Exploratory factors influencing design practice learning within a Thai context

摘要

Purpose - Development of staff learning enhances work productivity and sustains organizationalrndevelopment. In particular, design practitioners require both theoretical knowledge and mentoringrnwith their practical experience. Without extensive knowledge, designers may produce design workrnerrors that produce poor quality of work and this leads to project cost and time overruns. This paperrnaims to explore staffs perception of the factors that influence learning in construction designrncompanies.rnDesign/methodology/approach Twenty-six variables are reviewed from literature, andrnevaluated by 70 designers from construction design and consulting firms in Thailand. A factorrnanalysis technique is applied to the group of identified variables.rnFindings - Eight factors that affect staff learning are identified: organizational support for learning;rngroup learning; individual learning and sharing; absorptive capability; personal relationships;rncharacteristics of the knowledge source; learning equilibrium; and work characteristics.rnPractical implications - Knowledge of these factors can help senior managers deal with learningrnwithin these kinds of organizations. In addition, these factors can be used to assess the level of supportrnthat facilitates learning within an organization.rnOriginality/value Construction designers have had scant attention paid to them by researchersrnregarding how they develop their learning. Moreover, recent work on knowledge transfer in thernconstruction industry has tended to focus on countries such as the UK and Australia, with little workrndone in Asian countries. This paper attempts to help bridge that gap within a design context usingrndata from Thai construction design companies.