A aprendizagem experiencial em empresas cearenses de desenvolvimento de software

Abstract

This work shows a research about experiential learning on the field of companies that develop softwares in Ceará-Brazil. The main goal is to investigate the contributions of experiential learning practices for professionals working in this kind of companies, starting with their politics, processes and formal practices of training, besides maping and analyzing the initiatives and strategies that individuals, groups and organizations held for this purpose. A literature review was done about the basis of education and experiential learning, the learning in the knowledge management area and in the total quality management, as well as the formal and informal aspects of learning, and formative experiences. Having the project managers as subjects, three companies were investigated through this study of multiple cases. In methodological terms, this research has a qualitative nature, it is characterized as explorative, descriptive and bibliographic. On the process of data collection, semi-structured interviews were used and, for the data analysis, the content analyses. The results showed that the professional development is helped by the use of experiential learning in these companies, but there is a need to improve the processes of learning evaluation and knowledge management. The employees of these companies prefer the experience-based learning and peer learning, they consider the internet their first source of knowledge; the groups develop their knowledge and learning mostly through the method of “conception proof”; and the organizations encourage their employees to study and research for new technologies and methodologies at any time of the working shift and use team meetings as a way of transferring of knowledge.