Tacit knowledge of manufacturing workers and managers about learning environment, corporate safety culture and professional competences

Tanapun Karunanont and Waldemar Karwowski

International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital, 2011, vol. 8, issue 4, 459-483

Abstract: This study explored the interrelationships between a learning environment, personnel competencies, and safety culture of four small size manufacturing companies. A concept of creative tension was used to elicit the tacit knowledge of workers and managers related to their perceptions of organisational learning, competencies and safety culture. A total of 195 workers and 43 managers participated in the questionnaire study. The results were analysed using structural equation modelling; the analysis showed strong positive correlations between the levels of creative tension associated with organisational learning and safety culture, as well as between the levels of creative tension associated with organisational learning and personnel competencies for both workers and managers. The study results support the importance of organisational learning promoting safety culture in small size manufacturing companies. Both workers and managers associated the development of their professional competencies with increasing organizational learning capabilities of their companies.

Keywords: organisational learning; work competencies; safety cultures; creative tension; tacit knowledge; structural equation modelling; occupational health; occupational safety; manufacturing workers; managers; learning environments; corporate cultures; professional competences; interrelationships; personnel competencies; manufacturing companies; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; positive correlations; learning capabilities; USA; United States; intellectual capital. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=43066 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijlica:v:8:y:2011:i:4:p:459-483

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Learning and Intellectual Capital from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sarah Parker ().