ABSTRACT
In this chapter I discuss aspects of social, cultural, ethical and psychodynamic perspectives on learning and consider their application in social work leadership. Rather than conceiving learning as an individual cognitive process, these perspectives situate learning within the continuous social interactions of our lived experiences. Within these perspectives, learning has sense-making, ethical and emotional as well as technical dimensions. These perspectives ask questions about the kinds of social and cultural engagement that create an effective context for learning and leadership within the workplace. They provide a framework with which to think about how formal knowledge, for instance that derived from research, can be integrated with tacit knowledge that is embedded in our participation within professional communities.
