thereby supporting collective sensemaking under conditions of complexity. Originality/value The study contributes to research on workplace learning by providing a practice-based account of how learning-oriented leadership is enacted in complex public-sector project environments. It highlights how workplace learning emerges when leaders organize collective sensemaking around inherent tensions in complex project environments.
Purpose This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a military leadership program. In addition, it investigated the role of cognitive evaluations and affective reactions to training in promoting training transfer intention.Design/methodology/approach A pre-post design was adopted, involving a sample of Italian cadets participating in a high-fidelity leadership training program. Specifically, leadership self-efficacy was assessed through a self-report questionnaire at two time points (pre- and post-training). Post-training measures assessed perceived learning, perceived usefulness, satisfaction and transfer intention. A serial mediation model was used to analyze the role of perceived learning, perceived usefulness and satisfaction in the relationships between self-efficacy gains and training transfer intention.Findings The findings indicated a significant increase in leadership self-efficacy following the training. Furthermore, perceived learning and perceived usefulness serially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy gains and the training transfer intention.Originality/value This study contributes to the training literature in military organizations by suggesting that confidence in one's leadership skills alone may be insufficient to foster transfer intention. In contrast, awareness of learning and operational utility also emerged as essential for training and transfer.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the level of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' awareness of lesson study (LS) in Injibara, Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach The study used a case study research design within a qualitative research approach. Five grade 11 EFL teachers were selected comprehensively to collect data through in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed qualitatively using a thematic analysis technique. Findings The findings of the study revealed that EFL teachers had limited awareness of the concepts of LS. Although they had some orientations about LS, they were limited in clearly articulating the basic concepts underlying it. EFL teachers perceived that LS enhances content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and collaborative skills. However, they were limited in adequately describing the importance of LS on their knowledge of subject matter, curriculum materials, lesson planning, classroom management, assessment strategies, collaborative working culture, collegiality and a sense of shared responsibility. Practical implications This study provides a growing body of research that investigates EFL teachers' awareness of LS. It also offers potentially useful insights for both research and practical implications. Hence, the study encourages a thorough investigation into the implementation of LS in wider scopes. Originality/value This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge in the Ethiopian context, where EFL teachers have limited awareness of the concepts of LS.
Purpose In the context of workforce aging and generational renewal, understanding age-specific mechanisms underlying knowledge sharing (KS) is crucial. This study aims to empirically test Fasbender and Gerpott's (2022) Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer model, focusing on the "sharing" dimension and explicitly distinguishing between senior and junior employees.Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 employees of [MASKED FOR REVIEW] and divided into two tenure-based groups (senior: n = 115; junior: n = 150). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate two age-differentiated structural models.Findings Results reveal distinct age-related patterns. Among senior employees, unfavorable temporal social comparison significantly increased fear of losing status, which in turn negatively predicted KS, while generativity striving positively predicted KS. Among junior employees, perceived similarity significantly reduced unfavorable temporal social comparison, and development striving positively predicted KS. Several hypothesized paths were not supported, and additional mediation analyses did not reveal significant indirect effects. The explained variance in KS was substantial for seniors and moderate for juniors, highlighting meaningful structural differences between age groups.Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first empirical test of Fasbender and Gerpott's (2022) model in the Italian context, simultaneously examining core antecedents within the "sharing" dimension and distinguishing between junior and senior employees.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the critical soft skills required to succeed in Society 5.0, defined by the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into all areas of life. It aims to identify which soft skills are universally valued and assess gaps between their perceived importance and societal mastery. From a business and organizational perspective, the study focuses on how companies, leaders and employees can develop human-centric capabilities to complement AI-driven work systems.Design/methodology/approach A two-phase qualitative approach was used. First, a "veil of ignorance" thought experiment inspired by Rawls was applied through an expert survey to reveal unbiased perspectives on essential soft skills. Second, in-depth interviews with generative AI professionals provided further insight. Data were thematically analyzed using grounded theory.Findings Five key categories of soft skills emerged: interpersonal, communication, thinking related, leadership/management and coping with uncertainty. Skills such as empathy, adaptability, critical thinking and digital literacy were highly valued but insufficiently mastered. A significant skills gap was identified, particularly in interpersonal and thinking-related areas.Research limitations/implications Findings are based on a select expert sample; broader studies are needed for generalization.Practical implications The results guide educational institutions, organizations and policymakers in developing targeted training strategies for human-centric skills.Social implications Emphasizing empathy, ethics and adaptability supports equitable, responsible AI integration and societal resilience.Originality/value This study uniquely applies the veil of ignorance framework to soft skills analysis, offering an impartial, future-oriented view of competencies needed in an AI-driven world. It also introduces a skills development model highlighting areas with the highest development need.
Purpose - The authors consider what kind of knowing and learning is required in the emerging age of intelligent machines in the industrial sector. The paper derives from a project that aims to integrate a semi-automated artificial intelligence (AI) system to optimise production processes in European metallurgy industry production, in line with environmental, economic and quality parameters. The authors consider the skills and training implications that flow from anticipated AI technology insertion into the specific production contexts of four project plants (France, Italy, Poland and Spain) of two participating companies, focusing on transversal skills. Design/methodology/approach - The authors identify skills and training needs for workers using desk-based research, observations, incorporating discussions with workers in situ, and interviews with employees, considering the diverse needs of the companies using the platform. Findings - The authors identify the need for a range of transversal skills and propose a three-pillar framework for understanding skills and training activities, including: the skills requirements related to the operation of a specific digital system or other technology (Pillar 1); specific transversal skill requirements arising from the integration of digital systems and other technology into specific production contexts (Pillar 2); and the general transversal skills required for wider digital transformation of companies and the integration of technology into wider organisational contexts (Pillar 3). Originality/value - This paper provides a case study of an energy-intensive-industry's engagement with AI and an analysis of the digital transformation of the European metallurgy sector. The authors argue that transversal skills are becoming increasingly important in the human-centred manufacturing workplace.
Purpose The evolving business landscape demands workers' adaptation to constant changes, with self-directed learning (SDL) playing a central role in this process. Despite this need, workers lack motivation in such learning. Therefore, this study aims to examine workers' motivation in SDL using self-determination theory (SDT) to explore how satisfying their basic psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, competence and relatedness) relates to their autonomous motivation and intention to learn in a self-directed manner in the future.Design/methodology/approach In the present cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was used to collect data from a representative sample of 499 workers in the Czech Republic.Findings The results showed significant positive associations among workers' basic needs satisfaction, autonomous motivation to learn and learning intention. Autonomous motivation statistically mediated the association between workers' basic needs satisfaction and SDL intention. Competence showed the strongest association with autonomous motivation, whereas autonomy showed the strongest association with SDL intention.Research limitations/implications Theoretically, the authors extend self-determination theory to workplace SDL, showing that satisfaction of basic psychological needs, especially competence, drives autonomous motivation and intentions to learn in the workplace. Moreover, the study advocates for organizational support to cultivate workers' SDL competencies and highlights SDT's relevance in this context.Practical implications Practically, the authors provide a brief workplace-specific diagnostic tool.Originality/value This study advances research on workplace SDL by showing that workers' intention to learn in a self-directed manner is not simply an individual disposition but is associated with the satisfaction of basic psychological needs that are not equally salient.
Purpose This paper examines the relative importance and interrelationships of three managerial skill dimensions – human, technical and conceptual – among Colombian professionals participating in a managerial development program. Drawing on Katz’s typology, the purpose of this study is to discuss these competencies through a workplace learning perspective, focusing on how skill configurations relate to managerial role. Design/methodology/approach Based on a survey of 225 Colombian professionals enrolled in a nationally recognized managerial development program, data were collected through a validated Likert-scale self-report instrument. The measurement model was assessed using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings The analyses support a three-factor structure consistent with Katz’s model. Human skills show a strong positive association with conceptual skills, and technical skills are positively associated with conceptual skills. The indirect effect results are consistent with a partial mediation interpretation. Mean comparisons indicate no significant differences between millennials and non-millennials in the three skill dimensions, whereas conceptual skills are significantly higher among respondents currently holding managerial positions. Practical implications The findings of this study suggest that leadership development in the Colombian context should not treat “soft” and “hard” competencies as separate tracks. Instead, programs may benefit from integrated designs that strengthen human skills while sustaining technical proficiency as a key complement to conceptual capability, particularly for employees transitioning into managerial roles. Originality/value This study provides contemporary psychometric evidence for Katz’s three-skill typology in a Colombian workplace learning context and shows that managerial role, rather than generational membership, is a more salient differentiator of conceptual competencies. The results of this study contribute to workplace learning discussions by highlighting how skill configurations may vary with role transitions in an emerging-economy setting.
PurposeThis study aims to examine cultural and social issues that influence the work of professionals using open, digital data. The growth in open data is significantly changing how some professionals work, engendering changes in professional practice, knowledge and identity. While it is recognised that the integration of open data offers benefits, the new associations of humans with data and digital technologies generate a range of cultural and social barriers related to identity, agency, practice and knowledge. These changes intensify the need for forms of workplace learning that open opportunities for professionals not only to learn new skills and knowledge but also to negotiate how they adapt to changes they face.Design/methodology/approachThe research is designed in two stages. Firstly, co-laborative ethnography (Bieler et al., 2021) is used to examine cultural and social issues by research professionals facing increasing demands for data sharing, expressed as vulnerabilities. This methodology combined document analysis, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, group discussions and interactive workshops to engage closely with participants and their experiences. Secondly, co-design methodology was used to design forms of professional learning to address these vulnerabilities. Representatives of professional communities engaged in a workshop to co-design ways to address these barriers by reflecting on the benefits of using open data and thinking about what might be sacrificed to achieve these benefits.FindingsThematic analysis identified vulnerabilities: uncertainty around leadership support, concerns about inadequacy, anxiety about lack of recognition and fear of losing control. Professional learning co-designed by community representatives ranged from a Community of Practice for culture change; peer support to address concerns of inadequacy; a workshop to rethink roles; structured learning to encourage engagement in new ways of working. These learning designs were analysed through lenses of human vulnerability, agency, benefits and sacrifice to identify whether the activities designed extend beyond learning new skills and knowledge towards enabling professionals to negotiate the social and cultural challenges they experience at work.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors acknowledge several limitations of this work. Firstly, the interviews and thematic analysis used to identify the cultural challenges is limited by sampling, what participants are willing to say and the interpretation of the researchers. As outlined in the method section, the authors took steps to minimise these problems. Secondly, the analysis involved data collected from a range of different participants representing diverse epistemic cultures, creating difficulties in interpretation of terms and language. As far as possible, the authors asked domain experts for help with interpretation. Thirdly, the communities they worked with in the co-design process represent a small number of disciplines and are not representative of every epistemic domain. So, they recognise the limitations of generalising the findings. Nevertheless, there are high-level implications for research communities that can broadly be interpreted.Practical implicationsThrough this work, the authors produced an applied learning framework which is intended to be used as a template on which professional communities can rethink and plan how to supported professionals overcome cultural challenges as part of their work and learning. The Framework highlights the discreet stages that should be taken into consideration to achieve this goal.Social implicationsUse and reuse of shared FAIR data leads to greater interdisciplinary. As new ways of working are introduced, to address these tensions, new identities need to be reflected upon in a reflexive way and negotiated at the intersection of the individual and the collective.Originality/valueThe growth in open, digital data is changing how some professionals work, transforming professional practice, knowledge and identity. These new identities sometimes are in conflict with previous identifies and values. Therefore, it is important that professionals are able to navigate with these changing identities, tension and vulnerabilities that may develop by negotiating ways forward. This means that professional learning needs to extend beyond knowledge, skills and competencies to include (re)negotiation of culture, identities and ways of working.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the absorptive capacity (AC) of specialized groups within the Brazilian Federal Highway Police (Polícia Rodoviária Federal, PRF) to understand the influence of intraorganizational factors on the AC of these groups. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a quantitative approach, using multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling to explore the AC of the PRF’s specialized groups. Findings The findings show that organizational culture, incentives and learning play a key role in shaping the AC of the groups studied. In addition, internal collaboration between specialized groups and other sectors of the PRF emerged as a statistically significant factor influencing AC. Originality/value The paper contributes to the underrepresented field of knowledge within the public safety sector. It suggests that it is imperative to prioritize investment in police officers with more limited individual knowledge while maintaining diverse and adaptable networks for knowledge and information exchange within specialized groups.
PurposeThe present research paper aims to examine how automated clinical documentation reshapes work practices and learning in a hospital setting. Focusing on automatic speech recognition (ASR), framed as artificial intelligence (AI), this paper explores how clinicians make such systems workable in practice and how this process brings organizational intelligence to the foreground. By examining a system used in clinical practice for over a decade, the study reveals how work practices and learning evolve around a technology that never fully stabilizes.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2020 and 2022 in an orthopedic department at a large Danish public hospital. Our reflexive thematic analysis draws on two sources: (1) participant talk during interviews and (2) field observations of ASR use in clinical settings.FindingsThe analysis shows how ASR, introduced as a mature, "trainable" AI, redistributed coordination work from secretaries to clinicians, who became responsible for safeguarding accuracy and accountability in health records. Clinicians performed invisible work correcting errors, managing breakdowns and making the system "livable."Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for health-care organizations to recognize and resource the work required to sustain AI-supported documentation.Originality/valueThe research paper demonstrates how ASR depends on clinicians' everyday corrective actions and sensemaking to function. By examining the long-term persistence of the technology in practice, the study shows that AI-supported documentation is not a one-time implementation but an ongoing sociotechnical accomplishment shaped through clinicians' interpretive and corrective labor.
PurposeThis study aims to examine workplace learning and competence development in the Swedish mining industry amid the green transition and ongoing technical development, the dual transition. It explores how miners’ learning expectations are experienced, negotiated and enacted in everyday work. Design/methodology/approachTwo qualitative studies were conducted at three mines operated by two companies, involving 14 interviews, six workshops and two focus group discussions with mining personnel. FindingsMiners demonstrate a strong willingness to learn, driven by professional pride and a desire to contribute to both the collective and the green transition. Collective workplace learning enables adaptation, yet may also normalize uneven organizational conditions and mask structural limits to competence development. While collective workplace learning remains vital, emerging competence demands under the dual transition may exceed what informal, peer-based learning alone can sustain. Practical implicationsClearer alignment between competence demands and organizational arrangements is essential to support miners’ long-term learning and competence development as mining work evolves under the dual transition. Originality/valueThis study empirically shows how macro-level transformations, meso-level organizational arrangements and micro-level collective practices interact to shape workplace learning under the dual transition. Furthermore, by engaging sociocultural perspectives, this study examines how collective participation and shared norms mediate the dual transition, illustrating how continuity and transformation coexist and are negotiated in everyday work practices.
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of constructive feedback and learning environment on employees' attitude and their learning intention and behavior in one EdTech start-up. This start-up has operated in education technology since 2022. Learning while continuing to perform their work is essential because of a lack of formal training and skill development in start-ups.Design/methodology/approachThe 10-month experiment was conducted by integrating constructive feedback and creating positive learning environment through openness and opportunity to learn. The survey was later conducted with the participation of 100 employees or 83% of the total employees. Data analysis applied SPSS and SMART partial least squares to test the research model.FindingsConstructive feedback and learning environment clearly show positive relationships with employees' attitudes and their desirable learning behavior. Attitude also relates positively to this learning behavior. On the contrary, employees' intention to learn is not significantly changed by attitude, constructive feedback and positive learning environment.Research limitations/implicationsFor start-ups, instead of mainly focusing on enterprise-related determinants, described by Theory of Planned Behavior for employees' intention to learn, external factors such as competition should be considered. These factors increase job demands which can distort this intention. Second or double-loop feedback is needed to tackle employees' mindset which prevents desirable learning behavior.Originality/valueThis research illustrates the importance of constructive feedback and positive learning environment for employees' learning. Also, a future construct for this learning needs to include external consideration when start-ups survive and continue to expand.
PurposeThis study aims to examine the adoption of key Industry 4.0 technologies, perceived obstacles and the role of organisational learning in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also explores how contingency factors such as employee count, turnover, research and development (R&D) spending and technological intensity influence adoption and obstacle severity. Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey of 95 Finnish manufacturing SMEs was conducted. Hierarchical clustering identified typologies of technologies and obstacles, and multivariate analyses tested the effects of contingency factors. Organisational learning theory was used to interpret the findings. FindingsTwo clusters of technologies and obstacles were identified. Technology clusters reflect stages of organisational learning, while obstacle clusters distinguish between internal learning needs and external strategic coordination demands. Employee count and R&D spending were significantly associated with adoption, but not obstacle severity. Originality/valueThis study provides a unified empirical framework and a learning-based interpretation of SME digital transformation.
Purpose - This study aims to propose a practice-informed conceptual framework grounded in a literature review and illustrative insights from prior field cases. It aims to examine how to identify competencies that distinguish high performers; develop a structured approach for generating success profiles using the Enhanced Developing A Curriculum (DACUM) method; and offer practical guidance for organizations seeking to implement competency-based job mapping. By integrating theories of job analysis, job crafting and performance improvement, the study presents a theoretically robust and practically applicable model for advancing performance-driven workforce planning. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses a conceptual development approach grounded in an Integrative Literature Analysis and real-world case demonstration. It proposes an Enhanced DACUM framework that integrates job crafting theory, competency modeling and the Performance Improvement Potential (PIP) concept to map roles performed by exemplary employees. The methodology synthesizes findings from existing academic literature and field-informed insights to create success profiles, structured representations of the competencies and behaviors that differentiate high performers. This approach emphasizes theory-building and practical application for strategic talent and workforce planning. Findings - The literature reveals a clear shift from static, task-based analysis toward dynamic, competency-driven job mapping. Key themes include the growing relevance of job crafting in addressing role misfit, the use of exemplary performers as benchmarks for defining success, and the importance of task identity and skill variety in fostering engagement and innovation. The Enhanced DACUM framework synthesizes these findings, emphasizing cognitive, relational and behavioral attributes. By integrating these elements, the framework offers a structured yet flexible approach to identifying success profiles aligned with evolving organizational needs and high-performance standards. Research limitations/implications - As a conceptual study grounded in literature and practice-based insights, this research does not include primary empirical data, which may limit its generalizability across industries or contexts. The framework is derived from existing models and practitioner-informed case illustrations, and while it offers theoretical rigor and practical relevance, its effectiveness depends on contextual adaptation. Future research could empirically validate the Enhanced DACUM framework through field studies, cross-sectoral applications and comparative analyses. Expanding on the framework with quantitative metrics could further strengthen its utility for strategic human resource (HR) decision-making and workforce development. Practical implications - The proposed framework provides organizations with a structured approach to identify and map competencies that drive high performance. By focusing on exemplary performers and integrating concepts like job crafting and PIP, it enables the creation of role-specific success profiles for recruitment, onboarding, training and succession planning. HR and talent development professionals can apply this model to enhance alignment between individual capabilities and strategic goals. The Enhanced DACUM approach ensures that both explicit and tacit knowledge are captured, making job roles more adaptable, engaging and future-ready in today's dynamic workplace environment. Social implications - By emphasizing the experiences and contributions of exemplary performers, this framework promotes a more inclusive and strengths-based approach to workforce planning. It encourages organizations to recognize and replicate high-value behaviors that may otherwise go unnoticed, including those shaped by cognitive diversity and informal learning. The focus on job crafting and task identity supports employee autonomy, satisfaction and psychological well-being. In addition, by aligning roles with personal values and strengths, the framework fosters more meaningful work experiences, enhancing both individual fulfillment and organizational culture in socially responsive ways. Originality/value - This study offers a novel, practice-informed framework that integrates competency modeling, job crafting theory and the Enhanced DACUM method to map the behaviors and attributes of exemplary performers. Unlike traditional job analysis approaches, this model centers on real-world performance variation and the concept of PIP to drive strategic talent development. It bridges academic theory with practitioner insight, providing a replicable and adaptable method for building success profiles. The framework advances the field by reimagining job mapping as a dynamic, competency-focused tool aligned with contemporary workforce challenges and organizational agility.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how employees enact a corporate e-learning platform in everyday work. It further examines how these enactments influence workplace learning and professional development, highlighting the ambivalent dynamics that arise when digital learning technologies become part of organisational routines. By moving beyond behaviourist approaches, this study provides a nuanced account of how digital learning is both enabled and constrained in the work context. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a constructivist, sociomaterial perspective, the case study draws on 17 semi-structured interviews with employees from various departments, including human resource (HR) and the works council, in an international conglomerate. Virtual interviews enabled screen-sharing to support data interpretation. The empirical material was examined through reflexive thematic analysis. Findings The platform configures learning as both ambivalent and increasingly individualised. Through its design and metrics, learning is subtly shaped by datafication, influencing how employees perceive their performance and organisational expectations. Combined with temporal pressures, platform flexibility and work demands, these dynamics shift responsibility for learning onto employees. Limited guidance from HR programs and managers leaves them to navigate and manage learning largely on their own. Originality/value While corporate e-learning is often evaluated quantitatively, this study provides an in-depth, qualitative account of how such platforms are experienced and enacted. It offers new insights into the ambivalent role of digital learning technologies in shaping – not merely delivering – workplace learning.
PurposeThis paper aims to identify the impact of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) implementation on organisations and worker skills in the modular consortium automotive model.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach is applied based on semi-structured interviews with ten (10) managers, from seven (7) complex integrated automotive companies, responsible for the I4.0 implementation in truck assembly lines at the Brazilian Automotive Modular Consortium (BAMC).FindingsResults highlighting the impact on organisations were classified under two broad areas: "Technology" and "Knowledge Management". "Technology" related findings indicate technical and managerial demands to be developed in relation to different I4.0 technologies, influencing managers' perspective during the technological implementation process. Findings related to "Knowledge Management", highlight the existent organisational knowledge and its management practices as influencing the technology integration with processes and workers. In terms of worker skills, a demand for specific soft skills, pertinent to the modular consortium context (i.e. innovative creativity, communication, flexibility), is identified influencing the efficiency of technology integration and worker adaptation.Practical implicationsThe results of this study provide recommendations for managers/practitioners implementing I4.0 in modular consortium business models, to establish better strategic plans.Originality/valueI4.0 implementation and its impact on organisations and employees in different industrial contexts remain an important research gap. This paper explores this issue in conjunction with complex modular consortium business models.
