Sowath Rana, Alexandre Ardichvili and Daiane Polesello
The purpose of this paper is to examine a set of practices that can help promote self-directed learning (SDL) in congruence with the goals of developing and maintaining a learning…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine a set of practices that can help promote self-directed learning (SDL) in congruence with the goals of developing and maintaining a learning organization.
Design/methodology/approach
Findings from this study were derived from an extensive review of the SDL and the learning organization literature, as well as the body of research that examines the connections between the two constructs.
Findings
This paper identifies the following set of practices as integral to promoting SDL in a learning organization: building and communicating a shared vision to employees at all levels; fostering collaboration, interaction and teamwork; empowering employees through participatory work practices; encouraging and providing opportunities for continuous learning; and using relevant technologies in the workplace.
Originality/value
This paper addresses the paucity of research that investigates the connections between SDL and the learning organization and that specifically examines important practices vis-à-vis the two concepts.
Details
Keywords
Sowath Rana, Alexandre Ardichvili and Oleksandr Tkachenko
– The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model that links the major antecedents, outcomes, and moderators of employee engagement.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model that links the major antecedents, outcomes, and moderators of employee engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses the first part of Dubin's two-part, eight-step theory-building methodology, and builds on existing research and empirical studies on engagement. In particular, the following five steps of the Dubin's methodology are addressed in this study: units (or concepts) of the theory, laws of interaction among the units, boundaries of the theory, system states of the theory, and propositions of the theory.
Findings
The proposed theoretical model of employee engagement identifies job design and characteristics, supervisor and co-worker relationships, workplace environment, and HRD practices as the major antecedents to employee engagement. The paper also proposes that job demands and individual characteristics act as moderators to the relationships between job design and characteristics, supervisor and co-worker relationships, workplace environment, and employee engagement. Finally, it is proposed that employee engagement is related to three major organizational outcomes: job performance, turnover intention (inverse relationship), and organizational citizenship behavior.
Originality/value
This paper addresses the paucity of structured literature on the antecedents and outcomes of employee engagement and presents a comprehensive, holistic model that offers a logical ground on which empirical indicators and hypotheses could be further identified and tested to verify the theory.