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Download by: [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] Date: 11 January 2016, At: 23:13
Journal of Education for Business
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Book Review
Susan R. Feather-Gannon PhD & Peter J. McAliney CMC PMP
To cite this article: Susan R. Feather-Gannon PhD & Peter J. McAliney CMC PMP (2008) Book Review, Journal of Education for Business, 83:5, 309-312, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.83.5.309-312
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.83.5.309-312
Published online: 07 Aug 2010.
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May/June2008 309
BOOKREVIEW
O’Connor,Bridget,Bronner,Michael, &Delaney,Chester.Learningat Work:HowtoSupportIndividualand OrganizationalLearning.
Amherst,MA:HRDPress.2007.418pp. ISBN978-1-5996-056-2.$44.95.
ow best to lead learning—not training—is the overall message of Learning at Work: How to Support Individual and Organizational Learn-ing .Whetheryouareacorporateeduca-tor or an academic, you will find this text’s approach to instructional design andthemanagementofthelearningand performance function in organizations both novel and useful. InLearning at Work,O’Connor,Bronner,andDelaney identify and analyze the processes of learning that regularly transpire in the workplace and how to organize those processes for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. O’Connor and Bronner, professorsofbusinesseducationatNew York University, and Delaney, a sea-sonedNewYorkCity–basedworkplace learning professional, wrote this book bydrawingontheirextensiveobserva- tionsofworkpracticesandtheirknowl- edgeoflearningtheoryandinstruction-aldesign.Theiroverridingintentwasto shed light on the vital role of learning leadershipwithinaworkplace.
The authors provide an introduction that sets the stage and emphasizes the evolvingvocabularyassociatedwiththe roleofaworkplacelearningprofession-al. Additionally, the authors describe theformatofthebook,whichisneatly divided into 5 parts and 12 chapters, withchapters1and12servingasbook-ends.Inchapter1,theauthorsestablish theneedfororganizationallearning.In chapter 12, they provide strategies for maintaining a professional edge as a workplace learning professional. Parts and chapters in between are organized around the authors’ action-research-based instructional development cycle and management practices and issues.
Each chapter ends with a summary of the key points discussed, questions for groupdiscussion,ideasforprojectsthat wouldputconceptsintoaction,andalist ofadditionalresources.Eachpartends with perspectives from well-regarded practitioners in the field of workplace learning,includingCaptainMikeBarger (chieflearningofficer,JetBlueAirways) andDr.RebeccaRay(seniorvicepresi-dent, MasterCard International). These VoicesFromtheFieldsharetheirviews on the content in that section, further tyingtheorytopractice.
Theauthorsbegintheprologuetopart 2,“NeedsAssessmentandEvaluation,” with the statement, “The veryraison d’etre of a learning and performance department is to ensure that the right peoplelearntherightthingsattheright time, and in the right priority order” (p.39),athemethatisrepeatedthrough-outthebook.Thetwochaptersinpart2 include both rationales for conducting needsassessmentsandevaluationstrat-egies and the tools to help you do so. “Assessment”(chapter2)and“Evalua-tion”(chapter3)aresidebysideinthe instructional development cycle: The outcome of an evaluation spirals into needs assessment data for revised or new offerings. Chapter 4, “Collecting and Analyzing Needs Assessment and EvaluationData,”providesanoverview ofhowtocreateandusedatacollection instruments and how to make sense of thedataanduseittomeetyourgoals.
Looking at workplace learning both from the classroom and as a natural learning environment in part 2, the authors raise several key issues. First, they refute the belief that theory and practiceare“antagonistictoeachother” (p.131).Infact,chapter5,“Appreciating Theoretical Perspectives on Workplace Learning,” provides a concise, easy-to-understand overview of (a) learning theory to support instructional design and(b)howpeoplelearnthroughwork practices. Also included is a discus-sion of the role of experience in adult
learning,learningstyles,andmotivation theory—equally important topics for theworkplacelearningprofessionaland thoseinacademia.Thatdiscussionsets thestageforinstructionaldesigntenets (chapter6)andforinstructionalstrate-gies in the classroom (chapter 7) and through work (chapter 8). Throughout the book, there are forms, worksheets, and case studies (including a terrific caserelatedtocoaching)usefulforboth practitioners and educators. The link fromtheorytopracticeisalwaysappar-ent.Thisapproachisnotfoundinother trainingtextbooksthatwehaveconsid-eredforuseintheclassroom.
Part4(chapters9–11)isallbusiness: the business of running a learning and performance department. Those in aca- demicsettingscanusechapter9,“Writ-ing the Traindemicsettingscanusechapter9,“Writ-ing Proposal,” as the basis forastudentprojectassignment,whereas consultantscanusethatchapterasablue-printforwhatgoesintotheproposalsthat theypreparefortheirclients.Througha well-developed training proposal, work-place-learning professionals can ensure that their learning initiatives are well thought through and clear to decision makerswhomightbeapprovingthem.
Whatistheroleofworkplacelearn-ing professionals in organizational change efforts? In chapter 10, “Sup-porting Change in theWorkplace,” the authorsprovideaquickstudyoforgani-zational development theory and prac-tice,callingforthepartnershipbetween learning professionals and their clients and emphasizing strategies for orga-nizational change through the use of facilitationskills.Chapter11,“Admin-isteringWorkplaceLearningPrograms,” may not be the most glamorous of the chapters, but if you are managing a learningandperformancefunction,you will find sample program descriptions, adviceonselectingregistrationsystems, as well as numerous checklists and worksheetsthatcanhelptoensurethat yourdepartmentandlearninginitiatives runsmoothly.
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310 JournalofEducationforBusiness
Thelastchapterisworththepriceof this book. Often considered “shoemak-er’s children,” those in the business of supportinglearningoftenoverlooktheir own professional development. There, youwillfindalistofto-dostoensurethat you take charge of your career, includ-ingasystematicreadingplan.Theseare thingsthateveryoneneedstodo.
Theauthors’contributionstothefield of workplace learning in this book are impressive.Wehavenotseenabookthat addresses both the management issues andthedesigntenetsrelatedtosupport- ingindividualandorganizationallearn-ing. O’Connor, Bronner, and Delaney incorporatealltheseissues,resultingin anewappreciationandnewvocabulary to take the emphasis fromtraining to
learning.Puttingtheorganization’sand learners’ needs first and including the workplacelearningprofessionalin—but not confining that professional to—the classroom results in learning strategies that work.As you read this book, you canassessyourlearningexperiencesin theworkplaceandconsiderbothclass-room initiatives and initiatives such as on-the-job learning, mentoring, net-working, and coaching as parts of the
continuum of learning initiatives that can help organizations and individuals toreachtheirgoals.
This book is the third edition of
Training for Organizations (South-Western Educational Publishing, 1996, 2002).Butitistrulyacompleterewrite, showing how the field of training and development has been transformed to thatoflearningandperformanceinthe 21st century. The book is thick (418 pages),andthetypeseemslarge(espe-cially when compared to that of the 2nd edition), making it seem slightly less scholarly than the previous ver-sions of the book. Moreover, there is no index—making use of the publi-cation as a reference book somewhat tricky. Additionally, educators would benefit from accompanying instructor resources: PowerPoint presentations, a testbank,andsuggestionsforteaching thecontent.Still,HRDPressisknown foritstradepublications,notforitstext-books, and the authors do incorporate objectives for each chapter, cases, and forms,whichacademicianscouldusein theirclasses.
Overall,Learning atWork is a com-prehensive resource. Its content and
complementary support materials pro-videalltheinformationandtoolsthatare necessary from program conception to completion, measurement, and debrief-ing.A complete training proposal is in the appendix, with templates, check-lists, and even logistical considerations forinstructionaldelivery.Foranyareas thatyouwishtoexploreinmoredepth, the list of learning resources—organi-zations, Web sites, publications—intro-ducedthroughoutthebookcouldprove tobeaninvaluabletimesaver.Ifyouare a beginning or experienced workplace learningprofessionaloragraduatelevel studentofhighereducationorworkplace learning,Learning atWork is a worthy reference book. This one learning or train-the-trainer resource provides the breadth and depth necessary to support
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Education
usiness
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Journal
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ScopeofJEB
InstructionstoContributors
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Thejournalentertainsarticlesthatdealwithsignificant trendsandissuesaffectingeducationforbusiness;curricu-lumdevelopmentandevaluationofeducationalprogramsin traditionalandnontraditionalsettings;theprocessofinstruc-tioninaccountingandfinance,businessfundamentals(math, law,economics,communications,organization),consumer economics,management,marketing,microcomputers,and officesystems(officesupportstafftraining,information processing).Articlesreviewandreportonsuccessfulinnova- tionsandpractice,proposetheoreticalformulations,oradvo-catepositionsonimportantandcontroversialissues.
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