"Workplace learning in the IT sector: building a case for investment”

Purpose: The paper attempts to establish cause and effect between an individual's motivation to learn, workplace learning and the in-role job performance of [information technology] IT professionals. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses descriptive design, with a convenience sample of 531 respondents and uses Sobel's test to test for the mediating effect of Workplace learning on an individual's motivation to learn and in-role job performance. Findings: It is found that individuals negotiate their own learning and development strategies. If [human resources] HR designs on workplace learning are well designed, an individual's own motivation may have very little impact on job performance. However, workplace learning initiatives impact job performance very significantly. It was found that Workplace learning interventions significantly impact the relation between an individual's motivation to learn and in-role performance. Independently, motivation to learn has very little predictability on job performance, but facilitated through workplace learning, it explains 23 per cent of job performance. Work place learning on its own predicts 45 per cent of job performance. An individual's motivation to learn predicts workplace learning by 36 per cent. Practical implications: These findings can be used as a guide for HR professionals to negotiate training and learning designs, including informal and incidental learning initiatives in a holistic design. It can be used as a secondary source to build a case for training and learning investment. Originality/value: This is one of the first studies that has used Sobel's test for studying the mediation effects of Workplace learning on motivation to learn and in-role job performance of professionals in the Indian IT industry. The statistically significant results are an indication for industry leaders to take an action toward improving the learning architecture of firms using a blended approach to formal, informal and incidental learning interventions.