Köhle , Daniel Paul; Golle , Michael
A icle
Expe ise de elopmen a wo k: A wo kplace cu iculum
pe spec i e in he domains o sales ep esen a i es and
leade ship coaches in a Ge man con ex
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Köhle , Daniel Paul; Golle , Michael (2024) : Expe ise de elopmen a wo k: A
wo kplace cu iculum pe spec i e in he domains o sales ep esen a i es and leade ship coaches in
a Ge man con ex , In e na ional Jou nal o Resea ch in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (IJRVET),
ISSN 2197-8646, Eu opean Resea ch Ne wo k in Voca ional Educa ion and T aining (VETNET),
Eu opean Educa ional Resea ch Associa ion, B emen, Vol. 11, Iss. 3, pp. 334-367,
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Expe ise De elopmen a Wo k: A
Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e in
he Domains o Sales Rep esen a i es and
Leade ship Coaches in a Ge man Con ex
Daniel Paul Köhle 1*, Michael Golle 2
1Uni e si y o Mannheim, Business School, Chai o Economic and Business Educa ion -
Wo kplace Lea ning, L4, 1, 68161 Mannheim, Ge many
2Uni e si y o Kassel, Ins i u e o Voca ional Educa ion, Chai o Voca ional and Business
Educa ion, Henschels aße 2, 34127 Kassel, Ge many
Recei ed: 19 June 2023, Accep ed: 21 Feb ua y 2024, Published: 15 May 2024
Abs ac
Con ex : Ac i e engagemen and pa icipa ion in p o essional p ac ices a e an impo an
equi emen o expe ise de elopmen in oca ional domains. Howe e , no much is known
abou how wo k con ex s os e o hinde such expe ise de elopmen . To u he ill his
esea ch gap, his s udy in es iga es wo oca ional domains, namely sales ep esen a i es
and leade ship coaches, using he Wo kplace Cu iculum App oach. This app oach ocuses
on h ee aspec s. Fi s , how no ices ge access o ce ain asks. Second, which asks a wo k
a e especially conduci e o lea ning, e e ed o as pedagogically- ich ac i i ies. Thi d, wha
knowledge is ha d- o-lea n h ough p ac ice alone. By ocusing on hese h ee aspec s, he
Wo kplace Cu iculum App oach helps o unde s and lea ning.
Me hod: Ele en highly compe en sales ep esen a i es and en highly compe en leade ship
coaches om Ge man o ganiza ions pa icipa ed in an in e iew s udy. A hema ic quali a-
i e ex analysis was applied using deduc i e and induc i e coding.
Resul s: Fo sales ep esen a i es, ask sequencing is di e en ac oss o ganiza ions due o
s uc u al ac o s, pa icula ly p oduc s, and in as uc u e. Ideally, app en ices s a by
*Co esponding au ho : [email p o ec ed]
335
Köhle , Golle
ge ing o know he cus ome s by selling p oduc s on si e a a coun e and by ge ing o
know he p oduc s in he wa ehouse. challenging in e ac ions wi h cus ome s on he phone
a e mos conduci e o lea ning. The scope o he p oduc po olio and he amoun o ech-
nical knowledge a e ha d o lea n. Leade ship coaches a e encou aged by pee s o s a a
eam leade and smalle eam le els be o e mo ing on o mo e senio execu i es and la ge
eam le els. Weekly eam mee ings o e impo an social lea ning oppo uni ies simila o
in o mal discussions among pee s. Me hodological and o ganiza ional knowledge a e ha d
o lea n.
Conclusion: Rega dless o di e ences be ween bo h domains, he Wo kplace Cu iculum
App oach p o ed use ul o analyzing lea ning and expe ise de elopmen in he di e en
wo kplace con ex s. The app oach p o ed o be a ai ly angible and easy- o-use ool o in-
es iga e how wo kplaces suppo expe ise de elopmen and how wo kplace lea ning egi-
mes migh be changed o u he os e no ices' lea ning and de elopmen . Resea che s and
p ac i ione s alike can u ilize he Wo kplace Cu iculum App oach o analyze lea ning in
di e en domains in hei espec i e o ganiza ion. Howe e , indi idual ac o s o he lea -
ne s such as mo i a ion o pa icipa e in ac i i ies in he wo kplace a e no explici ly inclu-
ded in his app oach o in es iga e p o essional lea ning and de elopmen . They should be
o addi ional ocus in any s udy in e es ed in oca ional expe ise de elopmen .
Keywo ds: Wo kplace Cu iculum, Expe ise, Wo kplace lea ning, Sales Rep esen a i es,
Leade ship Coaches, VET, Voca ional Educa ion and T aining
1 In oduc ion
De eloping a highly compe en wo k o ce is impo an bo h o indi iduals and o ganiza-
ions. F om an indi idual pe spec i e, a high le el o compe ence is needed o be able o
e ec i ely deal wi h daily wo k asks and o s ay employable (e.g., G ube & Ha eis, 2018).
F om an o ganiza ional pe spec i e, highly compe en s a enables o ganiza ions o each
hei goals while s aying compe i i e in hei ma ke s (e.g., Salas & Rosen, 2010). The high-
es o m o compe ence has usually been desc ibed as expe ise (D ey us & D ey us, 1986,
2005), which shows i sel h ough "con inuous (…) ou s anding pe o mance" wi hin a wo k
domain, ela i e o pee s (G ube , 1991, p. 23; see also Chi, 2006; E icsson, 2018a, 2018b;
Posne , 1988 as ci ed in G ube , 1991, p. 23). Bo h cogni i e as well as socio-cul u al accoun s
could show ha such expe ise can be acqui ed h ough ac i e engagemen and pa icipa ion
in p o essional p ac ices (Bille e al., 2018; E icsson, 2018a, 2018b). Thus, expe ise de e-
lopmen akes place mos ly in he con ex o wo k i sel (Bille e al., 2018; Köhle & Rausch,
2022; Taylo e al., 2023; Wang e al., 2022).
336 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
How well di e en wo k con ex s suppo expe ise de elopmen can be in es iga ed using
he wo kplace cu iculum (WPC) app oach de eloped by Bille (2006, 2011a; see also Bille
& Noble, 2020). Bille (2006, 2011a) sugges s h ee dis inc WPC aspec s ha help o un-
de s and how no ices wi hin a domain can lea n and de elop. Fi s , when and how a e no-
ices con on ed wi h new asks and ac i i ies a hei wo kplace ( ask sequencing)? Second,
wha ac i i ies al eady exis in he wo kplace ha a e inhe en ly help ul o u he de elop
compe ences o no ices (pedagogically ich ac i i ies)? Thi d, wha knowledge is bo h highly
impo an o acqui e bu is usually ha d o lea n o no ices in he con ex o wo k (ha d-
o-lea n knowledge)? I has been sugges ed ha answe s o hese ques ions can bo h help o
unde s and how conduci e pa icula wo kplaces a e o lea ning and how lea ning can be
os e ed h ough o ganiza ional de elopmen endea o s (Golle e al., 2019).
Al hough empi ical e idence exis s ha each o he h ee aspec s included in he WPC a e
indeed use ul o analyze wo kplace lea ning (e.g., Bille , 2014; Ghe a di e al., 1998; La e,
1990) he WPC app oach has a ely been used in i s en i e y o in es iga e how no ices de e-
lop expe ise a wo k (see, o example, Golle e al., 2019). This con ibu ion aims o add ess
his esea ch gap by using he WPC app oach o examine expe ise de elopmen in wo oc-
cupa ional domains: (a) Sales ep esen a i es and (b) leade ship coaches. Bo h domains a e
highly impo an o hei o ganiza ions' success. Fi s and o emos , sales ep esen a i es a e
esponsible o c ea ing e enue h ough hei wo k. In addi ion, sales ep esen a i es ac as
he " ace o an o ganiza ion" as hey a e in di ec con ac wi h cus ome s (Köhle & Rausch,
2022, p. 573). This posi ion also allows hem o gain insigh s in o cu en de elopmen s in
he ma ke (Köhle & Rausch, 2022), o en much mo e quickly and mo e comp ehensi ely
han o he ac o s in hei o ganiza ion. Whe eas sales ep esen a i es a e essen ial o an
o ganiza ion’s ou wa d success, leade ship coaches help acili a e in e nal success by educing
employee u no e and c ea ing e ec i e leade ship (F eas, 2000). In ac , h ough hei coa-
ching e o s hey help key ac o s in an o ganiza ion o main ain and o expand hei wo king
capaci ies.
Bo h p o essions a e dis inc as hey a e cons i u ed by speci ic wo k ac i i ies as well as
knowledge o engage in hem (Alexande , 1992; Maggioni & Alexande , 2011). Howe e ,
hey a e also simila as hey a e ill-s uc u ed in na u e, which e e s o a lack o accep ed
ules and pe o mance s anda ds ac oss o ganiza ions ega ding how o accomplish wo k,
and hey ace cons an changes due o socie al and echnological de elopmen s (Acke man,
2011; E icsson, 2018a; Golle & Bille , 2014; Köhle & Rausch, 2022; Salas & Rosen, 2010).
In addi ion, incumben s in bo h domains mus sol e a ange o di e en p oblems, in ol ing
dynamically un olding si ua ions wi h high-s akes social in e ac ions wi h cus ome s and
clien s espec i ely (e.g., Jonassen, 2000; Shan eau, 1992; see also Köhle & Rausch, 2022).
Besides hese commonali ies, sales ep esen a i es and leade ship coaches also di e in how
hei ini ial wo kplace lea ning is s uc u ed. While sales ep esen a i es a e ained in he
337
Köhle , Golle
Ge man oca ional educa ion and aining sys em (VET) and he e o e a e supposed o ol-
low a mo e o less p e-s uc u ed cu iculum (Bundesins i u ü Be u sbildung, 2021), lea-
de ship coaches a e ained ou side he o mal educa ion sys em.
By ocusing on wo di e en ly s uc u ed o ganiza ional domains his con ibu ion aims
o gene a e insigh s in o whe he he WPC app oach can be used in di e en kinds o wo k-
place lea ning con ex s. On a mo e gene al le el, he esul s o his s udy con ibu e o a
be e unde s anding o he de elopmen o expe ise and why no e e yone becomes an ex-
pe in a domain. These insigh s migh hen be used o explain how o ganiza ions can os e
wo kplace lea ning and expe ise de elopmen . Fu he mo e, cu en ly only li le knowledge
abou he p o essional lea ning and de elopmen o bo h sales ep esen a i es and leade ship
coaches exis s. This s udy he e o e also gene a es insigh s in o how employees in hose wo
c ucial domains lea n and de elop. Fo his pu pose, he nex sec ion will u he desc ibe
expe ise de elopmen in he wo kplace and he h ee aspec s o he WPC.
2 Expe iseDe elopmen in heWo kplace
Real-wo ld expe ience wi h he ac i i ies ha cons i u e a ce ain domain (Köhle & Rausch,
2022) a e he ounda ion o expe ise. In o he wo ds, expe ise de elopmen a wo k is a p o-
duc o employees' ac i e and long-las ing engagemen wi h asks and p oblems ha a e ypi-
cal o hei domain (Bille e al., 2018; E icsson, 2018a, 2018b; E icsson e al., 2018). F om a
cogni i e pe spec i e such wo k engagemen can ha e se e al e ec s (see also Golle , 2017).
Fi s , employees lea n abou wha cons i u es hei wo k and how pa icula hings a e done
in hei o ganiza ion. Seman ic knowledge (Kolodne , 1983) is cons uc ed, o ins ance,
abou p oduc s, s akeholde s, and pe o mance no ms. In addi ion, his seman ic knowledge
also includes ules on how o ackle asks ha a e speci ic o he domain in ques ion (Golle ,
2017). The acquisi ion o his knowledge usually akes place h ough di ec pa icipa ion
wi hin he pa icula communi y o p ac ice (Paa ola e al., 2004; see also La e & Wenge ,
1991). Second, he s eady applica ion o his lea ned decla a i e knowledge allows no ices o
gain i s -hand expe iences leading o he acquisi ion o episodic knowledge (e.g., S e nbe g
e al., 2000; see also Golle , 2017). Episodic knowledge s uc u es s o e in o ma ion abou en-
coun e ed si ua ions including he adequa eness o applied p oblem-sol ing s a egies as well
as si ua ional cues (G ube , 1999; S e nbe g e al., 2000). Such knowledge can hen be e ie-
ed by employees o case-based easoning in p ospec i e si ua ions (Boshuizen e al., 2020;
Kolodne , 1993). Thi d, besides his knowledge accumula ion, wo k expe ience can also lead
o quali a i e knowledge changes o e ime: Rela ed knowledge s uc u es a e inc easingly
connec ed, and decla a i e knowledge is ans o med in o p ocedu al knowledge (Ande son,
1983; Boshuizen e al., 2020). Sc ip s a e special ypes o knowledge ha help indi iduals o
quickly assess a si ua ion and o ac acco dingly (Kolodne , 1993). Hence, o e ime lea ning
338 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
and inc easing expe ise wi hin a domain is cha ac e ized by cogni i e changes such as he
accumula ion o a as amoun o well-s uc u ed knowledge, a changing pe cep ion o p ob-
lems, and he abili y o sol e asks wi h inc easing di icul y (Boshuizen e al., 2020).
The p oposed cogni i e changes h ough he on-going engagemen in wo k ac i i ies
a e highly pe o mance ele an . To u he explain hese pe o mance e ec s, D ey us and
D ey us (1986, 2005) sugges ed a s age model o expe ise de elopmen desc ibing how em-
ployees may de elop om no ices o ad anced beginne s, compe en ac o s, p o icien ac-
o s, and inally expe s, in which each s age p og ession is associa ed wi h cogni i e changes
and changes in he pe cep ion o asks in he wo kplace (see also Golle , 2017). This model
is no only use ul o unde s and how employees de elop hei expe ise bu also o in e
wha indi iduals on a speci ic s age a e capable o doing. In mos cases, employees en e he
wo kplace as no ices. As such hey mainly s a o acqui e seman ic knowledge such as he
cha ac e is ics o p oduc s ha a e sold by hei o ganiza ion and speci ic ules on how o
ackle he i s basic asks ha a e speci ic o hei domains. Those ules usually also include
knowledge abou speci ied o ganiza ional ou ines o wo k lows, which a e o ganiza ions'
unique "ag eemen [s] abou how o do wo k" (Feldman & Pen land, 2003, p. 98; Lill ank,
2003). While no ices s ill s uggle wi h hese wo k lows, ad anced beginne s a e usually capa-
ble o ollowing hem i no de ia ions occu . Howe e , i a pa icula e en (e.g., missing in-
o ma ion) in e up s a wo k low, ad anced beginne s a e pu in a si ua ion ha hey canno
sol e hemsel es. I is only compe en employees ha manage o deal wi h such un o eseen
issues as hey can ely on su icien seman ic and episodic knowledge acqui ed h ough wo k
expe ience. A he same ime, some majo de ia ions om ypical wo k lows equi e com-
pe en ac o s o ely on suppo om pee s ha ha e a leas eached he le el o p o iciency.
P o iciency is also equi ed o ackle asks and p oblems ha a e ill-s uc u ed in na u e. In
such cases no exis ing wo k low exis s, and a c ea i e p oblem-sol ing s a egy needs o be
de ised (Jonassen, 2000; Lill ank, 2003). Finally, some p oblems a e especially complex due
o hei no el y o he consequences ha migh occu in he case o mis akes and e o s. Such
wo k si ua ions can only be mas e ed by expe s o e en eams o highly skilled employees in
an o ganiza ion (Bille e al., 2018; Sonesh e al., 2018).
To p og ess h ough he di e en de elopmen al s ages ex ensi e wo k expe ience o e an
ex ended pe iod is necessa y (E icsson, 2018a, 2018b; G ube , 1999). Howe e , i is no only
he quan i y o expe ience ha allows o expe ise de elopmen bu also hei quali y (E ics-
son, 2018a, 2018b). Employees need access o pa icula wo k ac i i ies and o he lea ning
oppo uni ies a he igh ime ha help hem o ad ance om one s age o ano he (Golle ,
2017). Wha access o wo k asks and lea ning a o dances is p o ided o younge and inex-
pe ienced employees as well as how his access is sequenced a e usually de e mined by mo e
senio pee s (Bille , 2001a, 2001b, 2011a; see also G ube & Ha eis, 2018, o he ele ance
o social suppo in he con ex o wo kplace lea ning; Paa ola e al., 2004). In addi ion, mo e
339
Köhle , Golle
expe ienced colleagues can help lea ne s o acqui e knowledge ha is known o be di icul
o lea n a wo k (Bille , 2006). I ollows ha he cha ac e is ics o he wo kplace as well as
he social wo k con ex la gely de ine how employees can p o essionally lea n and de elop.
The nex sec ion will in oduce Bille 's (2006, 2011a) wo kplace cu iculum concep as a
po en ial app oach o empi ically analyze he lea ning quali ies o wo kplaces.
3 Wo kplaceCu iculum
Bille (2006, 2011a) sugges s ha he e icacy and e iciency o wo kplace lea ning schemes
can bes be analyzed ocusing on h ee key aspec s o any accoun o p o essional lea ning:
(a) How lea ning and wo k expe iences a wo k a e o ganized and enac ed, (b) wha wo king
ac i i ies a e conside ed o be especially conduci e o lea ning, and (c) wha knowledge is
ha d o lea n o canno be lea ned h ough p ac ice alone. These h ee ace s will now be
b ie ly in oduced and discussed (see also Golle e al., 2019).
3.1 TaskSequencing
Lea ning a ade is o en, o ins ance in he con ex o VET, s uc u ed by an in ended cu i-
culum. In ended cu icula a e gene al empla es which a e implemen ed by an o ganiza ion
and desc ibe wha mus be lea ned in wha sequence (Bille , 2006). Al hough such cu icula
a e usually hough o be somehow binding, in p ac ice de ia ions om such de elopmen
empla es o en occu (Bille , 2006). The ac ual s uc u e o when and how lea ne s enga-
ge wi h asks a wo k a e cap u ed by he enac ed cu iculum (Bille , 2006). Fu he mo e,
e en in wo k con ex s whe e no in ended cu iculum exis s new employees do no encoun e
wo k asks comple ely a andom. Ins ead, Golle e al. (2019) highligh ha he s uc u ing
o asks ac oss in es iga ed oca ions (Bille , 2001a, 2011a, 2014; Ghe a di e al., 1998; La e,
1990; La e & Wenge , 1991) o en ollows a ce ain logic and easoning.
The mos ob ious ask sequencing is based on pe cei ed di icul y (beginning wi h "easy"
asks owa ds he mos di icul ones o e ime) and has been shown o apply o p o essions
like ailo s (La e, 1990), midwi es (La e & Wenge , 1991), nu se aides (Golle e al., 2019),
o cons uc ion manage s (Ghe a di e al., 1998). Howe e , he e a e o he a ionales o as-
signing asks o lea ning wo ke s. Fo ins ance, in many domains an aim is o "minimize
expe iences o ailu e and especially o se ious ailu e" (La e, 1990, p. 313; see also Golle e
al., 2019; La e & Wenge , 1991). Tailo app en ices, o ins ance, s a o engage wi h unde -
wea and o he cheape ga men s be o e hey a e allowed o wo k on mo e expensi e clo hes
(La e, 1990). The idea behind his logic is ha mis akes ha a ec expensi e clo hes ha e
much mo e se e e consequences han mis akes a ec ing less expensi e ga men s. Ano he
ask sequencing logic is o assign asks in a e e se p oduc ion o de and o s a wi h he
340 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
las p oduc ion s ep be o e going o he one be o e, which was obse ed o ailo s (La e &
Wenge , 1991), oom a endan s (Bille , 2014), and ood p oduc ion wo ke s (Bille , 2000,
2011b, as ci ed in Bille , 2014, p. 70). This way i is made su e ha lea ne s unde s and he
ou come o each wo king s ep be o e engaging wi h he asks ha ollow (Bille , 2014). Ye
ano he logic is ha no ices s a wo king on pe iphe al asks be o e being assigned o co e
asks o hei speci ic domains. Fo ins ance, hai d esse no ices a e epo ed o engage in in-
e ac ions wi h cus ome s i s o build us be o e being allowed o cu men's hai (conside-
ed o be easie ) and la e women's hai (Bille , 2001a, 2011a, 2014). Simila ly, cons uc ion
si e manage s need o p o e hemsel es on pe iphe al asks be o e being en us ed wi h he
managemen o he whole cons uc ion si e (Ghe a di e al., 1998; Golle e al., 2019). Con-
a y, i is he e e se wi h nu se aides who wo k on pe iphe al asks la e (Golle e al., 2019).
Rega ding he domains o sales ep esen a i es and leade ship coaches, i is ye unclea
which logic and easoning he ask sequencing ollows. Insigh s in o exis ing cu icula a e
impo an as hey allow us o assess bo h hei e icacy and e iciency o employees o de e-
lop expe ise. In he long un, bo h in ended and enac ed cu icula can be shaped owa ds
an ideal wo kplace cu iculum ha p o ides employees wi h a highe chance a de eloping
expe ise.
3.2 PedagogicallyRichAc i i ies
Lea ning in he wo kplace o en occu s wi hou a o mal eache as a by-p oduc o emplo-
yees' ac i e engagemen in asks and p oblems a o ded by he pa icula wo k en i onmen
(Bille & Noble, 2020; E au , 2004). Howe e , some wo k ac i i ies a e mo e conduci e o
lea ning han o he s as hey enable " ich lea ning expe iences" (Bille , 2011a, p. 39; Bille &
Noble, 2020). Typically, such asks a e goal-di ec ed, s uc u ed, as well as eoccu ing, inclu-
de expe s o e balize knowledge, enable discussions among wo kplace ac o s wi h di e en
expe ise and e en among indi iduals om di e en bu ela ed domains (Bille & Nob-
le, 2020; Bille , 2023) o in i e lea ne s o e lec on hei expe iences and newly acqui ed
knowledge (Bille , 2023; Golle e al., 2019). Hence, lea ne s can u ilize pedagogically ich
ac i i ies o "media e hei [own] lea ning" in he domain (Bille , 2023, p. 94). Fu he mo e,
wo k- ela ed discussions gene ally in ol e a ce ain p essu e o pe o m which in u n mo-
i a es lea ne s o li e up o hei expec a ions (Bille , 2011a; Bille & Noble, 2020). In nu -
sing, o ins ance, shi hando e s ha e been desc ibed as such pedagogically ich p ac ices
in which nu sing s a - ha is, bo h no ices as well as expe s – coope a i ely engage in
meaning ul in e ac ions ha esul in lea ning and expe ise de elopmen (Bille , 2011a;
Bille & Noble, 2020; Golle e al., 2019). In gene al, eam mee ings inhe i lea ning po en-
ial as hey o en e ol e a ound how o sol e pa icula wo k- ela ed issues ha help bo h
no ices as well as mo e expe ienced employees o ge insigh s in o po en ial p oblem-sol ing
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s a egies as well as pa icula solu ion al e na i es ha go beyond al eady in e nalized wo -
king ou ines (Bille & Noble, 2020). Mo eo e , nu ses and nu se aides (Bille & Noble,
2020; Golle e al., 2019), cons uc ion si e manage s (Ghe a di e al., 1998), midwi es (Lage
& Wenge , 1991), and coal mine s (Bille , 2001a) ha e been epo ed o engage in one- o-
one discussions wi h mo e expe ienced pee s helping hem ge u he insigh s in o hei
wo k domain and o unde s and con ex -speci ic app oaches o sol e p oblems (Bille &
Noble, 2020; see also Collins e al., 1991). Fu he mo e, oppo uni ies o join ly wo k wi h
mo e expe ienced colleagues ha e also been epo ed as being conduci e o lea ning. In hese
si ua ions, no ices can obse e hei mo e expe ienced pee s (Bille , 2001a, 2011a, 2014;
Golle e al., 2019; La e, 1990) h ough which hey ge he chance o adop p oblem-sol ing
s a egies h ough imi a ion and mimic y. In such si ua ions, lea ne s can also ac i ely ask
ques ions o unde s and how o adequa ely pe o m o engage in discussions wi h mo e ex-
pe ienced pee s abou di e en s a egies o sol e di icul asks a hand (Bille , 2011a, 2023;
Bille & Nobles, 2020).
Fo he domains o sales ep esen a i es and leade ship coaches, pedagogically ich ac i-
i ies ha e ye o be desc ibed in de ail. Insigh s abou pedagogically ich ac i i ies a e im-
po an since no all indi iduals in he wo kplace ha e equal access o hem (Bille & Noble,
2020; Golle e al., 2019). Hence, o ganiza ions should iden i y wha wo k ac i i ies a e pe-
dagogically ich in na u e and make su e ha all lea ne s indeed ha e he chance o engage
in hem (Bille , 2023). This in u n can os e expe ise de elopmen . Pedagogically ich
ac i i ies a e u he mo e conduci e o acqui e ha d- o-lea n knowledge wi hin a domain
(Bille , 2023).
3.3 Ha d- o-Lea nKnowledge
While some knowledge is eadily accessible in manuals and o he ex s (E au , 2004), no
e e y hing can be lea ned om eading, obse a ion, o di ec expe ience alone (Bille ,
2011). Especially knowledge ha is "symbolic o concep ual" in na u e (e.g., how egula i-
ons and laws mus be ollowed when p ocessing asks) canno be easily acqui ed h ough
obse a ion, imi a ion, o p ac ice-based ial and e o (Bille , 2011a, p. 28; Golle e al.,
2019). This p esumably also holds ue o ce ain "cul u al knowledge" (e.g., unspoken u-
les) (E au , 2004, p. 263). In he con ex o WPC such knowledge is e e ed o as ha d- o-
lea n. Fo nu se aides, o ins ance, mo ing and handling pa ien s wi hou hu ing hem o
hemsel es a e ega ded as ha d- o-lea n as such ac i i ies equi e complex mo o skills ha
canno be obse ed di ec ly (Golle e al., 2019). Simila ly, o c a sman no ices, i migh be
easy o obse e how d ywall panels a e ins alled. Obse a ion alone, howe e , does no allow
o lea n wha p essu e o d ill wi h o how o handle he d ywall panel co ec ly wi hou
damaging he d ywall o e en inju ing hemsel es. Fo cons uc ion si e manage s i has
348 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
Howe e , he scope o in o ma ion o memo ize can be so ex ensi e ha app en ices canno
easily lea n i by hea , bu a he need o de elop some kind o 'gene al sense' o e ime
h ough p ac ice and unde s anding. Hence, in o ganiza ion 2, no ices mus unde s and he
sys em behind he glass p oduc s a he han lea ning he se e al housand possible combi-
na ions a ailable.
The eeling ha will p obably de elop in he nex ou o i e yea s ha canno be jus lea ned, ha
comes wi h ime, wi h expe ience. (Pa icipan 4, o ganiza ion 2)
Fu he mo e, dealing wi h o de s ha con ain only ague echnical speci ica ions is ha d o
lea n since p oduc s mus be selec ed and combined in a way ha mee s cus ome equi e-
men s, which needs a lo o expe ience and knowledge. Addi ionally, dealing wi h cus ome s'
phone calls is ha d o lea n, because as soon as cus ome s no ice ha a sales ep esen a i e
knows oo li le, hey wan o swi ch o ano he (mo e compe en ) employee. This can be
he case when cus ome s do no ye know wha hey wan , bu s ill expec a solu ion du ing
he call o i he sales ep esen a i e ies o ac i ely sell p oduc s. O he cus ome s may be
known o ha e empe p oblems o be jus i iably upse because he w ong p oduc s we e
deli e ed.
I becomes mo e di icul when we app oach a cus ome . And say, 'We would like o do business
wi h you. Wha a e you asks, wha kind o hings do you do? Wha p oduc s do you need, wha
a e you speci ic equi emen s?' o unde s and wha p oduc s hey need. So, I don' know any hing
in ad ance, and I mus ask he igh ques ions o de i e wha we migh o e his cus ome . (Pa -
icipan 9, o ganiza ion 3)
And hen he e a e s ill momen s [du ing phone calls] ha can shake you up because a cus ome
is a ho - empe ed ype. The e a e a lo o hings ha can c ash down on you. And ill you manage
o deal wi h his i akes ime. (Pa icipan 2, o ganiza ion 1)
5.3 Discussion
Di e ences in ask sequencing wi hin a single domain ac oss o ganiza ions ha e been do-
cumen ed be o e (Bille , 2001a). These di e ences ha e been aced back mos ly o cul u-
al ac o s (Bille , 2001a). In he con ex o sales ep esen a i es, howe e , di e ences in
ask sequences can mainly be explained by s uc u al ac o s ha mani es hemsel es in
di e en p oduc s and in as uc u es. To cla i y, o ganiza ions 1 and 3 deal wi h cons uc-
ion p oduc s (e.g., doo handles, hinges, ools, o ens, s eel beams) and small o la ge o ga-
niza ions. This enables app en ices o in e ac wi h cus ome s ai ly easily. O ganiza ion 2,
howe e , ades wi h p ojec -speci ically p oduced glass windows and doo s, which hinde s
in e ac ion wi h cus ome s on he phone since mos in o ma ion mus be ans e ed ia
349
Köhle , Golle
email o p e en any misunde s anding. Based on he di e en p oduc s, o ganiza ion 1 has
a wa ehouse on si e and o ganiza ion 3 e en has a sales coun e on si e o c a smen o buy
p oduc s, while o ganiza ion 2 has nei he a wa ehouse no a sales coun e since he p oduc
canno be s o ed as i is p oduced only a e an o de has been placed. Hence, sales ep esen-
a i es' ask sequencing s a s wi h (a) ge ing o know hei cus ome s, he p oduc s as well
as he p oduc combina ions a he sales coun e as hey do in o ganiza ion 3, (b) ge ing o
know he p oduc s as well as he p oduc combina ions in he wa ehouse as hey do in o ga-
niza ion 1, o (c) jus s a ing in he o ice igh away and lea ning he p oduc s as well as he
p oduc combina ions a he desk as hey do in o ganiza ion 2.
Hence, i he p oduc s and in as uc u e allow i , ask sequencing s a s wi h he pe iphe-
al asks o cus ome con ac which is al eady documen ed o hai d esse s (Bille , 2001a) o
lea n manne isms and ocabula ies as well as o ge o know he p oduc s. A e ans e ing
o he o ice, no ices canno see wha happens a e an o de is sen o o he logis ic depa -
men . Hence, he goal is o enable no ices o lea n as much as possible and as quickly as pos-
sible abou he p oduc s and cus ome s be o e being ans e ed o he o ice. Addi ionally,
o di e en ask ypes (e.g., p ocessing cus ome o de s) as well as o asks wi hin each ask
ypes, ask sequencing o sales ep esen a i es is based on pe cei ed di icul y, as has been
documen ed o o he domains (Ghe a di e al., 1998; Golle e al., 2019; La e, 1990; La e &
Wenge , 1991; an de Maas & Wagenmake s, 2005 as ci ed in E icsson, 2008, p. 989). The
unde lying logic o di icul y-based ask sequencing is o enable no ices o pull hei own
weigh as soon as possible which is also documen ed o o he domains (Golle e al., 2019).
Fu he mo e, inancial loss and loss o cus ome s' us mus be a oided.
In e es ingly, olde pee s ep oduce wha hey hemsel es ha e expe ienced, which has
also been documen ed o cons uc ion si e manage s (E au , 2004; Ghe a di e al., 1998;
Rausch, 2014). I he o me no ices picked up w ong ideas abou ins uc ing newcome s,
hey migh ca y o wa d ine ec i e app oaches abou lea ning in he wo kplace. Fu he -
mo e, when s a ing in he wa ehouse, sales ep esen a i es s a in an en i ely di e en do-
main, he logis ics depa men . Hence, an indi idual wi hin he sales domain does no only
de elop expe ise in sales bu also in logis ics (e.g., D ey us & D ey us, 1986).
Access o ce ain pedagogically ich ac i i ies depends on he sequence o asks, so ha
some pedagogically ich ac i i ies a e only a ailable in he wa ehouse (e.g., pe sonal con ac
wi h cus ome s o small o de s) and o he s a e only in he o ice (e.g., con ac wi h cus o-
me s on he phone o ex ensi e p ojec s). Again, his has no ye been documen ed in o he
domains. Since social suppo is essen ial o expe ise de elopmen , his is o pa icula im-
po ance. The i s kind o pedagogically ich ac i i y occu s as no ices in e ac ace- o- ace
wi h cus ome s a he coun e o in in o mal con e sa ions wi h pee s in he logis ics de-
pa men o g adually imp o e hei compe ence unde he guidance o he social en i on-
men (Cole e al., 1978; G ube & Ha eis, 2018). This is pedagogically ich, as his can be
350 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
in e p e ed as a goal-di ec ed in e ac ion wi h a mo e expe ienced indi iduals explaining
p oduc s and wo k lows o no ices and guiding hem (Bille & Noble, 2020; see also "zone o
p oximal de elopmen ", Cole e al., 1978, p. 86).
The second kind o pedagogically ich ac i i y occu s a e being ans e ed o he o ice.
A newcome is placed in con ac wi h pee s h ough obse a ion and in sca olding si ua ions
(Collins e al., 1991). Fo he sca olding si ua ions, a mo e expe ienced pee does no simply
pick asks a andom bu a he selec s speci ic asks because o hei exempla y na u e. The
selec ed ask is used o p o ide app en ices he oppo uni y o o m a basic unde s anding
o he wo k lows. The newcome can ollow along and is expec ed o ask ques ions o lea n.
The ea e , he newcome sol es easy asks unde supe ision o he pee . An expe ienced
pee helping a newcome has a weal h o cases in mind. Among simila ones, a case migh
be exempla y and especially meaning ul o he pee as a s o y, ep esen ing a speci ic body
o knowledge ha he newcome needs o lea n (Aamod & Plaza, 1994; Jonassen & He n-
andez-Se ano, 2002). The expe ienced pee selec s hese speci ic pas cus ome o de s o a
simila p esen case as an example o help he newcome gain gene al and speci ic knowledge
on o de p ocessing. Addi ionally, in his phase o lea ning, an expe ienced pee migh be
able o swi ch be ween he oles o he eache and a eam membe o enable he newcome
o o e come he asks and decide on how o sol e he chosen s o y. Hence, his ea ly phase
also enables he newcome o become amilia wi h he social en i onmen . Fu he mo e, i
could be possible ha his kind o pedagogically ich ac i i y is s a ed by he newcome o
he pee a ce ain imes in he lea ning p ocess. A he beginning, he mo e expe ienced pee
p esumably s a s he ac i i y o in oduce a new ask ype. While wo king on ha ask ype,
he newcome igge s he ac i i y due o engaging in a oo di icul ask o a ce ain ask ype.
The hi d kind o pedagogically ich ac i i y occu s la e in he lea ning p ocess and
becomes he p edominan kind o lea ning oppo uni y e en o e y compe en sales e-
p esen a i es. A e a ce ain ime, app en ices engage wi h cus ome s on he phone supe -
ised by an expe ienced pee . Howe e , in e ac ions on he phone a e demanding and a e
high-s akes si ua ions a he edge o an indi idual's compe ence which equi es he help o
mo e expe ienced colleagues (Cole e al., 1978). Fu he mo e, i became clea h ough he
in e iews ha a ce ain d i e, willingness, agency, and in e es om he no ices is essen ial
o engage in he a ailable asks and o de elop expe ise (Golle , 2017). Howe e , his indi i-
dual componen is no ye as p ominen in he WPC app oach as discussed by Bille (2006,
2011a). None heless, o ganiza ions migh ei he selec no ices based on hei in e es in he
sales ep esen a i es' domain o allow no ices o achie e success o inspi e in e es in he
ield and enable he de elopmen o expe ise.
Ra he unexpec edly, in e ac ing wi h cus ome s on he phone is no only conduci e o
lea ning bu also ha d- o-lea n. Hence, o ganiza ions a e in a p edicamen in e ms o ena-
bling expe ise de elopmen and he a gumen ha ask sequencing is done o a oid losing
351
Köhle , Golle
cus ome s' us . No ices mus be pushed o engage wi h cus ome s on he phone wi hou
losing he cus ome 's us . Addi ionally, no ices ace wo dis inc p oblems. They mus lea n
abou p oduc s wi hou knowing how o use he p oduc s in p ac ice and when sol ing a
ask, hey mus in e nally isualize p oduc s and p oduc combina ions. In o ganiza ion 3,
app en ices he e o e ge access o a weekly p epa ed session o lea n abou p oduc s by mo e
expe ienced pee s which is no done in ei he o ganiza ion 1 o 2. Addi ionally, in all 3 o ga-
niza ions app en ices a e some imes bu a ely sen o manu ac u e s and cus ome s o lea n
mo e abou he p oduc s.
6 S udy2:Leade shipCoaches
In o ganiza ions, coaching is necessa y o minimize employee u no e , c ea e e ec i e lea-
de ship, and o help new manage s o ans e be ween posi ions (F eas, 2000; Ul ich, 2000).
This wo k is o en aken o e by leade ship coaches. Thei job is no o gi e eady-made
solu ions bu a he o help clien s o ind a solu ion on hei own, encou age in he ace o
change, and help o emo e obs acles (Lyons, 2000). To each his goal, leade ship coaches
se up mee ings wi h clien s and apply a a ie y o me hods and ools such as psychome ic
es ing, goal analysis o sys emic ques ions. Leade ship coaches a e o en sel -employed o in
small eams as con ac o s. Ne e heless, some la ge o ganiza ions also employ an in e nal
coaching eam. In addi ion o hei daily coaching wo k, hey a e also esponsible o de elo-
ping aining p og ams wi h speci ic goals such as o malized suppo o new eam leade s.
Ano he aspec o leade ship coaches as pa o an o ganiza ion is he coaching o whole
depa men s o eams (Hawkins, 2011).
6.1 Me hod
To answe he esea ch ques ions, a quali a i e in e iew s udy was conduc ed in one o ga-
niza ion employing leade ship coaches. The ollowing subsec ions con ain in o ma ion on
pa icipan s, da a collec ion, and analysis.
6.1.1 Pa icipan s
Ten leade ship coaches pa icipa ed in his s udy. They we e selec ed based on hei pe cei ed
high compe ence as coaches by hei pee s. The same selec ion p ocess as desc ibed in 5.1.1
ook place. Ele en ou o wel e sugges ed pa icipan s we e chosen. The leade ship coaches
wo k in o ganiza ion 4 which is a la ge-scale bank (app oxima ely 80,000 employees) which
engages in ypical banking ope a ions such as aking deposi s and g an ing loans o bo o-
we s, as well as c ea ing a ious inancial p oduc s and se ices. The pa icipan s' a e age
352 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
age and wo k expe ience is 46.5 yea s (SD = 3.47) and 26.9 (SD = 4.61), espec i ely. All pa -
icipan s comple ed ypical Ge man o mal educa ion p og ams ( oca ional educa ion and
aining as well as u he educa ion) ea ly in hei ca ee wi hin o ganiza ion 4 and u he
educa ion ega ding coaching me hods ou side o o ganiza ion 4. S udy pa icipa ion was o-
lun a y and w i en consen o pa icipa e in he in e iews was p o ided by he pa icipan s.
6.1.2 In e iew
The in e iews we e conduc ed in he same manne as he in e iews o S udy 1. The same
in e iew guideline was used by he p ima y au ho o his pape . Howe e , all bu wo in e -
iews we e conduc ed by phone.
6.1.3 Analysis
The en ansc ip s ha e a o al wo d coun o 120,826 wo ds (M = 12,082, Min =9,475, Max
= 15,353). The same ca ego y sys em ha was de eloped in S udy 1 was applied (see Table 1).
A andomly selec ed en pe cen o he ma e ial was coded by he i s au ho and an inde-
penden code and e ealed an in e -code eliabili y ac oss all ca ego ies o Cohen's K = 0.79,
which can be assessed as accep able (Landis & Koch, 1977).
6.2 Findings
Below, he indings o ask sequencing (RQ1), pedagogically ich ac i i ies (RQ2), and ha d-
o-lea n knowledge (RQ3) a e add essed.
6.2.1 TaskSequencing(RQ1)
Fi s , newcome s mus comple e a o mal cou se o unde s and he coaching p ocess and
gain me hodological knowledge. A e passing he cou se, newcome s a e encou aged o
s a a he eam leade o smalle eam le el be o e mo ing on o he senio execu i e and
la ge eam le el. Addi ionally, newcome s y o ge in ol ed wi h supposedly easy cases ha
a e ei he assigned by pee s o selec ed by he newcome s hemsel es. Such a case migh be a
clien who has p e iously booked coaching o mino issues o o ge a di e en pe spec i e
ha p omises no o be oo challenging. To a oid un o eseen challenges, newcome s a e also
gi en assignmen s wi h ixed con en , such as es ablished coaching o ma s, p e-planned
eam aining, o e en jus a pa (e.g., he in oduc ion) o p e-planned eam aining.
I i s looked o eam leade s, o lowe -le el manage s wi h less managemen esponsibili y (…)
be o e he senio manage le el. (Pa icipan 21, o ganiza ion 4)
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Mo e di icul coaching si ua ions encompass, o ins ance, accompanying a clien o pe so-
nal de elopmen o b ing abou a necessa y change (e.g., he clien lacks in e pe sonal skills,
which hinde s clea communica ion wi h eam membe s). Coaching is e en mo e di icul
wi h clien s who wan o de elop hemsel es and esol e con lic s be ween eam membe s o
u n a con lic - idden eam in o a high-pe o mance eam. Al hough he e a e di e en le els
o di icul y depending on he le el o leade ship and leade ship esponsibili y, a supposedly
simple case can become di icul in he blink o an eye due o unexpec ed e en s.
A di icul coaching si ua ion is when he manage ells me: 'I can' cope wi h my job anymo e,
(…) I ha e so much p essu e ha I don' know wha o do anymo e (…)'. And a di icul coaching
case is ce ainly gi en when he manage also has se e al employees o deal wi h. (Pa icipan 16,
o ganiza ion 4)
In addi ion, he pa icipan s highligh ed a newcome 's mo i a ion o ac i ely app oach p o-
blems as highly impo an . Fo ins ance, leade ship coaches a e expec ed o ac i ely look o
clien s and o ac i ely emb ace di icul coaching si ua ions.
6.2.2 PedagogicallyRichAc i i ies(RQ2)
Newcome s a e assigned o an expe ienced pee in hei geog aphical egion as a men o .
Fu he mo e, eam aining sessions a e usually conduc ed in collabo a ion wi h a pee . In-
o mal exchanges ake place du ing b eaks.
I lea ned om o he colleagues. When I s a ed, I wen along wi h a lo o people. Then a some
poin I was allowed o ake on mo e and mo e pa s. And (…) we always discussed 'wha was
good, wha wasn' good'. And he colleagues s ill play a ole nowadays because we some imes gi e
semina s oge he and ha e a weekly exchange wi h 'wha wen well, wha didn' go well'. (Pa i-
cipan 17, o ganiza ion 4)
The e a e a whole ange o hings whe e a second pe son is help ul. Fo example, when i comes o
eam aining sessions, when you' e s anding a he on o he s age wi h wo aine s and each
he pa icipan s he con en . (…) i he e a e challenging si ua ions, you can gi e each o he ad ice.
(Pa icipan 12, o ganiza ion 4)
Ne e heless, shadowing mo e expe ienced pee s in one-on-one coaching sessions a ely oc-
cu s due o con iden iali y issues. The pa icipan s ha e emphasized ha i is impo an o
gain a lo o expe ience in he coaching sessions hemsel es. Ce ain si ua ions ha e o be
expe ienced in o de o be able o deal wi h hem be e in he u u e.
354 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
Because as I said, when hey [ he coachee and he leade ship coach] a e in his wo-pe son con-
s ella ion, hey o en discuss e y con iden ial hings, e y pe sonal hings. E en i we' e alking
abou a managemen con ex and a p o essional con ex , he e a e s ill hings whe e a coachee
says: 'Well, ha 's eally e y con iden ial he e and I don' wan ha o be passed on.' Which is o
cou se a basic equi emen , bu you also no ice ha people eel he need o say i again and again.
And i he e is someone else [an unexpe ienced leade ship coach], ha 's o en a hind ance o his
con iden iali y. (…) When he coachee says: 'No, ha 's ok.' Then ha wo ks. Bu ha 's less o en
he case. (Pa icipan 20, o ganiza ion 4)
In addi ion o in o mal exchanges, once a week, a digi al con e ence is held o openly discuss
cu en clien s and o sha e expe iences and possible solu ions.
And colleagues app oach me, bu also o he colleagues, so no jus me, wi h he eques : 'Can we
jus b ains o m?', 'How would you app oach a s o y like his?', 'Ha e you e e had some hing like
his be o e?' Tha 's he classic. And we don' jus do ha bila e ally, we also do i , in ou calls. All
o us alk on he phone once a week. (…) And hen one says: 'I ha e his coaching case. Ha e any
o you had a simila si ua ion like ha ?' Tha 's wo h i s weigh in gold. (Pa icipan 21, o gani-
za ion 4)
6.2.3 Ha d- o-Lea nKnowledge(RQ3)
To be able o p o ide coaching, ex ensi e me hodical knowledge such as communica ion
s a egies, es ablished pe sonali y es s, leade ship models e c. mus be lea ned. The applica-
ion o me hodological knowledge and, due o he embeddedness in an o ganiza ion, ex en-
si e o ganiza ional knowledge is ha d o lea n.
Wha you need o be able o apply as a leade ship coach a e he ools. 'How do I conduc a coa-
ching con e sa ion'. Fo me, o cou se, he ac ha I also come om a manage ial and banking
backg ound means ha I know many ele an opics, and ha 's some hing ha 's help ul o he
coachees. Tha hey know ' his is someone who unde s ands me and my business, and hen I'm also
p epa ed o ge in ol ed in he con e sa ion wi h him pe sonally'. (Pa icipan 12, o ganiza ion 4)
And hen (…) o use he me hods a iably i some hing goes in a di e en di ec ion, so ha you
don' say 'bu ha was ag eed so and so.' (…) because un o eseen hings jus happen, and you ha e
o eac o hem. (Pa icipan 16, o ganiza ion 4)
Mo eo e , i is di icul o newcome s o ecognize and unde s and clien s' eal issues ha
may be hidden in unclea p oblem s a emen s. Fo ins ance, eam demo i a ion is he alleged
p oblem, while he eal p oblem u ns ou o be he clien 's us issues.
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Köhle , Golle
Well, you don' know be o ehand wha will come ou and ha , in case o doub , he opic ha he
coachee p esen s is jus a p e ex and hen you ha e o ind ou he ac ual opic behind he p e ex
opic. And ul ima ely deal wi h i [ he ac ual opic]. (Pa icipan 12, o ganiza ion 4)
Addi ionally, i is ha d o lea n how o p epa e o he coaching p ocess, he co ec and
c ea i e use o me hods, he abili y o ask he igh ques ions, and ypical eac ion pa e ns.
The human ac o . So, ha 's he exci ing hing, I hink ha 's almos he dange in he job. O
cou se, you can say a he end: 'This is a ou ine ask.' Because i you' e been doing i o a ew
yea s, you eel you' e hea d he p oblem 50 imes o 100 imes. Bu i 's no always he same p ob-
lem, e en hough i sounds he same. I hink i would be he dea h o a coach i you slipped in o a
ou ine. (Pa icipan 19, o ganiza ion 4)
E e y coaching session is ac ually highly complex. (…) The e is no ou ine pa e n. (…) I 's di e-
en e e y ime. Di e en pe son, di e en pe sonali y s yle, di e en opic, di e en en i onmen .
(Pa icipan 12, o ganiza ion 4)
O e ime, he coaches wi hin he o ganiza ion ha e g adually compiled he a ious me hods
and concep s used in hei wo k in o a me hod oolbox. This me hod oolbox is used in daily
wo k and is con inuously expanded. To lea n me hods ha we e no used be o e and o ge a
be e hold o al eady amilia me hods, smalle eam mee ings exis , in which scena ios a e
played h ough (e.g., one leade ship coach akes on he ole o he manage wi h a po en ial
p oblem in mind and ano he leade ship coach ies o apply he new me hod).
A new leade ship coach has o wo k h ough all ou , oolki , so o speak, ha we use. I con ains
ou coaching ools and me hods. And we ha e he same o eam de elopmen , so he eam de e-
lopmen olde . They [ he new leade ship coaches] ha e o lea n all ha and hen ask hei colle-
agues in case hey don' unde s and some hing. (Pa icipan 21, o ganiza ion 4)
Wi h he en i e eam, we always use a ce ain amoun o ime o exchange ideas wi h each o he ,
and his is some imes mo e o some imes less s uc u ed. So some imes i 's p epa ed o us o say,
'Le 's alk abou his and ha me hod, um, wha a e you expe iences? How exac ly do you do i ?
Wha al e na i e me hods do we ha e ha we use?' (Pa icipan 21, o ganiza ion 4)
6.3 Discussion
A he e y beginning, leade ship coaches pa icipa e in a sho , designa ed cou se o s udy
coaching me hods. The ea e , newcome s s a wi h he coaching by engaging in supposedly
non-di icul cases. Compa ed o o he domains, ask sequencing is only oughly laid ou by
mo e expe ienced pee s based on he coaching objec i e (e.g., o jus lis en s. o help o sol e
p oblems wi hin a eam), deg ees o eedom in designing (e.g., a ixed o ma s. open coa-
356 Expe ise De elopmen : A Wo kplace Cu iculum Pe spec i e
ching), he coachee (e.g., known o be non-con on a ional s. con on a ional), and by he
leade ship esponsibili y o a clien (e.g., a eam leade s. a senio depa men leade ). The e
a e wo easons why a ixed sequence o asks does no exis . Fi s , leade ship coaches a e no
as young as sales ep esen a i es when en e ing he domain and leade ship coaches a e pi-
cked o be pa o he eam. Newcome s in he leade ship coaching domain he e o e al eady
ha e an ex ensi e amoun o expe ience in he wo kplace, senio i y, and high in insic mo i-
a ion. Hence, pee s expec a ce ain independence and u he mo e p esumably do no wish
o be pe cei ed as pa onizing a new pee . Second, e en du ing p esumably easy coaching a
p oblem migh a ise wi h ex e nal help no being a ailable since he in e ac ions a e highly
dynamic (e.g., Shan eau, 1992). The e o e, mo e expe ienced pee s end o hand o e smal-
le pa s o a consul ing assignmen o no ices, o ins ance, an in oduc ion wi hin a eam
aining, o assign no ices p esumably easy clien s o one-on-one sessions. Ne e heless,
he goal is o a oid ailu e and especially se e e consequences o unsuccess ul coaching si u-
a ions which migh esul in indi iduals o e en a eam being le desola e and he leade ship
coach acing epe cussions which ende s he whole p ocess high s akes. Al hough in o he
domains he aim is also o a oid he consequences o se e e ailu e (Golle e al., 2019; La e,
1990; La e & Wenge , 1991), he e a e quali a i e di e ences o wha cons i u es a se e e ai-
lu e in di e en domains (e.g., ga men s being was ed, eams being le desola e, o pa ien s
su e ing ex eme heal h consequences).
Th ee ac i i ies we e iden i ied o be especially conduci e o lea ning o leade ship coa-
ches. The i s ac i i y encompasses all kinds o in o mal discussions du ing b eaks in eam
aining, which can i sel be in e p e ed as a coaching si ua ion: Newcome s conduc eam
aining wi h a mo e expe ienced pee who coaches hem du ing hese in o mal b eak dis-
cussions (Collins e al., 1991). The second ac i i y is he weekly phone con e ence which
encompasses s o y elling o gi e examples on how o sol e ce ain cases which enables pee s
o lea n o simila cases and also o lea n o wha no o do when wo king on speci ic asks
(Ba one, 1992; O , 1996; Ose e al., 2012). Such mee ings help expe s o b ing o h a he
implici knowledge ha hey lea ned o e ime. Addi ionally, his mee ing is also simila o
shi hando e s in nu sing (Bille , 2011a; Golle e al., 2019). The hi d pedagogically ich
ac i i y is, no su p isingly, he coaching i sel . Coaching migh be simila o phone con ac
o sales ep esen a i es. Bo h a e high-s akes in e ac ions ha a e a majo sou ce o lea ning,
e en o highly compe en indi iduals. Howe e , while bo h in e ac ion ypes a e simila ,
hey a e no iden ical. Fo ins ance, a sales ep esen a i e's phone call is p obably o a mo e
ad iso y na u e in ha op ions a e sugges ed, while he leade ship coach helps he clien
o ind a solu ion on hei own du ing a one-on-one coaching session. Howe e , in bo h
domains, pa icipan s emphasized ha newcome s mus decide o hemsel es o s a wi h
he phone calls and one-on-one coaching, espec i ely. Howe e , while sales ep esen a i es
can lis en o mo e expe ienced colleagues' phone calls, leade ship coaches a ely a end mo e
357
Köhle , Golle
expe ienced coaches' one-on-one coaching sessions due o da a p o ec ion conce ns. Hence,
o ganiza ions migh ha e o s age he i s couple o one-on-one coaching sessions o he
unknowing newcome s as a so o an ini ia ion. As discussed o he sales ep esen a i es,
leade ship coaches ha e o be willing o pa icipa e in he WPC. Howe e , since he leade -
ship coaches a e olde and we e chosen o he domain, hey a e a he mo i a ed.
Di e en o leade ship coaches ha p o ide hei se ice o di e en o ganiza ions on he
ee ma ke , he in e iewed leade ship coaches mus addi ionally lea n o ganiza ion-speci ic
knowledge. This pu s he leade ship coaches in he in e es ing posi ion o no being ex e nal
and de ached specialis s who a e b ough in o an o ganiza ion bu a he in e nal specialis s.
Howe e , i emains unclea i his leads o gaining us mo e easily o no and how i a ec s
he ou come o leade ship coaching. Ne e heless, since he in e iewed leade ship coaches
wo k in he closed sys em o o ganiza ion 4, hey do no ha e o lea n how o lead hei own
coaching business o how o a ac clien s. Leade ship coaches wo king in he open ma ke ,
howe e , need o lea n such business managemen skills o un hei small business, which
migh be ha d- o-lea n knowledge.
7 ConcludingDiscussion
This s udy aimed o u he unde s and expe ise de elopmen in di e en oca ional con-
ex s. As a a he no el app oach, he WPC was used o his pu pose in he wo ill-s uc-
u ed domains o sales ep esen a i es and leade ship coaches. Bo h domains sha e some
simila i ies ega ding cus ome in e ac ions while ha ing ma kedly di e en in ended cu i-
cula. In gene al, i can be s a ed ha he WPC has p o en use ul o analyzing lea ning in he
di e en wo kplace con ex s, ega dless o di e ences be ween he domains.
An impo an esul is a ia ions ega ding he ask sequencing wi hin he same domain
ac oss o ganiza ions due o p ima ily s uc u al ac o s which ha e no ye been documen-
ed o o he domains. Fu he mo e, in bo h domains, some knowledge can be accessed by
lea ne s in an explici o m. Fo sales ep esen a i es, he p oduc knowledge is codi ied in
manuals and o leade ship coaches, he me hodological knowledge is also a he explici ly
desc ibed in manuals and books. Whe eas sales ep esen a i es a e supposed o lea n abou
he p oduc s in he wa ehouse, he leade ship coaches a e supposed o lea n he me hods in a
designa ed cou se. Howe e , i is a he implici and he e o e di icul o lea n how p oduc s
can be combined and how coaching me hods can be p oduc i ely applied as well as how o
in e ac wi h cus ome s and clien s. The wo kplace lea ning sequence he e o e mi o s ha
explici knowledge is lea ned i s be o e implici knowledge is acqui ed. The e o e, new-
come s s a by lea ning abou basic ools, namely he p oduc s, he cus ome s, o he me-
hods as he ini ial pa o he ask sequencing. Addi ionally, ega ding di e ences be ween
domains, he co e asks o he domain such as wo king wi h objec s a he han subjec s
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h ps://doi.o g/10.13152/IJRVET.9.3.1
Biog aphicalNo es
Daniel P. Köhle is a esea ch assis an a he Chai o Economic and Business Educa ion -
Wo kplace Lea ning, Business School, Uni e si y o Mannheim (Ge many). His main esea ch
in e es s a e wo kplace lea ning and expe ise de elopmen .
D . Michael Golle is a Full P o esso o Voca ional and Business Educa ion a he Uni e si y
o Kassel. His cu en esea ch in e es s comp ise expe ise de elopmen and wo kplace
lea ning, digi alisa ion o wo k, and ca ee choice beha iou .
