Organizational E-learning Readiness for Technology

Enhanced Competence initiatives in the Manufacturing Industry

Monika HattingerPhD student in Informatics and Work-Integrated LearningSupervisor: Professor in Informatics Lars Svensson

University West, SwedenDepartment of Engineering ScienceProduction Technology West, www.ptw.hv.se

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Research context

WILTechnology Enhanced

Learning (TEL)Courses

Manufacturing industry

Engineering knowledge on advanced level

Employed engineers

Learning processes

I work at a Production technology center, www.ptw.hv.seView competence needs among employed practitioners in the field of production technology

Competence development initiatives in industry organizations have widely been researched and reported as success stories

BUT

many initiatives fail due to companies lacking capabilities to absorb new knowledge through learning initiatives

E-learning initiatives within educational contexts are often more successful than in the workplace.

BECAUSE

conditions in the work organization can cause dilemmas on management levels, in the user interface and in the system development process

Problem domain

RETHINK learning conditions…

A shift from traditional educational models into technology enhanced learning (TEL) in the workplace

What are the companies’ abilities to gain new knowledge to sustain a competitive and innovative advantage?

Viewing the workplace as a learning arena implies a knowledge-based view of the company and also capabilities to manage information and knowledge throughout the whole organization

Problem domain

Industry dilemma

Effective work

Expert knowledge

Competition

Complexity in the production – continuous need for competence development and continuous learning for employees

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Manufacturing industries in the region (16-20 companies)

Project time: 2013-2015, with aim of continuation

Tailor-made flexible courses of 2-3 ECTS (automation, manufacturing, robotics, applied simulation, etc.)

Co-creation of course content

University level, aiming for master level

Project MERIT – Manufacturing Education and Research with Information Technology

• Teacher developed films, short instructional lectures, 5-10 minutes

• Web conference systems, Adobe Connect, Lync, Skype

• Learning platform • OER – Open Educational Resources• Virtual labs in production technology• Seminars on-line

E-learning framework for courses

The aim is to get a wider understanding of manufacturing industry readiness for e-learning and work-integrated learning initiatives by combining constructs based on theoretical concepts from absorptive capacity and e-learning readiness categories in relation to a study of 15 manufacturing companies located in the western part of Sweden.

Aim in the paper

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To clarify the relationship between knowledge acquisition and firm innovation, the concept of absorptive capacity can be used to define the ability of a firm “to recognize the value of new, external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends” as critical to its innovative capacity.

Cohen and Levinthal, 1990

Absorptive capacity

• Generally AC is based on statistical data to measure organizations capabilities

• We use a practice-based approach in a case study and apply AC to grasp organizational processes of knowledge sharing, informal promotion of new ideas and feedback between partners

Qualitative approach on AC

• E-learning instruments that assess organizations readiness for e-learning investments and IT-adoption

• Examples of categories according to Haney (2002)• Human resource• Learning management systems (LMS)• Learners• Content• IT• Finance and vendor

E-learning Readiness

• Semi-structured interview guide (5 themes)• 16 interviews with 15 companies

• Production managers and HR managers in same sessions, in total 27 informants, approx. 25 hours

• Constructs from the managers´ interpretations and knowledge of their company competence work

• Analysis influenced by concepts from AC and e-learning readiness categories

Qualitative data analysis

Basic company factsFacts Firm type/nr of firms

Nr of employees in the manufacturing plants

In the 15 firms a total of approx. 7 200.Two firms with approx. 2 000 (one in aerospace and one in automotive)Two firms with approx. 500Ten firms with approx. 130-300 One firm with 26

Nr of engineers with an academic degree

In the 15 firms a total of 950, among these approx. 430 are employed by the largest aerospace industry

Branch of industry

Three in aerospaceSix in automotiveThree in consulting (in both aerospace and automotive)One in medicineTwo in other areas

Local or global international industry

Ten international corporate firmsThree Scandinavian firmsTwo Swedish firms

Own R&D department Seven firms

FRAMEWORK - TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENTConstruct DimensionsAwareness

Internal competence mapping (GAP-analysis by HR department)

Define general competence need….

E-learning maturity

Experience with use of: IT tools for learning situations Web conference systems….

Dynamic capability

To adapt to changes outside the firm like competition and knowledge demands

To customize the firm needs to external requirements To capture organizational learning, both experience based

and developmental learning

Co-creativity

Through collaborative competence initiatives absorb and integrate industrial and new knowledge

Through networking with higher education institutions and other companies

Through co-production of knowledge with external partners and use it for effective production and innovation

• Identification and descriptions of internal knowledge needs and knowledge content

• All companies have routines for competence mapping• Only six can define expert knowledge

• High level; “…we engage in something called critical and functional competencies… thus we have a mapping within each function... we also work with competence challenges, and continuously we managers request for information internally to strategic goals.” (Manufacturing firm in aerospace, 2 200 employees)

Awareness

• IT and e-learning usability and maturity• Three companies have high level of e-learning use including

their own e-learning system. • Five companies use some e-learning system but do not have

their own system. • Seven firms do not use e-learning tools at all

Low level; ”… we bring in the teacher, have a center that we use for training, mostly we go away and have education… very little on the web...” (Manufacturing firm in other branches, 320 employees)

E-learning maturity

• To adapt to changes outside the firm as external requirements

• To customize the firm needs to external requirements• To capture organizational learning, both experience

based and developmental learning• Early results show that the automotive sector is more dynamic

than the aerospace sector• Only four firms show dynamic capability

Developmental learning, high level; “…we discuss a lot about creating innovation and create the right products and production processes...” (Manufacturing firm in automotive, 2000 employees)

Dynamic capability

• Through collaborative competence initiatives absorb and integrate industrial and new knowledge

• Co-creation with higher education, research centers/institutes and other industry sectors

• Seven firms show high level of interest to collaborate with higher education

• They are also participating in MERIT for co-creation of course content in the first Automation course, running April-May 2014

High level; “yes last year we lowered production cost with one-third by last year's thesis on bachelor level. This year, we the lowered the cost of 450 000 SEK (71 000 US dollars)…” (Manufacturing firm in other branches, 190 employees)

Co-creativity

Thanks for your attention!

Monika Hattingermonika.hattinger@hv.se