From Knowledge-Driven to Learning- Driven -The Importance of Workplace Learning

Abstract

Workplace learning is not only essential for the operation and development of the knowledge economy, but also an important factor in lifelong learning. Moreover, it is one of the most emphasized areas of adult learning. In recent decades, we have also witnessed the fact that school‐based education and training lose their importance while individual learning becomes the dominant knowledge acquisition process and activity in adulthood. Our qualitative research is based on interviews with 23 IT companies operating in Hungary. This sector was chosen because the IT field belongs to the knowledge‐intensive sector, so workplace learning processes can be well studied. The focus of the research is on the learning processes generated by the knowledge gaps in organizations. How does the need for arise? From what sources and in what ways do those working in the organization obtain the necessary information and knowledge? How will the acquired knowledge affect life in the organization? The results of the research enrich the fields of both lifelong learning and adult learning research, and they also contribute to some extent to knowledge management approach.