Employee opportunities for self-directed learning at technology organisations : features and frames of self-directed learning projects

The importance of self-directed learning (SDL) in a business environment has been highlighted as a way to increase an organisation’s competitiveness and innovativeness. While organisations increasingly require SDL from employees, less attention is paid to the situations and frames enabling it. This study examines self-directed learning projects (SDLPs), situations in which SDL is realised as an individual or collective phenomenon. Based on ethnographic research, this study’s data consisted of field notes, field records and interviews. I used analysis of key incidents and ethnographic content analysis as an analytical tools. Four types of SDLPs was identified in the organisations studied: organisation-oriented, work community–oriented, work task–oriented and employee-oriented. The projects differed in terms of their learning goals and in the level of autonomy the employees exhibited. In addition, the study revealed that employee opportunities for SDL depend strongly on the cultural and structural frames of the organisations.