Article Abstract

	Title:	Breaking the boundary between personal- and work-life skills: parenting as a valuable experience for knowledge workers
	Author:	Eva Rimbau-Gilabert, David Miyar-Cruz, Jose Maria Lopez-de Pedro
	Address:	Department of Business and Economy, Open University of Catalonia, Av. Tibidabo 39–43. 08035 Barcelona, Spain. ' Department of Business and Economy, Open University of Catalonia, Av. Tibidabo 39–43. 08035 Barcelona, Spain. ' Centro Universitario Villanueva, C/ Claudio Coello 11. 28001 Madrid, Spain
	Journal:	International Journal of Knowledge and Learning 2009 - Vol. 5, No.1  pp. 1 - 13
	Abstract:	The idea that the skills that are useful in companies are in opposition to the skills needed in family life has created a separation between work and personal areas, which diminishes the value placed on the learning obtained in the family environment. In opposition to this view, this paper argues that the informal learning obtained through child rearing can provide tacit knowledge that may be valuable in work situations. We review the literature from the field of developmental psychology, which has focused on parenting as a context for personal development, and suggest that two tacit skills derived from parenting are especially valuable in work settings, namely, flexible thinking and allocentric thinking. The organisational value of these skills is analysed with an emphasis on its usefulness for knowledge workers and the general implications are discussed.
	Keywords:	informal learning; parenting skills; flexible thinking; allocentric thinking; knowledge work; work-life skills; personal development; child rearing; tacit knowledge; developmental psychology.
	DOI:	10.1504/IJKL.2009.024542
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