Learning on the Shop Floor: The Behavioural Roots of Organisational Knowledge

Abstract

If it is accepted that knowledge is a valuable asset of a firm, then it follows that learning or the ability to learn is equally important. This study used shop-floor observations to understand how this learning takes place in an organisational setting. It was discovered that for improvements in organisational knowledge to be realised, two distinctly different components had to be present. The first component consists of the performative aspects of the task at hand: techniques, resources, scientific facts, and the like. These elements are readily codified, stored, retrieved, and copied. They are cumulative in the sense that acquiring a new technique does not eliminate the ability to use an existing appropriate one . The second component is the underlying logic by which techniques are selected and applied to achieve a goal. This component corresponds closely to Plato’s description of knowledge as justified belief. This component is not readily observable and is not cumulative in the sense that one cannot simultaneously hold conflicting beliefs. Because the context and justification of belief are defined by cultural norms, this introduces a strong behavioural component to organisational knowledge. The existence and importance of this largely invisible component have significant implications for managers who wish to promote organisational learning and for researchers who wish to study it.