Work-integrated learning in managers’ cooperative work practices

Summary, in English

Purpose: This paper aims to focus on academic library managers’ learning practices in the context of cooperative work supported by computational artefacts. Academic library managers’ everyday work is mainly cooperative. Their cooperation is supported predominantly by computational artefacts. Learning how to use the computational artefacts efficiently and effectively involves understanding the changes in everyday work that affect managers and, therefore, it requires deep understanding of their cooperative work practices. Design/methodology/approach: Focused ethnography was conducted through participant observations, interviews and document analysis. Ten managers from a university library in Sweden participated in the research. A thematic method was used to analyse the empirical material. Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and work-integrated learning was used as the conceptual lens. Findings: Five learning practices were identified: collaboration, communication, coordination, decision-making processes and computational artefacts’ use. The findings show that learning is embedded in managers’ cooperative work practices, which do not necessarily include sufficient training time. Furthermore, learning was intertwined with cooperating and was situational. Managers learned by reflecting together on their own experiences and through joint cooperation and information sharing while using the computational artefacts. Originality/value: The main contribution lies in providing insights into how academic library managers learn and cooperate in their everyday work, emphasizing the role of computational artefacts, the importance of the work context and the collective nature of learning. It also highlights the need for continual workplace learning in contemporary knowledge work environments. Thus, the research generates contributions to the informatics field by extending the understanding of managers’ work-integrated learning in their everyday cooperative work practices supported by computational artefacts’ use. It also contributes to the intersection of CSCW and work-integrated learning.

• Author: Niki Chatzipanagiotou; Anita Mirijamdotter; Christina Mörtberg
• Department/s: Department of Informatics
• Publishing year: 2024
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Learning Organization
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/TLO-12-2022-0157
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Topic: Information Systems, Social aspects
• Keywords: Academic library managers; Computational artefacts; Cooperative work practices; Situated learning; Work-integrated learning
• Status: Epub
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0969-6474