Hanna Augustsson, Agneta Törnquist and Henna Hasson
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the outcomes of a workplace learning intervention on organizational learning and to identify factors influencing the creation of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the outcomes of a workplace learning intervention on organizational learning and to identify factors influencing the creation of organizational learning in residential care of older people.
Design/methodology/approach
The study consisted of a quasi‐experimental intervention for outcome evaluation. In addition, a case study design was used to identify factors influencing organizational learning. Outcomes were evaluated using the validated Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire at three time points, and interviews were conducted with nursing staff and managers.
Findings
The intervention had some effects on the individual level, but no improvements in organizational learning were found. Hindering factors for creating organizational learning were poor initial learning climate, managers' uncertainty about their role, lack of ownership and responsibility among staff and managers, managers' views of personality being a more important component than staff development in older people's care, and a lack of systems for capturing acquired knowledge.
Originality/value
The study offers suggestions for the transfer of individual‐level learning to organizational learning in older people's care.
Details
Keywords
Carina Furåker and Agneta Nilsson
The purpose of the research project was to study aspects of the competence of age care managers, and how they develop their leadership in residential facilities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the research project was to study aspects of the competence of age care managers, and how they develop their leadership in residential facilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants comprised 13 age care managers (ACMs) from 13 different residential facilities. Ten of the residential facilities were located in a large municipality and three in small municipalities. On average they had 19 years of experience of caring for old people. The ages of the respondents varied from 40 to 63 years. Individual, semi‐structured interviews were chosen. The data were subjected to content analysis. Two main categories and six subcategories were generated.
Findings
The ACMs had different educational backgrounds and very few had university courses in management, implying an insufficient theoretical knowledge of leadership. There are several ways of learning leadership, for example model learning, collective learning, learning by experience and through theoretical education. Model learning is the dominant form. By being present ACMs create relationships; they check the quality of social and health care, as well as the behaviour of the staff towards residents, relatives and colleagues, which seems to be valuable in order to avoid conflicts.
Research limitations/implications
The strength of the study is that the participants come from different workplaces, small and large municipalities and residential facilities. They have long experience of working as a leader and have a variety of professional backgrounds. Thirteen ACMs is not that many, but as they differ in professional background, education and workplace, the amount of data was considered sufficient. Some of the ACMs have difficulties in expressing how they learn leadership, because the “knowhow” is sometimes problematic to describe in words.
Practical implications
Theoretical education was mentioned as crucial for learning leadership.
Originality/value
ACMs' interest in competence development is weak. They seem to be more interested in motivating and inspiring their staff's learning process than their own.