The Finnish workplace development programme: A small giant?

This article is based on the evaluation of the Finnish Workplace Development Programme, TYKE-FWPD, by a team led by the author. The programme ran as a national government programme from 1996 to 2003, and has been continued, with modifications, in 2004 through 2009. Until the early 1990s the main focus of working life development in Finland was technological. During the past decade a shift in the emphasis has occurred toward work organization and human resources development. As part of this process, TYKE-FWDP has played an important role. The programme aims at accelerating working life development be means of improvements in learning networks and methods as well as by encouraging cooperation between researchers and research institutes, workplace parties, social partners and governmental agencies and institutions at national and regional levels. The idea is that as change agencies, firms can influence their own future by engaging in a complex learning process, long-term multi-dimensional interaction and networking. Highly developed learning strategies will give companies a competitive edge, and thus directly or indirectly also secure or enhance positive employment development. The evaluation, carried out in 2002–2003, showed that the Programme has been successful on many counts: sustainable results have been achieved at the company and organisational level, learning networks have been enhanced between different institutions related to innovation and workplace development, and the programme enjoys a very high legitimacy among key stakeholders, including the social partners.