Potentialer för lärande i processoperatörers arbete En studie av operatörers lärande och arbete inom högautomatiserad processindustri

Sammanfattning: This dissertation is concerned with potential for learning in process operator work. The purpose of this thesis is to study and contribute to increased understanding in different conditions which can be assumed to create potentials for learning in the daily work of the process operators' .The thesis presents a contextual perspective on learning based on situated learning and activity theory. Learning is in some sense both recreative and developmental. Recreative learning takes place in many daily situations where people become better at doing what they already do at work. In all work which, in some sense, is recreative, there is a trivial variation that may lead to a new understanding and the development of new approaches and working methods, but there is also something long-lasting that extends outside the situation and which mayencourage the development of activity systems and communities of practice.The empirical study is based on case studies of four teams at apaper mill. The four shift teams differ since they are located in different production environments with unique qualities and have different work organizational conditions. The study uses diaries, interviews, documents and informant interviews to collect empirical information.It appears from the results that the common characteristics shared by the shift teams predominate. One finding is that different positions and operators have access to different machines and workstations within the department. In many situations, the operators must balance what they are allowed to do and what they are able to do in the shift teams. In the teams, common competence is of great or even decisive importance for the cooperation that develops. Another important result is that there are differences between more experienced and less experienced operators. These differences are reflected in their action and interaction pattems, Le. what they do (and in particular do not do) and how interaction takes place between more experienced and less experienced operators in the shift teams.