Strategies for employee learning in professional service firms: A study of community pharmacies in Australia

Abstract

The study investigated employee learning strategies in community pharmacies in Australia and the factors that explain differences among pharmacies in the strategies employed. A qualitative methodology was applied, involving semi-structured interviews with owners, managers, or senior employees of 12 pharmacies. The findings revealed learning on-the-job as the most prevalent source of employee learning. Micro-size pharmacies enhanced employee learning through job variety, while in the small and medium-size pharmacies employee learning also occurred during staff meetings. Several formal employee workplace learning strategies were evident, especially among the small and medium-size pharmacies, and were complemented by compulsory and selected learning programs external to the pharmacies. Differences in employee learning strategies among the pharmacies appeared to be associated with size of the pharmacy, number of pharmacies owned by a pharmacist owner, association with a franchise group, previous management experience and goals of the pharmacist-owner, the owner's role in the pharmacy, and employee attitude.