FELU Award for Research Achievements in 2010

Faculty of Economics @ University of Ljubljana awarded my colleagues and myself for the second time in the last three years with an award for research achievements. This time we got second prize for the paper Škerlavaj, M., Dimovski, V., & Desouza, K. (2010): Patterns and Structures of Intra-Organizational Learning Networks Within a Knowledge-Intensive Organization, Journal of Information Technology, 25(2):189-204.

The abstract. This paper employs the network perspective to study patterns and structures of intra-organizational learning networks. The theoretical background draws from cognitive theories, theories of homophily and proximity, theories of social exchange, the theory of generalized exchange, small-worlds theory, and social process theory. The levels of analysis applied are actor, dyadic, triadic, and global. Confirmatory social network analysis (exponential random graph modeling) was employed for data analysis. Findings suggest: (1) central actors in the learning network are experienced and hold senior positions in the organizational hierarchy; (2) evidence of homophily (in terms of gender, tenure, and hierarchical level relations) and proximity (in terms of geographical and departmental distances) in learning relationships; (3) learning relationships are non-reciprocal; and (4) transitivity and high local clustering with sparse inter-cluster ties are significant for intra-organizational learning networks.

Some pics from the event are available at the following link.

US trip

Over the following 10 days or so, I’ll be on a trip around USA to talk with and learn from the responsible people from top notch US business schools on their experience with executive and MBA education. It is a part of benchmarking as related to the endeavours of the Center of excellence in biosensorics, instrumentation and process controlLaboratory fo Open Innovation Systems to develop a specalized programme MBAR for researchers and developers in need of business-related knowledge and skills. I’ll have an amazing opportunity to meet experts from MIT, Berkeley and UCLA.

Two conference papers on management innovation

A colleague, mag. Matej Černe just returned from EURAM Mini-Conference on Management Innovation held in Rotterdam, November 24 – 25, 2011, where he presented two of our papers:

  • ČERNE, Matej, JAKLIČ, Marko, ŠKERLAVAJ, Miha. Management innovation enters the game : re-considering the link between technological innovation and financial performance. In: Management innovation : a journey into the core of research and management : conference book. Rotterdam: Erasmus University, 2011, pp. 49.
  • ČERNE, Matej, JAKLIČ, Marko, ŠKERLAVAJ, Miha. Management innovation in focus : the role of knowledge exchange, organizational size, and IT system development. In: Management innovation : a journey into the core of research and management : conference book. Rotterdam: Erasmus University, 2011, pp. 63.