Education, Work and Social Capital by Winch Christopher;

Author:Winch, Christopher; [CHRISTOPHER WINCH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2011-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

CONCLUSION

There is no one theory of workplace learning that is capable of encompassing all the relevant cases. The relationship between so-called technical rationality and practical wisdom is closer than is sometimes acknowledged, particularly in the more science and technology-based forms of work found at the turn of the twentieth century. The contrast between a technical–rational and a practical– rational model of workplace practice is misleading if it is pushed too far. Many modern work processes require the application of theory to practice, but do so in a social and moral context which requires that the relation of theory to practice is reflexive, that is to say, applied theoretical knowledge has to be linked to the context of its application if it is to be useful, and this contextual application necessarily involves the deployment of skill and practical wisdom, which in turn have ramifications for the theoretical base on which the practice is based. The analogy between learning to be a morally mature individual and learning to be a skilled worker can only be carried so far before it becomes misleading. The workplace is a major site of moral concern which cannot be ignored in any worthwhile account of workplace learning. But the learning of routines, skills and processes is not just a matter of morality, it is often a matter of applying theoretical considerations to work; this is not true of learning to be good.

Furthermore, the social nature of workplace practice, always important, has, if anything, become even more significant in the last few decades. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the hierarchical managerial model associated with Taylorism in manufacturing industries has been steadily losing ground, to be replaced by more co-operative and team-based forms of working.20 Second, even where Taylorism remains entrenched, it is recognised that the delegation of responsibility to line workers has tangible benefits, for example in the incremental improvement of the production process.21 A third and related point is that modern manufacturing processes require extensive teaching and learning in order for firms, especially at the high value-added end of the market, to maintain a competitive edge through the deployment of skills that may be redundant in one context but vital in another; this learning is often team-based.22 A more general point here is that, as has often been pointed out, the demands for new learning that modern technological innovation imposes, means that there is an inevitable growth of interdependence in the deployment of complementary skills whose totality is collectively owned. These skills are most successfully used when there is a thorough collective knowledge of the context in which they are deployed.23

We can conclude from this discussion that workplace learning, if is to be successful, is likely to be context-specific, rather than the application of an overarching theory. It is likely to include the following elements: social and moral learning; an articulation of the relationship between theory and practice; specific, contextualised practice and a reflective element. A proper understanding of the weighting of each and the specific relationships between them will depend on particular cases.

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