Since the first edition of this book was published, the subject of sustainability has risen to the forefront of thinking in almost every subject within business and management. Tackling the latest developments and integrating practical perspectives with rigorous research, this new edition sheds light on a vital aspect of working life. Current trends reveal that increasing intensity at work has major consequences at individual, organizational and societal levels. Sustainability in work systems thus requires a multi-stakeholder approach, emphasising a value-based choice to promote the concurrent development of various resources in the work system. This sustainability grows from intertwined individual and collective learning processes taking place within and between organizations in collaboration. In exploring the development of sustainable work systems, this book analyzes these problems, and provides the basis for designing and implementing 'sustainable work systems' based on the idea of regeneration and the development of human and social resources. The authors, who are leading researchers and practitioners from around the world, consider the existing possibilities and emerging solutions and explore alternatives to intensive work systems.

Since the first edition of this book was published, the subject of sustainability has risen to the forefront of thinking in almost every subject within business and management. Tackling the latest developments and integrating practical perspectives with rigorous research, this new edition sheds light on a vital aspect of working life. Current trends reveal that increasing intensity at work has major consequences at individual, organizational and societal levels. Sustainability in work systems thus requires a multi-stakeholder approach, emphasising a value-based choice to promote the concurrent development of various resources in the work system. This sustainability grows from intertwined individual and collective learning processes taking place within and between organizations in collaboration. In exploring the development of sustainable work systems, this book analyzes these problems, and provides the basis for designing and implementing 'sustainable work systems' based on the idea of regeneration and the development of human and social resources. The authors, who are leading researchers and practitioners from around the world, consider the existing possibilities and emerging solutions and explore alternatives to intensive work systems.

This book, the first to address issues of reflection in the context of work, is an accessible entry point into the theory and practice of work reflection for students and practitioners. Consisting of contributions from diverse range of international authorities in the areas of management, education, organizational psychology and sociology, it draws on examples from work settings in Europe, the Middle East, North America and Australia. Identifying the importance of reflection at work, this book traces it from an emphasis on training, through a focus on how organizations learn, to a concern with the necessary learning that needs to occur for organizations and work groups to operate effectively. It emphasizes productivity combined with satisfying lived experience of work life, and points the way to a new collective focus on learning at work that moves away from an individual one and critically mirrors the current context of production in workplaces.

This book, the first to address issues of reflection in the context of work, is an accessible entry point into the theory and practice of work reflection for students and practitioners. Consisting of contributions from diverse range of international authorities in the areas of management, education, organizational psychology and sociology, it draws on examples from work settings in Europe, the Middle East, North America and Australia. Identifying the importance of reflection at work, this book traces it from an emphasis on training, through a focus on how organizations learn, to a concern with the necessary learning that needs to occur for organizations and work groups to operate effectively. It emphasizes productivity combined with satisfying lived experience of work life, and points the way to a new collective focus on learning at work that moves away from an individual one and critically mirrors the current context of production in workplaces.

Learning is an essential process for attaining and maintaining sustainability at both the individual and business level. Establishing a learning organization requires a whole-hearted and sustained endeavour. This book facilitates such an endeavour by providing both a coherent framework for analysis and practical models for action. It focuses on the choices organizations make about the design and implementation of specific learning mechanisms.

The authors illustrate this "learning-by-design" approach through six detailed case studies, taken from different industries and national settings and focusing on different aspects of organizational learning. They then present an overall analysis of the cases, capturing the nature of the learning requirements, design dimensions and mechanisms, and looking at how these link to each other and to company strategy, resources, and performance. Various learning paradoxes are discussed, as well as issues that merit further study.Students of management and organizational studies, academics in these fields, and executives will find this a valuable resource for learning, reflection, and practice.

European competitiveness in a global perspective is a major issue on the agenda of the European Union and European industry. The question of competitiveness is often re lated to continual technological change and changing work structures to create more flexible and adaptive work places. But these changes are in themselves insufficient to meet the demands of a turbulent business environment, if they are not brought about in close relationship with and anchored to the development of the human resource poten tial. Technological innovation and modern post-Tayloristic work structures place new demands on workers. Workers' abilities and competencies must be raised in virtually every sphere - in what are termed the new key/core competencies related to knowl edge and cognitive skills, social skills, general and work related personality character istics together with a high level of technological ability. At the same time, to make optimal use of the human potential, the way in which work is organised and accord ingly the way in which people are managed, must allow workers to develop and use the required competencies. An integrated Human Resource Development approach is needed in which workers abilities and competencies take a central place. European competitiveness, from this perspective, implies a strategic choice by European compa nies and policy makers to invest in people and their (potential) abilities."