Looking forward to tie the knot over the process of becoming a full professor at BI Norwegian Business School. The inaugural lecture I have prepared for August 28th at BI in Nydalen, Oslo, C2-060 has a title No man is an island: Relations at work. If you have time, interest and are in vicinity, please register and come on over: http://www.bi.edu/about-bi/calendar/inauguration-lecture-professor-miha-kerlavaj/
… and here is the video of the event:
Zavzetost zaposlenih je izjemno zanimiv organizacijski pojav, saj je močno povezana z boljšimi rezultati poslovanja in kot takšna v osrčju delovanja managerjev. Z Leo Pfajfar sva pripravila strokovni prispevek, ki kaže kako je mogoče s kombinacijo dveh managerskih orodij vplivati na večjo zavzetost zaposlenih. Celotna objava je na razpolago v HRM reviji: PFAJFAR, Lea, ŠKERLAVAJ, Miha. Zavzetost zaposlenih za delo: spodbudimo jo z ustreznim oblikovanjem delovnih mest in povezav med zaposlenimi. HRM (Ljubl.), jun. 2013, letn. 11, št. 53, str. 28-33, povzetek pa spodaj:
Ni dovolj, da v podjetjih zagotavljamo prijetno organizacijsko klimo in skrbimo zgolj za zadovoljstvo zaposlenih. Zadovoljstvo zaposlenih je namreč potreben, ne pa tudi zadosten pogoj za uspešnost organizacij saj je lahko povezano tudi z dejavniki, ki niso koristni z vidika organizacije. V času krize zmagujejo podjetja, ki svojo konkurenčno prednost povečujejo s pomočjo za delo zavzetih zaposlenih. Podjetja z bolj zavzetimi zaposleni imajo lahko kar do 50% večjo produktivnost, zato pa tudi večjo rast prihodkov in dobičkonosnosti (Harter et al., 2002; Towers, 2003). Žal pa raziskave kažejo tudi to, da je več kot 50% zaposlenih nezavzetih za delo (Blacksmith & Harter, 2011). Raziskava, ki smo jo opravili v slovenskem IT podjetju z nekaj več kot 200 zaposlenimi, je pokazala, da zavzetost zaposlenega za delo lahko spodbudimo s pravilno oblikovanim delovnim mestom in s spodbujanjem deljenja nasvetov med zaposlenimi (Pfajfar, 2012).
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.
Special issue of the European Journal of International Management, co-edited by my colleague ass.prof.dr. Robert Kaše and myself was just published. Below are links to the most interesting papers on this hot topic. Enjoy the reading!
European Journal of International Management (EJIM), Volume 4 – Issue 6 – 2010
Special Issue on Knowledge and Learning Networks in Organisations
Guest Editors: Robert Kaše and Miha Škerlavaj
| Table of Contents |  Introduction |
| Pages | Title and authors | ||
| 556 – 575 | Dynamic information retrieval and allocation flows in project teams with discontinuous membership Michelle Shumate, Rahinah Ibrahim, Raymond Levitt DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2010.035589 |
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| 576 – 601 | Understanding the structures, antecedents and outcomes of organisational learning and knowledge transfer: a multi-theoretical and multilevel network analysis Chunke Su, Meikuan Huang, Noshir Contractor DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2010.035590 |
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| 602 – 620 | Inter-organisational collective learning: the case of biotechnology in France Alvaro Pina-Stranger, Emmanuel Lazega DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2010.035591 |
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| 621 – 643 | The elephant in the room: the applicability of axiomatic approaches to network learning and organisational knowledge John H. Powell, Juani Swart DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2010.035592 |
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We have just published a journal article than connects social network analysis and creativity: Ohly, S., Kaše, R., & Škerlavaj, M.: Networks for generating and for validating ideas: The social side of creativity. Innovation: Management, Policy, and Practice, 12(1): 41-52.
In recent years, research has recognized that creativity is a social process. By
communicating with others, individuals get access to novel perspectives and unique
knowledge, and they can get political support for their ideas by ensuring that they meet
others’ standards. Based on the different function of idea-related communication, we expected
the structure of idea-generation networks to differ from that of idea-validation networks.
Specifically, we expected different effects of leadership status and tenure. Our results
indicated some differences in the structure of the two networks. This leads to the
recommendation that future research on idea-related communication and creativity needs to
distinguish the different phases of the creative process.
Keywords: Idea generation, implementation, social network, social support, communication,
reciprocity
Another publication of ours available on-line in a top-notch academic journal:
Škerlavaj, M., Dimovski, V., Desouza, K.C. (In press): Patterns and structures of intra-organizational learning networks within a knowledge-intensive organization. Journal of Information Technology, doi: 10.1057/jit.2010.3
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.
Keywords:
organizational learning; social network analysis; centrality; homophily and proximity; reciprocity; transitivity
Journal Citation Reports®, 2008 Impact Factor: 1.966*, Rank: 24/99 – Computer Science, Information Systems, 10/61 – Information Science & Library Science, 27/89 – Management
V reviji MQ Združenja Manager je v aprilski številki 10/2009 objavljen moj članek z naslovom Uporabite socialni kapital vaše organizacije. Prispevek v bistvenih poudarkih predstavlja možnosti analize in managementa organizacijskih omrežij kot sodobnega managerskega orodja. Njegov namen je tudi populariziranje inovativne rešitve v časih, ko raziskovalci, managerji in celotna družba iščemo odgovore kako naprej in kako na bolje.
Pomemben del odgovora na to vprašanje se skriva v ustreznem strukturiranju odnosov med člani organizacij. Le ustrezno aktiviran socialni kapital lahko poveže človeški kapital (znanja in zmožnosti) posameznikov v konkurenčno prednost podjetja osnovano na intelektualnem kapitalu. Tekst članka je na voljo na tej povezavi.
My research efforts related to studying organizational learning networks are becoming more and more international. This time we published a paper together with Spanish colleagues from University of Castilla-La Mancha. The paper citation is Sánchez de Pablo González del Campo, Jesús David; Guadamillas Gómez, Fátima; Dimovski, Vlado; Škerlavaj, Miha (2008): Exploratory Study of Organizational Learning Network in a Spanish High-tech Company, Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics – Journal of Economics and Business, 26(2): 257-277.
Here is the abstract:
The paper presents an exploratory study of the intra-organizational learning network in the context of a Spanish high-tech company. It expands the generalization of the network perspective to intra-organizational learning. Based on an exploratory social network analysis, we formulated four propositions that will be developed and contrasted in a later confirmatory study. First, the exploratory analysis demonstrates the importance of industry experience and tenure within the company as a common denominator of most central employees within learning networks. Second, similarity in terms of experiential level breeds mutual learning. Third, complementarity of knowledge is important for the formation of learning ties. Fourth, physical proximity creates opportunities to learn. Future research will need to test these four propositions in a confirmatory study.
Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics – Journal of Economics and Business is a new SSCI ranked journal (indexed since July, 31 2008).
Za vse zainteresirane za uporabo analize družbenih omrežij v managementu organizacij – tukaj je napovednik mojega predavanja Analiza družbenih omrežij (znanja) kot koristno sodobno managersko orodje na konferenci Izobraževalni management, 19.11.2008 na Bledu.
prof. dr. Miha Škerlavaj 
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