44 International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 4(4), 44-58, October-December 2013 Copyright © 2013, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. ABSTRACT Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) have emerged as a solution to the need of learners for open and easily customisable learning environments. PLEs essentially hand complete control over the learning process to the learner. However, this learning model is not fully compatible with learning in the workplace, which is infuenced by certain business factors. These factors are being investigated in this paper, through an exploratory study within a variety of private organisations in the UK. Based on the results of this study, 10 key factors affecting the adoption of PLEs in the workplace have been identifed. The authors propose a framework for the adoption and diffusion of PLEs, aiming at informing decision makers within commercial organisations about the successful introduction of novel learning methodologies in their respective organisations. Personal Learning Environments in the Workplace: An Exploratory Study into the Key Business Decision Factors Arunangsu Chatterjee, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK Effe Lai-Chong Law, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK Alexander Mikroyannidis, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK Glyn Owen, British Institute of Learning and Development, Bristol, UK Karen Velasco, British Institute of Learning and Development, Bristol, UK Keywords: Adoption, Innovation Diffusion Theory, Personal Learning Environment (PLE), Technology Acceptance Model, Workplace Learning INTRODUCTION With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, learn- ers are exposed to, if not overwhelmed by, a plethora of social software tools and services. These emergent technologies enable learners to generate contents as well as consume other- created ones. This, together with the recognition of the need for lifelong learning, has contributed to a shift from a centralised institutional teaching approach to a more learner-centred decentralised learning approach (Wilson, 2008). To address the issue of increasingly diverse backgrounds of learners and contexts where learning activities DOI: 10.4018/ijvple.2013100104