Straining training: the epistemology of workplace learning

Abstract

Learning in, and from, the workplace has moved centre‐stage. In this paper, arguments and insights from the humanities, in particular philosophical psychology, are developed to show that generic, higher‐order human qualities are demanded and cultivated by managerial work. What was traditionally regarded as a great epistemological divide between high‐status intrinsic education, and low‐status instrumental training (with work‐based knowledge in the latter area) is now dissolving. New workforce requirements of creativity and initiative are now regarded as essential to an evolving national and international enterprise culture. Close analysis of the psychology of decision‐making reveals both a paradox and a powerful metaphor for a more appropriate model of workplace knowledge.