Managerial support for learning at work: a qualitative study of first‐line managers in elder care

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the present study is to explore the meaning of managerial support for learning and development in the workplace. The overall research question concerns how first‐line managers in elder care perceive and understand their mission and tasks and how they in practice handle issues of co‐workers' learning and development.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was designed as a multiple‐case study including eight first‐line mangers in eight care units. Data were collected through interviews and observations.

Findings

The study demonstrates the variation that exists concerning how first‐line managers understand and enact their tasks. Specifically, it is possible to distinguish four qualitatively different patterns concerning how the managers acted and interacted with their co‐workers.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical generalisability of the results is limited by its character as a multiple‐case study of eight managers in eight different work units. At the same time, the strength of a multiple‐case study lies in its potential for making analytic generalisations, that is, for identifying theoretically meaningful examples and patterns across a number of cases.

Practical implications

The paper suggests a need for management development programs that promote not only a broader understanding of the task as a manager of elder care, but also knowledge about and skills in leading and organising workplace learning and development.

Originality/value

This study adds to the limited knowledge of how first‐line managers in care work understand and deal with learning and developmental issues in the workplace.

Citation

Ellström, E. (2012), "Managerial support for learning at work: a qualitative study of first‐line managers in elder care", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 273-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511871211268919