Informal workplace learning among nurses: Organisational learning conditions and personal characteristics that predict learning outcomes

Purpose. The current study examines which organisational learning conditions and individual characteristics predict the learning outcomes nurses achieve through informal workplace learning activities. There is specific relevance for the nursing profession because of the rapidly changing healthcare systems. Design/methodology/approach. In total, 203 nurses completed a survey assessing their perception of the available learning conditions, the learning outcomes they acquired by executing their job and their self-efficacy, proactive personality and learning motivation. After checking the structure and reliability of the instruments by means of confirmatory factor analysis and the calculation of the internal consistency of the scales, a multivariate multiple regression analyses was performed because the different learning outcomes (dependent variables) were correlated with each other. Findings. Results show that learning outcomes as a whole were significantly predicted by opportunities for cooperation and feedback. Regarding generic and job-specific learning outcomes, analyses showed the same predictors for both levels of learning outcomes: opportunities for feedback and self-efficacy. Higher proactivity and opportunities for cooperation were related to higher organisational level learning outcomes. Research limitations/implications. The main limitation of this study is that its findings rely on cross-sectional survey data, hence further research is needed to confirm these initial exploratory results. Originality/value. The current study is one of the few studies that empirically relates organisational learning conditions to learning outcomes reported by employees, while considering the personal characteristics of the employee. It offers insight into which learning conditions are able to foster the acquirement of different learning outcomes.