TY - JOUR
T1 - Valuing errors for learning: espouse or enact?
AU - Grohnert, Therese
AU - Meuwissen, Roger H. G.
AU - Gijselaers, Wim H.
N1 - Data available upon request to Therese Grohnert
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Purpose this study aims to investigate how organisations can discourage covering up and instead encourage learning from errors through a supportive learning from error climate. In explaining professionals’ learning from error behaviour, this study distinguishes between espoused (verbally expressed) and enacted (behaviourally expressed) values with respect to learning from errors.design/methodology/approachas part of mandatory training sessions, 150 early-career auditors completed an online questionnaire measuring error orientation and help-seeking behavior after making an error as attitude- and behavior-based measures, next to measuring perceived organizational learning from error climate. Multiple mediation analysis is used to explore direct and indirect effects.findingscovering up errors was negatively and learning from errors positively related to an organisation’s learning from error climate. For covering up, this relationship is an indirect one – espoused and enacted values need to match. For learning from errors, this relationship is direct: espoused values positively relate to learning behaviour after errors.practical implicationsby designing a supportive learning from error climate in which members at all hierarchical levels role-model learning from errors behaviour, organisations can actively discourage covering up and encourage learning from errors.originality/valuethis study applies the theory of espoused versus enacted values to learning from error using a triangulation of measures in an understudied research setting: auditing.
AB - Purpose this study aims to investigate how organisations can discourage covering up and instead encourage learning from errors through a supportive learning from error climate. In explaining professionals’ learning from error behaviour, this study distinguishes between espoused (verbally expressed) and enacted (behaviourally expressed) values with respect to learning from errors.design/methodology/approachas part of mandatory training sessions, 150 early-career auditors completed an online questionnaire measuring error orientation and help-seeking behavior after making an error as attitude- and behavior-based measures, next to measuring perceived organizational learning from error climate. Multiple mediation analysis is used to explore direct and indirect effects.findingscovering up errors was negatively and learning from errors positively related to an organisation’s learning from error climate. For covering up, this relationship is an indirect one – espoused and enacted values need to match. For learning from errors, this relationship is direct: espoused values positively relate to learning behaviour after errors.practical implicationsby designing a supportive learning from error climate in which members at all hierarchical levels role-model learning from errors behaviour, organisations can actively discourage covering up and encourage learning from errors.originality/valuethis study applies the theory of espoused versus enacted values to learning from error using a triangulation of measures in an understudied research setting: auditing.
KW - Help-seeking
KW - Learning from errors
KW - Covering up errors
KW - Error orientation
KW - Learning from error climate
UR - http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/JWL-11-2016-0102
U2 - 10.1108/JWL-11-2016-0102
DO - 10.1108/JWL-11-2016-0102
M3 - Article
SN - 1366-5626
VL - 29
SP - 390
EP - 404
JO - Journal of Workplace Learning
JF - Journal of Workplace Learning
IS - 5
ER -