Research and Knowledge at Work

Citation

Roscoe, J. and Stone, R. (2001), "Research and Knowledge at Work", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 33 No. 5, pp. 178-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2001.33.5.178.6

The Routledge book is a tactile and handily sized, 285‐page volume, which is academic to its core. Initial scanning raised concerns about whether one volume could cover the divergent themes of research in the workplace and how working knowledge is being shaped and managed. The extravagant claim that this volume could meet the learning needs of, and be a valuable resource for, researchers, teachers and students in HRM, policy makers and all those concerned with continuing professional development needed justification and close examination. Would the editors be able to present a cohesive approach to the subject areas given the challenge of disseminating the work of 19 authors from North America, Japan, the UK and Australia? Could a work that explicitly claimed it is “rejecting the idea that there are ready‐made solutions to the challenges of constructing and managing knowledge in organisations” resist the temptation to be prescriptive and offer expert‐led solutions? These are benchmarks for the review and criteria for judgement.

The first chapter is scene setting by the editors to provide context, cohesion and an overview. It explores the different perspectives and changes that are occurring in workplace knowledge, formal and informal learning, underpinned by sociological and power issues, and how contemporary work practices in organisations affect and construct knowledge. After the overview the book is divided into four sections:

1. 1.

   (1) Knowledge, learning and the practice of work.

2. 2.

   (2) Whose knowledge, collaboration and research in and around work.

3. 3.

   (3) Changing practices of research at work.

4. 4.

   (4) Conclusions – reviewing the terrain.

A seemingly logical progression from forms and ownership to changing practices of researching the field is, in our opinion, illusory, and rather arbitrary, offering little help in providing a logical progression. Each chapter is a standalone piece of work and has little signposting or consistency of themes.

Part 1: Chapters 1‐4 are a reasonable balance of assertions, be it at a foundation level, of knowledge and post‐modern research perspectives. There is very little of the convergence, or not, between knowledge and learning. However, Chapter 3 offers some useful, if already raised, insights about the role of HR and its relationship to power, both disciplinary and pastoral. The argument that the “alienation of modern industrialisation is displaced by a post‐modern enthusiasm for work and a commitment to self‐realisation through work” is exemplified by organisations that use employee development schemes, action learning sets and quality circles. This disregards complex issues of organisational culture and development. HR practitioners may see it as naive yet worthy of further research.

Part 2: Chapter 5 explores, through three case studies, the issues of exploitative and exploratory learning. This offers a well‐argued and persuasive case for pragmatism and flexibility in balancing the dimensions of implicit and explicit knowledge with power and the hierarchical and global nature of many organisations. The next chapter relates knowledge and control in the Japanese workplace. While in some ways continuing the previous chapter’s themes, it illustrates the dangers in writing about organisational and national perspectives and behaviour in the twenty‐first century when the pace of change is so great that the subjects under discussion have moved on. The rest of the section has a very academic‐biased scenario of research in educational contexts that may limit practical application.

Part 3 is the most interesting and potentially transferable section for the practising HR professional. It has informative and well‐argued chapters on the values of qualitative research both through interpretative data and the exploration of dialogue to enhance knowledge sharing and organisational learning. These chapters seem to offer many insights for practical application such as in training needs analysis and the formation of evaluation strategies.

Finally, Part 4 is an attempt to draw conclusions from the first three sections. As with many concluding thoughts, they do not do justice to the range and complexity of the subject areas covered. The initial assertion is reiterated that the temptation to be prescriptive and offer expert‐led solutions will be resisted.

Reflecting on this volume, we have some concerns about the claim of being all things to all readers. While it will be of undoubted value to researchers in the field of knowledge and learning, it is, we feel, compromised by the lack of detailed case studies and separation of issues, ideas and perspectives. However, there are some interesting and thought‐provoking ideas for HR practitioners, particularly in Part 3.