Setters and operators learn and acquire work knowledge by being thought by and/or by asking fellow workers skilled in mounting and operating presses. Setters and operators are taught by walking alongside or taking part of a fellow workers’ work and/or by being instructed how to do the work. Due to that there are different types of presses and tools in the workplace workers’ skills vary and workers’ skilled in manufacturing a specific article may not be as skilled in manufacturing other articles. Operators make use of job rotation. After half a shift, operators change jobs with each other to avoid a monotonous feeling of work. One can also appraise job rotation as a way to make operators skilled at different types of work. There is a difference between acquiring knowledge of mounting presses in comparison to acquire knowledge of manufacturing articles (i.e. operating presses). Mounting presses requires knowledge of manufacturing articles (i.e. operating presses). To work as a setter requires that the workers earlier have been working as operators and due to having a long experience in the workplace. There are few setters in the company, which makes the overall work situation dependent on the setters at hand. This dependency is somewhat handled by having operators present when setters do their work tasks. It is said to be desirable that operators are present in the mounting of presses in not bringing daily operations to a halt in situations were setters are not at hand. Workers new to the workplace start out by operating presses. Setters have earlier been working as operators in being knowledgeable about operators’ work. The knowledge of work is distributed among setters and operators. Knowledge of the work done by operators in operating presses is widely known in comparison to the knowledge of work done by setters in mounting presses.
Setters and operators learn and acquire knowledge by being thought by and/or by asking fellow workers skilled in mounting and operating presses in different situations. Looking at the situations setters’ and operators’ learn and acquire knowledge leads to the following
IT for Learning and Acquiring of Work Knowledge among Production Workers
52
learning situations: (a) a new operator operating a press), (b) a new setter mounting a press, (c) an operators’ first time operating a press not done before, (d) a setters’ first time mounting a press not done before, (e) an operator operating presses done before, (f) a setter mounting a press done before, and (g) an operator present in setters mounting a press.
A new operator operating a press is a learning situation in the workplace where the worker new to the workplace learns and acquires knowledge of operators’ work. An operator manufacturing an article not done before is a learning situation in the workplace where the worker is knowledgeable about the workplace (in manufacturing) and learns and acquires knowledge of work not done before.
A new setter mounting a press is a learning situation in the workplace where the worker earlier has been working as an operator and learns and acquires knowledge of setters’ work. A setter mounting a press not done before is a learning situation in the workplace where the worker is knowledgeable about the workplace (in mounting and operating presses) and learns and acquires knowledge of work not done before.
A setter and operator doing work done before is a learning situation in the workplace where workers face recurring situations in working knowledgeable about the workplace.
These learning situations can be sorted into three categories relative to workplace and work tasks experience: (a) workers’ new at work, (b) new work, and (c) recurring work. This is depicted in Figure 5-4 and described in Table 5-1.
sh
ap
es
Raw material (rolled sheet metal)
Operations Articles Mounting presses M anuf ac tu ring pr es se s M anuf ac tu ring pr es se s
are mounted on perform
is fe d t hr ou gh Tools Presses Tools Presses S S O O new work (b/d) recurring work (f) new work (b/d)
recurring work (f) new work (c)
recurring work (e) new work (c) recurring work (e)
new work (g) new at work (a)
5 Learning and Acquiring Work Knowledge Table 5-1 Learning situations
Learning situation New at
work
New work
Recurring work (a) A new operator operating a press ×
(b) A new setter mounting a press ×
(c) An operators’ first time manufacture operating a
press) not done before ×
(d) A setters’ first time mounting a press not done
before ×
(e) An operator operating presses done before ×
(f) A setter mounting a press done before ×
(g) An operator present in setters mounting a press ×1 (×)1
1 This work situation can be new to or earlier experienced by an operator.
5.4 Chapter Summary
In summary learning and acquiring work knowledge among production workers in the manufacturing workplace has the following characteristics:
• Workers’ work task is at large, but at a varying extent, determined by the artifacts’ workers use in accomplishing work tasks.
• Artifacts located in the workplace (presses and tools) are the objects for learning in different usage situations when workers do work tasks.
• Workers learn and acquire work knowledge by fellow workers.
• Workers’ work knowledge differs concerning work tasks- and workplace experience in being new at work, doing new- or recurring work.
6 Information Technology for Learning and Acquiring Work
Knowledge
The purpose of this chapter is to present the systematic support for learning and acquiring of work knowledge that has been developed among production workers in the manufacturing company. Developing systematic support for learning and acquiring of work knowledge among production workers is to make learning and knowledge explicit. An information system has been developed to facilitate learning and acquiring of work knowledge. This chapter includes the (a) motivation, (b) process and (c) results of making production workers’ workplace a workplace facilitating learning. It encompasses creation of learning environments in the setters and operators workplace by developing an information system that is in alignment with the learning capabilities in the workplace (the ones who learn and what ones’ learns about). This chapter is in part based on Ericsson and Avdic (2002).