Pages: 5

In this introduction, the authors first highlight the evolving nature of employee development in response to global workplace trends, such as the emergence of new ways of working. It has transformed the traditional workplace concept, extending it beyond conventional boundaries. The authors in this introduction set the stage for exploring proactive employee development in the context of these challenges. Then, they indicate the primary objective of the monograph, which is to investigate proactive employee development through informal learning in new ways of working. The authors present the structure of the monograph, progressively exploring the phenomenon in each subsequent chapter. They detail their research methodology, employing a concurrent mixed-methods design. Finally, they show how their study may expand the existing knowledge about new ways of working, employee development, and informal workplace learning.

Pages: 31

In this chapter, the authors first look at changes in approaches to employee development in organizations, describe development activities, and define proactivity and proactive behavior to lay the groundwork for understanding proactive employee development. Since workplace learning is a critical factor in proactive employee development, the authors delve into the relationship between the workplace and learning. They then describe a critical form of workplace learning, namely informal learning, in terms of presage, process, and products. They conclude the discussion by describing quantitative measures of informal learning in previous studies.

Pages: 29

In this chapter, the authors contrast new ways of working with traditional employment relationships and list their features, including the advantages and disadvantages. The authors identify the role of the gig economy and the COVID-19 pandemic in the spread of new ways of working worldwide. Further, they discuss enabling and constraining organizational and individual conditions for the successful adoption of new ways of working. They also outline what changes in the nature of the workplace and learning conditions new ways of working have brought. They first describe the learning environment of traditional workplaces to point out the challenges of and unique opportunities for workplace learning in new ways of working. They discuss the workplace as a learning environment or space and the opportunities and conditions for learning in traditional ways of working. In addressing opportunities, they identified several factors such as collaboration, assessment, feedback, reflection, knowledge acquisition and access to information, coaching, job demands, and job control. New ways of working can also offer learning opportunities that are not limited by space or time and create demand for new skills and the proactivity to acquire them in frequently virtual learning environments.

Pages: 28

In this chapter, the authors focus on the learning opportunities offered by different forms of new ways of working. They also indicate how innate features of new ways of working affect workplace learning. Since rich social interaction is an indispensable condition for learning in the workplace, the authors examine how technology either facilitates or hinders social exchange and overcomes or contributes to workplace isolation in new ways of working. They also consider whether new ways of working foster self-guided development as a critical element of proactive employee development. They argue that the relationship between new ways of working and workplace learning is compound, with multiple factors shaping the affordance and outcomes of informal learning in this context. Moreover, addressing workplace isolation is one of the challenges for management in stimulating informal learning and ensuring the well-being and job satisfaction of employees. They also point out that informal learning is critical to self-guided employee development, which helps individuals thrive in constantly changing workplaces and pursue successful careers.

Pages: 49

In this chapter, the authors present the conceptual model of proactive employee development and informal workplace learning in new ways of working, followed by the empirical findings from the concurrent mixed-methods study. The authors explain the theoretical roots of the model (the 3P model of learning, job demands-resources theory, social exchange theory, and proactive behavior theory), describe the research design, formulate hypotheses, and identify the variables and measures used in their study. Next, they report the results of the quantitative and qualitative research. They show how proactive employee development is enhanced by informal learning in the context of new ways of working. They reveal the role of the organization and employees’ proactive personalities in shaping their proactive development through informal learning and manifested in job crafting and career proactivity behaviors.

Pages: 23

In this summary chapter, the authors reflect on the research implications of their study on informal learning in new ways of working. They indicate that the empirical findings expand the existing knowledge of informal learning by emphasizing the double-edged sword effect of new ways of working in the context of triggering informal learning. They also expand the existing knowledge of which learner factors are important, as well as explaining the operation mechanism of workplace isolation on informal learning and proactive employee development and what facilitates the latter. They show how their study contributes to the literature on workplace learning, human resource management, human resource development, and positive organizational behavior. They recommend that managers should focus on proactive personality while searching for talents; recognize and reward proactive learning behaviors; foster opportunities for learning; support self-directed learning and job crafting; and continuously optimize and use information and communication technology tools. The authors suggest that future research needs to develop around three themes concerning new ways of working, namely crucial organizational context factors that induce informal learning and proactive employee development; the development of learner factors, which are critical to informal workplace learning and proactive employee development; and the dark side of informal learning and proactive employee development.