Marianne Döös

Collective learning: Interaction and a shared action arena

Purpose: The paper argues for a theoretical contribution that deals with the detection of collective learning. The aim is to examine and clarify the genesis processes of collective learning. The em ...

Functioning at the Edge of Knowledge – a Study of Learning Processes in New Product Development

Purpose – In the telecommunication industry, companies gain a competitive edge through the competence of their employees, making issues of learning critical. The study aims to identify specific learning processes necessary when working at the edge both of ones own knowledge and of that of the branch.Design/methodology/approach – This research draws on theories of learning through experience and interaction, and looks at software development engineers working at the interface between tele‐ and datacom within one company, Ericsson, Sweden. Data were collected in 2000 in four software‐engineering teams, through semi‐structured interviews, reflection groups and observations. Data were analyzed in an interplay between empirical findings and theoretical concepts.Findings – The research identified three kinds of learning processes in which employees engage to accomplish their tasks: learning basic knowledge; co‐creating new knowledge; and learning changing‐knowledge. Learning basic knowledge was a frequent retu...

Problems with machine safeguards in automated installations

Abstract Even though the automation of production has come a long way, injuries from machine movements remain a problem. The focus of the current study is on problems of machine safeguarding in automated installations. How come automation accidents have occurred despite the presence of safeguards? The paper reports problems related to safety devices from 76 accidents in automated production, and relates them to findings from other studies and the problems described in handbooks and other literature. Safeguards are categorized according to their function, and the study addresses the nature of the safeguarding problem rather than the frequency with which problems arise. There are, above all, four problems of safeguards that have commonly emerged from accident investigations: no or a low level of safeguarding, safeguards not being used, safeguards not stopping all machine movements in the risk zone, and safeguards not being capable of providing protection under the circumstances that prevail. It is shown that all types of safeguards have their problems; and, in particular that they do not always function adequately in conjunction with the handling of production disturbances. A production installation should not automatically be regarded as safe simply because it possesses an impressive range of safeguards. Relevance to industry The practical relevance of the paper lies in it addressing safeguarding problems that go beyond those described in regulations and standards. It highlights accidents that occur despite the presence of safeguards, and shows how safeguards may be deficient in an operational setting.

Human actions and errors in risk handling: an empirically grounded discussion of cognitive action-regulation levels

Knowledge and error flow from the same mental sources, only success can tell the one from the other (Mach, E., 1905. Knowledge and Error. Sketches on the Psychology of Enquiry. D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht (translated into English, 1976). The current paper is concerned with human actions and errors that have accidents with an injury outcome as their consequence. Its aims are to identify and describe the occurrence of risk-triggering and risk-creating human errors, and to analyze the cognitive regulation levels of risk-triggering actions. This provides a basis on which to discuss some difficulties involved in the assigning of regulation levels to actions. The empirical material employed in the paper consists of data from 76 in-depth investigations of accidents in automated production. Risk-creating errors were found in 93% of cases, and were made at various organizational levels in the companies. The amount of and character of the risk-creating errors point to the importance of interventions that promote learning at the levels of the work team and the organization. In 88% of cases there was also a human error that triggered the risk. Risk-triggering errors were made at all cognitive-regulation levels. The conclusions concern methodological issues and theoretical question marks arising. There emerged a need to distinguish between the outcome of an action and its further consequences. Classification of regulation levels involved in human error was found to be fraught with difficulties when drawing boundaries between levels. Actions at different levels appeared to intervene and take over from each other, leaving errors at category interfaces. The structural aspect of action as a composite phenomenon might mean that it is not always possible to assign any particular act to a specific level, and since a task or an action usually is composed of several behavioral components the action could be assigned to several levels simultaneously. This raises questions concerning the applicability of the Skill-Rule-Knowledge (SRK) model to triggering errors in automated production.

Beyond being present : learning-oriented leadership in the daily work of middle managers

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of learning-oriented leadership as being integrated in managers’ daily work. The particular focus is on managers’ efforts to change how work is carried out through indirect acts of influence. In their daily work, managers influence the organisation’s learning conditions in ways that go beyond face-to-face interaction. Neither the influencer nor those influenced are necessarily aware that they are engaged in learning processes. Design/methodology/approach – The research was part of a larger case study. The data set comprised interviews with nine middle managers about ways of working during a period of organisational change. A learning-theoretical analysis model was used to categorise managerial acts of influence. The key concept concerned pedagogic interventions. Findings – Two qualitatively different routes for indirect influence were identified concerning social and organisational structures: one aligning, that narrows organisational members’ d...

The technical genesis of machine failures leading to occupational accidents

This paper is concerned with machine failures that occur in automated installations that lead to occupational accidents. It is based on investigations of 76 cases of automation accidents. A conceptual apparatus has been developed which has the aim of describing the technical genesis of machine failures. Its external validity has been confirmed in large parts through its correspondence with concepts developed by other researchers. The apparatus has been applied to the automation accidents investigated. The factors, ‘manifestation of fault’, ‘machine failure’, and ‘human intervention’ have been utilized to describe 64 automation accidents involving machine failures. In nearly a third of the cases, the courses of events resulting in injury were similar: a work piece became stuck, or crookedly or incorrectly positioned; this led the machine to stop; the injury occurred while a person attempted to correct the position of the work piece. Four factors, ‘origin of technical fault’, ‘history of fault’, ‘type of fault’ and ‘location of fault’, have been employed in the investigation of 28 accidents. A majority of the technical faults were known to persons at the work site before the accident occurred, which suggests that opportunities are available for improving the handling of machine failures. Relevance to industry The aspiration of the conceptual apparatus is to help industry: first to categorize machine failures accurately, to improve short-run remedy; second, to develop explanatory concepts, that will aid management of production problems. Further, advice is offered on measures aiming at reduction of accident risks at computer-controlled installations.

Bridging Boundaries: Middle Managers´ Pedagogic Interventions as Technology Leaders.

The aim of this chapter is to describe interventions that middle managers make when they strive, as technology leaders, to bridge intra-organizational boundaries in order to support new agile ways of working. Another aim is to discuss how these interventions may be understood as pedagogic interventions.By using qualitative methods in a case study approach concerning the software communication industry, the findings reveal interventions that focused on alignment through collaboration, interdependency, flexibility, and communication. These kinds of interventions are regarded here as an example of pedagogic managerial leadership. Managers take on development and learning as main collective work tasks because they want to influence knowledge creation and are aware of thelearning dimension of their work tasks.The aim of this chapter is to describe interventions that middle managers make when they strive, as technology leaders, to bridge intra-organizational boundaries in order to support new agile ways of working. Another aim is to discuss how these interventions may be understood as pedagogic interventions.By using qualitative methods in a case study approach concerning the software communication industry, the findings reveal interventions that focused on alignment through collaboration, interdependency, flexibility, and communication. These kinds of interventions are regarded here as an example of pedagogic managerial leadership. Managers take on development and learning as main collective work tasks because they want to influence knowledge creation and are aware of thelearning dimension of their work tasks.

Absolute and relative frequencies of automation accidents at different kinds of equipment and for different occupational groups

Accidents where automated production equipment has injured a person (automation accidents) were studied over a 2-year period at 21 plants. The paper reports the absolute and relative frequencies of these accidents for different kinds of automated equipment and for different occupational groups working with them. Length of sick leave following an accident was investigated by kind of installation and occupational group. An estimated 9% of all reported accidents were automation accidents. Over 1 year, such accidents were incurred by 3% of operators of automated equipment and at 4% of the items of automated equipment. The results demonstrate that special attention should be paid to the hazards faced by machine operators, and in the automated conveying or handling of work pieces.

Joint principalship: a potential support for democratic practice in schools

The aim of this paper is to discuss the apparent loss of potential for enhancing democratic practice in schools. The findings of previous research about joint principalship stand in contrast to recent changes to the law that regulates the work of principals. Three examples of successful joint principalship were used as illustrations to illuminate how joint principals may support democratic practice by influencing teachers and pupils. In these examples, several qualities of the ways of working and their consequent achievements emerged: the coordinating process between the principals, productive sharing, role models, the importance of relationships and the focus on pedagogic issues. In each of the three examples, joint principalship was found to promote democratic practice by serving as a model of democratic cooperation. The conclusion is that the current Education Act weakens the possibility of achieving one of its own main goals – the ‘democracy assignment’ – by hindering the practice of joint principalship.

The shared principalship: invitation at the top

Abstract A school principal’s workload is recognised as being heavy, with an imbalance between demands and resources. This paper contributes to the development of collective leadership. The principalship constellations of six schools in Sweden were studied with the aim of strengthening the current knowledge about structures and experiences of shared principalship. The empirical basis is qualitative data from interviews with principals and vice-principals. The analytical focus was on how the sharing structures were organised and how the shared principalship was experienced. The results point to a considerable variation in the organisational structures of shared principalship. Despite the type of model, form and constellation, the principals and vice-principals voiced a striking sense of relief in not feeling alone in their duties, as problems and troubles became manageable. An intensified interaction level in the principalship constellation created opportunities to develop competence. Theoretically, this study broadens the invited leadership concept to include horizontal invitations across unit boundaries between principals in different units within the same school. The knowledge contribution of this study is useful in discussing the legal possibilities for shared principalship, which may be especially relevant in times when the Swedish school system is being criticised for not delivering good student outcomes.