The Dimensions of Expansive Learning in the Workplace: A Multicase Study from Activity Theory

Learning in the workplace is among the most important forms of lifelong learning. This is because the workplace provides an authentic context for meaningful learning. Expansive learning, proposed by Engeström, focuses on learners as a community, the transformation of culture, and the creation of a new theoretical concept. Expansive learning eventually leads to a transformation in collective expertise. The primary aim of the study was to examine the dimensions of expansive learning and their relationships in the workplace. The cases selected were three Chinese consulting firms that focus on professional learning or talent training and development. I used multiple methods for data collection (e.g., semistructured interviews, observation, and document analysis). The successive analytical induction procedure was based on the constant comparison principle of grounded theory, and the four dimensions of expansive learning (distribution, collectiveness, routine, and expansiveness) emerged and were scrutinized. Based on the principle of activity theory, I constructed and integrated an interactive dynamic process model of expansive learning with its related dimensions.