Workers’ Power and Intentional Learning among Non-managerial Workers: A 2004 Benchmark Survey

This paper explores relations of workers’ power, in terms of unionization and delegated workplace authority, with incidence of participation in adult education and job-related informal learning activities. Empirical analysis is based primarily on the first Canadian survey to document both aspects of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Relations industrielles (Québec, Québec) Québec), 2008, Vol.63 (1), p.30-56
Main Authors: Livingstone, David W., Raykov, Milosh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active learning
Adult Education
Adult learning
Adults
Authority
Cadres
Canada
Collective bargaining
Decision making
Delegation of authority
Discretionary power
Education
Education Work Relationship
Educational attainment
Employees
Hypotheses
Informal education
Informal learning
Intentional learning
Knowledge
Labor relations
Labor unionization
Labor unions
Labour relations
Learning
Learning activities
Lifelong learning
Membership
Nonunion
Organizational learning
Participation
Polls & surveys
Power
School surveys
Studies
Surveys
Union membership
Union organizing
Unionization
Unions
Variables
Workers
Workplace learning
Workplaces
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Summary:This paper explores relations of workers’ power, in terms of unionization and delegated workplace authority, with incidence of participation in adult education and job-related informal learning activities. Empirical analysis is based primarily on the first Canadian survey to document both aspects of workers’ power and both formal and informal learning. Prior inconsistent research on unionization and adult education is critically reviewed. The current study focuses on non-managerial employees between 25 and 64. The findings of this 2004 survey, as well as secondary analysis of other relevant surveys, confirm that union membership is consistently positively related to both participation in adult education and some informal learning topics. Delegated workplace authority also has positive effects on both adult education and some informal learning topics. While delegated workplace authority is not related to unionization, their positive effects on workers’ intentional learning are additive. Implications of these findings for further research and optimizing workplace learning are discussed.
ISSN:0034-379X
1703-8138
DOI:10.7202/018121ar