The Work, The Worker And The Machine: Learning Through Communities Of Practice In Manufacturing

Abstract

This study examined the learning process associated with problem solving contexts among manufacturing workers. Using a modified critical incident method, we interviewed twenty machine operators from three organizations about problems they encountered in work. The findings suggest that learning is mediated through a triadic, dialogical relationship of the worker, the work, and his or her machine. The ongoing process of becoming a machine operator is embedded in these relationships and within a broader community of practice.

Recent changes in the nature of work and the workplace are renewing emphasis on workrelated learning. Many of these changes are being implemented to help organizations remain competitive. Organizations are using formal training programs to help their workers address this need. As Rowden (1966), suggests, “a literate, educated, inquisitive, problem solving workforce is essential to the survival and competitiveness of business and industry” (p.3). The U.S. industry spends more than $120 billion annually on formal training programs and related costs (Day, 1998). Yet, the effectiveness of such training programs remains in question. Only a small minority of workers regard the knowledge and skills they gained through employers’ training programs as important (Livingstone, 2001). Furthermore, craftsman, laborers and operators are not able to use their skills and abilities within their work and are dissatisfied with opportunities to improve their skills (NRC, 1999; Freeman, 1999). Such studies raise questions about the applicability of formal workplace education and training to what it is that workers need to know.

Nowhere is this problem more evident than in the relatively new area of training for problem solving among front line manufacturing workers. As the limitations of formal training for problem solving have become increasingly apparent, more attention has turned to informal learning in the workplace and the role that the work context itself plays in developing requisite knowledge and skills among manufacturing workers. In this study, we focus on workers’ experiences of problems within the context of their work and how these contexts foster their learning and development.