ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the way of learning occurs; it is likely that it will be made easier through support and monitoring on the part of the organization. This is where the role of the Human Resources (HR) department is significant. According to Thite, HR has a vital role in helping to harness the knowledge that flows through the organization. The very nature of this knowledge, often tacit, acquired informally and not necessarily related to organizational goals, can make this quite a challenge. Amongst all those challenges, Storey and Quintas identify five that are particularly relevant in the so-called knowledge economy. They are: developing and sustaining a knowledge and innovation-centric culture; accessing tacit knowledge; securing trust and commitment; handling non-traditional employees, and organizational vulnerabilities such as heavy dependence on key knowledge workers. In terms of HR practices that improve organizational learning, training and development activities have a particularly relevant role to play, as both classroom-based and work-based learning operate on the same underlying principles.
