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Enhancing learning in emergency services organisational work

journal contribution
posted on 2019-03-26, 00:00 authored by C Owen, B Brooks, S Curnin, Christopher BearmanChristopher Bearman
The paper aims to assist emergency services organisations to learn how to learn so that managers better understand how to embed effective learning practices and systems into their organisation's culture. Learning in emergency services organisations occurs in a range of contexts. These include after-action reviews, externally led inquiries, and practice-led research projects. The paper outlines key themes from the work-related learning literature and introduces a modified experiential learning framework to ground real-world experiences. Interviews were conducted with 18 emergency services practitioners. The findings provide examples of the broad challenges that agencies need to manage to enhance and sustain learning. These include shifting value from action post an event, to reflection, focusing on the bigger picture and allowing enough time to effectively embed new practices after an emergency. No organisation can forgo learning. All experiences provide opportunities for learning to occur. A key insight for agencies interested in facilitating improvements in learning is to locate potential weak links in the learning cycle and to develop a better understanding of how to learn. © 2018 Institute of Public Administration Australia

Funding

Category 4 - CRC Research Income

History

Volume

77

Issue

4

Start Page

715

End Page

728

Number of Pages

14

eISSN

1467-8500

ISSN

0313-6647

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • No

Acceptance Date

2018-01-09

External Author Affiliations

University of Tasmania

Author Research Institute

  • Appleton Institute

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Journal

Australian Journal of Public Administration

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