An Organizational Settlement for an Expansive Learning Workplace : A qualitative study on workplace learning implementation and sustainability

Abstract: Workplace learning can contribute to a reformative change in an economy’s workforce development.  Learning, whether formal or informal, is subject to various power balances in each context. Factors affecting learning decisions can include legal framework, market requirements, organizational culture, organization of work, and financing limits. This research explores the application of learning practices in workplace, in addition to the institutionalization of the application and its sustainability’s enforcement factors from the participants’ perspective. Through a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews’ outcome, a sample from several departments in two organizations in the Egyptian services sector share their impression, experience, and recommendations for fostering learning in workplace practice. The data was analysed thematically in the light of Lave and Wenger’s (1991) communities of practice theory, Ellstrom’s (2011) competency development study, and Fuller and Unwin’s (2006) expansive learning environment framework. The findings highlights the various initiatives for organizational development logic and  investigates both the barriers and the enforcers for practical continuity. The study is aligned with the constructivist approach as it identifies opportunities and organizational settlement through social interaction to ensure inclusive learning for its population.