#Læringslivet (Learning life) as Symbiotic Learning System of Employee-driven Innovation in Municipal Care Work (Annen støtte - FINNUT) Application Number: ES546430 Project Number: 246718

#Læringslivet (Learning life) as Symbiotic Learning System of Employee-driven Innovation in Municipal Care Work

(Annen støtte - FINNUT) Application Number: ES546430 Project Number: 246718

Forskningsdesign og arbeidsform

Prosjektet har et aksjonsforskningsdesign. Sammen med ansatte i 3-4 institusjoner i den kommunale helsetjenesten skal vi utvikle og prøve ut en oppskrift for medarbeiderdrevet innovasjon (MDI). Medarbeiderdrevet innovasjon i vårt prosjekt er innovasjonsarbeid basert på bred, tverrfaglig medvirkning  fra alle ansattes side. Det er de ansatte på arbeidsplassen som sammen driver endringsprosessen. De som deltar fra arbeidsplassene skal samtidig kunne opparbeide formell kompetanse i utviklingsarbeid og organisasjonslæring, på enten Bc eller Ma nivå avhengig av realkompetanse og tidligere utdanning.  Tilsammen utgjør dette utgjør det symbiotiske læresystemet (SLS).

Stipendiat

Prosjektet vil i tidsrommet 2017 og 2018 ha tilknyttet en post.doc.-stipendiat. Det vil i også være to dr.gradsstipendiater i prosjektet. Disse tre inngår i forskergruppen beskrevet over.

Leveranser i prosjektet

Leveranser i prosjektet er 3 vitenskapelige artikler med ny kunnskap om slike sammenvevede læreprosesser og en håndbok i medarbeiderdrevet innovasjon i omsorgsarbeid. Prosjektet er tilknyttet Prosjekt for livslang læring, PLL ved Institutt for yrkesfaglærerutdanning (YLU) ved Campus Kjeller, Høyskolen i Oslo og Akershus (HiOA).

Internasjonalt ekspertpanel

Underveis i forskningsprosessen vil vi med jevne mellomrom, diskutere og validere erfaringer sammen med et internasjonalt ekspertpanel (IEP). Det er planlagt fem møter i ekspertpanelet. Som deltakere i ekspertpanelet har vi

1. fra Storbritannia: Prof. Alison Fuller, Institute of Education, University of London,
2. fra Kjeller, Norge: Prof.em. Mette Høie, YLU, OsloMet.
3. fra Danmark: Lektor Steen Høyrup, Department of Education, Aarhus University, Campus Copenhagen,
4. fra Oslo, Norge: Prof. Olav Eikeland,LUI, OsloMet
5. fra Oslo, Norge: Research prof. Mia Vabø, Senter for velferds og arbeidslivsforskning Nova OsloMet (SVA), HiOA.

Prosjektets organisering

Prosjektet er et partnerskap mellom NAV Arbeidsliv/NTNU ved IVR og HIOA ved YLU. Olav Eikeland er prosjektleder, mens Nina Amble er koordinator. Prosjektdeltaker fra IVR er Oscar Amundsen, mens NAV deltar med Solveig Waaler. Prosjektet starter 1.1 2016 og avrundes med en internasjonal konferanse høsten -18. Planlagt avslutning er 31.12.2018.

Symbiotic learning system (SLS): To be able to handle the many challenges in relation to learning, education, research development, knowledge application and innovation within the institutions/businesses; they must take on responsibility of working systematically with their collective and individual learning, organize both as activities in the work place (Eikeland 2012 c: 114). Kira (2006) specifies three levels of learning and development; individual, working community/group and organizational/inter-organizational is imperative if the development should be consider sustainable. Educational institutions need to rethink where, how, when, and in what order people learn and to reorganize their educational offers and research work in close collaboration with the “receivers” (Eikeland 2012 c: 114). In the project both considerations, institutions/businesses – education, are addressed, as well as sustainability. By offering participating employees formal education and by EDI developing expertise precisely in the interaction between individual and collective learning on three levels, together this will make an example of a sustainable SLS in care work.

Employee-driven innovation (EDI): The idea of autonomy and employee-driven processes is not new in Nordic work life (Trist et al 1963; Karasek & Theorell 1990; Gustavsen et al. 2010). Research shows that what is referred to as the "Nordic models" represent a mindset, framework and practice of organizational learning and cooperation that Nordic companies and workplaces can take further advantage of striving to be more innovative (Gustavsen et al. 2010; Eikeland 2012 a; c; Aasen et al. 2013). Furthermore, success with EDI shows certain similar characteristics related to their role performances, their traditions of acting and thinking in particular ways, and in the structural mechanisms that they adopt to involve employees in innovation processes (Aasen et al. 2012). The project forms a basis for how we can target and analyze relevant work organizations in the field of municipal care.

Care work as working with humans: All work organizations are learning systems (Trist 1981). In a previous interactive research process, the backing of the work organization as a learning system was the main focus (Amble 2012 b). The purpose was better mastery of demanding care situations by developing a reflection tool. The interactive research process took place in the period from 2005–2011 (Gjerberg & Amble 2009; 2011) together with employees from nine municipalities. Through the various oral and written evaluations, the process of developing, testing and evaluation of the tool, a handbook, gave important observations; structured reflection in groups with experienced staff as facilitators increased mastery levels. This indicates how adaptive learning in daily operation and problem-solving activities are intertwined, can be organized for and develop into responsible autonomy, and at best be a process of employee-driven innovation (Aasen et al. 2012; Amble 2013).

To summarize: The theoretical framework for the project will be based on the theory on action research, based on the Norwegian tradition (Svensson & Nielsen 2006; Gustavsen et al. 2010; Eikeland 2012 b), theory on symbiotic learning systems and development of ‘new studies’/ ‘new forms of developing studies’ (Eikeland 2012 c; Askerhøi & Høie 2012), theory on sustainable work organization development/work based learning (Kira & van Eijnatten 2009; Amble 2014 a), employee-driven innovation (Høyrup 2010; Aasen et al. 2013) and theory on this field of work namely municipal care work (Amble 2014 b; Vabø 2011; 2014). 

Research tasks and scientific methods: The project has an action research design. According to Greenwood and Levin (2007:1), action research is a set of cooperative and democratically oriented strategies that generate knowledge and design of action in cooperation with trained experts and local stakeholders. What is essential in action research is the relevance of the new knowledge, particularly in relation to the field (Nielsen & Svensson 2006; Eikeland 2012 a; b) - in our case care work. The concept of interactive research, however, adds greater emphasis on the joint learning process in SLS between field and research, where new knowledge will be relevant in the field and have an academic standard (Svensson & Nielsen 2006). Interactive research as a concept, is credited Svensson (2002). In Scandinavia interactive research has a distinct difference from action research by its stronger connection to the public sector (Tydén 2006). Of milestones in the project the International Expert Panel (IEP) 1-5 will discuss and validate results/findings (see activity plan under). The project application is therefore under the umbrella of action research, in the segment of interactive research and is a research project with three phases.

The partners behind this project, NAV– NTNU/IVR – HIOA/YLU, each partner from their segments of the practice field/school, have experiences with different angles of EDI. There are three work-handbooks developed related to these experiences (Aasen et al. 2012; Amble et al. 2005; Amble & Gjerberg 2009). The overall objective now is to synthesize experience and develop a symbiotic learning system between schools and work places. This will manifest in 3 academic articles and an applicable handbook for the Organization of EDI in municipal care. It is important to emphasize that this handbook should also be suitable for exercises and reflection in teaching, which also is work with humans or modern service. This is in accordance with the teaching tradition at YLU (Askerøi & Høie 2012).

The applied project will provide knowledge through four different channels:

1. Academic – 3 articles in refereed journals. E.g. about symbiotic learning in Educational Action Research/ J Knowl Econ, about EDI in Nordic Journal of Working life studies/Action Research/ Int. Action research, and about innovation in care in Sykepleien Forskning/ Vård i Norden/Sosiologisk tidsskrift/ Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning.

2. Education – Based on the academic articles in combination with the handbook as curriculum input; give students and people in the field the background and foundation of STS as EDI, and the necessary education and skills to initiate equivalent EDI-processes.

3. Scholar - One research fellow (post.doc) with recent knowledge of STS and EDI: A scholar and expert who can teach in the formal but also an informal system of continuing education and the training of personnel from the field.

4. Public - As a closing procedure and dissemination of the new knowledge, arrange an international conference targeted towards the field and science. Participate in the public, political discourse through chronicles in dailies and other media/social media contributions.