ERIC Number: EJ823838
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0898-5952
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Breaking Bread and Breaking Boundaries: A Case Study on Increasing Organizational Learning Opportunities and Fostering Communities of Practice through Sharing Meals in an Academic Program
Watland, Kathleen Hanold; Hallenbeck, Stephen M.; Kresse, William J.
Performance Improvement Quarterly, v20 n3-4 p167-184 2008
Organizations are increasingly interested in creating learning opportunities for their employees. This article explores and describes how a university planned to increase employee interactions and organizational learning opportunities by fostering emergence of communities of practice. In this case study, Saint Xavier University offered an academic program for Chicago police officers at a Chicago Police Department training facility. More than a hundred officers enrolled in a master's of business administration (MBA) program participated in this study. The study gathered data through a combination of surveys, interviews, and direct observations to investigate the program participants' interactions and the potential impact of their interactions on the host organization. The primary academic program design factors included leveraging class break times by providing meals for program participants to share. Comparisons are drawn from research on the benefits of family meal sharing; the potential of similar benefits to organizations are explored. Results indicate that academic program design factors may increase interaction and organizational learning opportunities, and that shared meal times play an essential role. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Educational Change, Communities of Practice, Social Cognition, Case Studies, Police Education, Interaction Process Analysis, Occupational Surveys, Interviews, Questionnaires, Socialization, Police School Relationship, Institutional Mission, Behavioral Objectives, Business Administration Education
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774. Tel: 800-825-7550; Tel: 201-748-6645; Fax: 201-748-6021; e-mail: subinfo@wiley.com; Web site: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/journal/117865970/home
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A