Birgit Helene Jevnaker

Proceedings of the European Conference on Management, Leadership and Governance (ECMLG) 19(1) s. 380-387 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/ecmlg.19.1.1947

Strategic speculative design is an uncertainty-oriented approach to perceptually bridge today with envisioned futures through knowledge-seeking design practices such as User experience design. As such, it may complement practices for facilitating transformative change found in management theory and innovation. Despite gaining importance in design schools, strategic speculative design however remains largely unfamiliar in leadership and management research and practice. We argue that this perspective may enable more active participation and dialogue with a variety of stakeholders about forthcoming or possible transformations, which may open for new or improved construction of opportunity in the present. Our paper is conceptual and offers a new model for strategic speculative design as an organisational change method relevant for transformation leadership and discusses possible managerial implications.

Proceedings of the 14th European Conference on Creativity in Innovation ECCI 2022 (9-10 November 2022) Organized by European Association for Creativity & Innovation (EACI) s. 42-50 Doi: https://doi.org/10.21467/proceedings.154.6

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management 24(1) s. 591-598 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/eckm.24.1.1618

The empirically investigated problem of our paper is what impact do micropolitics and power have on project management in an organization? Informal power and micropolitics played a massive role in the projects, and personal and relational knowledge appeared in all projects to achieve the expected results. The project manager uses personal networks, personal relations, and mentor's network with cognitive, affective, and emotional influence as power and politics if needed to achieve expected results. Power and micropolitics were necessary skills and tools for a successful project manager. The findings relate to the manager's intentions. The informal power and micro-politics process are reused in every project because informal power and micropolitics are a part of project work. Power accumulation and wise handling are essential leadership tools for every manager. Employees work for managers who have power over those who do not. The former can get them what they want: visibility, upwards mobility, and resources. Micropolitics and power represent a unique competence (i.e., knowledge, experiences, and attitudes) and tool for handling any project. Power is significantly underrated as a tool to control and govern projects. Micropolitics is a part of that tool to get the decisions the project leader wants, maybe with future promises. A democratic and consensus-oriented decision process opens for power games and micropolitics rather than hedging them in more hierarchical organizations. A complex matrix organization involving employees in many projects is also open to micropolitics and power. Micropolitics and power might prolong and complicate decision-making processes in ordinary projects and improve processes in fast-track projects. Micropolitics and power both increase and reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization. The higher complexity, the higher returns on using power and micro-politics to get the expected project results.

Entrepreneurship and Regional Development 34(9-10) s. 977-1000 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2022.2080867

A significant proportion of academic spin-offs (ASOs) are founded by entrepreneurial teams (ETs). Yet little is known about how these ETs are formed or the role of technology transfer offices (TTOs) in this formation process. This article examines whether and how TTOs affect the formation of academic spin-off entrepreneurial teams (ASO-ETs). To this end, we study in detail the formation of seven ETs behind life-science ASOs developed in one region in Norway. Our findings show that ASO-ETs followed different paths of formation, partly mirroring the organization of the TTOs. We further identify four different roles played by TTOs, two direct and two indirect, that shape the formation of these ETs. Based on organization imprinting theory, we contribute to the team entrepreneurship literature by developing a new framework showing how TTOs imprint the formation of ETs in ASO settings.

Knowledge Management Research & Practice 20(2) s. 292-303 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2021.2020695

To address current knowledge management (KM) research critically and constructively, this paper analyses the research papers in an essential, recurrent KM forum, IFKAD (International Forum on Knowledge Asset Dynamics). Our approach compared all research papers (N = 491) from three annual KM conferences providing complementary insights to past journal-based reviews. We offer a new combination of philosophy-of-science frameworks, which allowed us to categorise the findings into four representations of knowledge, two typologies of concepts, and four paradigmatic classifications. All the papers heavily emphasised the existing knowledge and accepted methodology. Their state of the art revealed that less than ten percent of the papers represented new scientific contributions at all. Less than three percent contributed to a better understanding of the essential sustainability areas or the climate crisis. Our novel cross-paradigmatic framing supports our concluding pluralistic framework, emphasising practice-near, curiosity, and problem-driven studies for improving future KM research. A relevant and engaged research.

Proceedings of the 18th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance s. 203-210

Learning to lead for sustainability in your enterprises has emerged as a new concern for top leaders in many industries, educational institutions, and regions. The higher education institutions may have a generic role in affecting leadership for sustainability learning in both theory and practice. From an action-based leadership for sustainability perspective, we propose that more attention be devoted to leveraging the developmental work in the everyday learning settings, and especially in local organizing for leadership learning. This explorative paper specifically seeks to understand the role of active learning methodologies in affecting sustainable leadership in an adult learner and student group setting. It is of broad interest to help diverse students’ learning groups to both enact and engage recurrently as co-creating learners for their own leadership development.

Proceedings of the 23rd European Conference on Knowledge Management, Vol. 23 No. 1 (2022) s. 568-575 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/eckm.23.1.494

Our paper investigates what forms the knowledge work design on a corporate level in the future. The future might be 2025, 2030, or 2035. The methodology includes interviews with researchers working with these issues in the Swedish telecommunication company Telia and the Norwegian telecommunication company Telenor. These companies make their living from understanding the future of work both on a corporate and societal level. The main finding is that AI and robotics will be more advanced, but the main changes will be management and organizational structure. The work will be done more as distance work and through virtual teams. The management and organization of work through the coronavirus have opened for more work done independent of time and the workplace and in virtual teams. There is also predicted a lack of professionals and all types of employees in the years to come, leading both to a competition for talent and increased importance in keeping the employed knowledge workers through internal career pipelines. AI and robotics will not reduce the need for professionals and employees. The steps will be taken one by one towards an integrated digitalization that makes new opportunities for collaboration, communication, and knowledge work. The fundamental knowledge worker will be using more of his working time on significant business issues. The skills needed are technical, information management, knowledge management, project management, collaboration, communication, rhetoric, virtual team, creativity, and green problem-solving skills. There is a corporate need for ethical, cultural, tolerating, and sexual awareness. We may summarize the needs as creative, sustainable, social and perception manipulation intelligence. The knowledge of the future will be complex, and the knowledge worker will handle multiple skills in different situations. The work of the future will be dominated by increasingly autonomous workers co-opting automated digital systems to create and capture value. The education might be revamped into a more task-focused education offered through the work life cycles. The revamping of education will also increase the overall employment and we will not experience the mass unemployment described in the literature as the result of AI, robotics, and digitalization. We have identified that the literature uses the unit occupation and not the unit tasks for the predicted higher unemployment and get a misinterpretation of negative consequences. The environmental issues and the climate crisis will be taken very seriously in the years to come and there will be a cooperation between the political economy and the corporate economy to do whatever is possible for sustainability in all internal and external processes to work greener and smarter. We will experience sustainability in action driven by a green leadership through a green strategy and green business models giving green services and products reusing as much as possible and using as few as possible resources to reduce the CO2 gases. This study concludes that there will be many small positive corporate and societal steps for each year towards 2030, improving the way of living and working together with environmental improvements. The reconstruction of the middle class is also emerging — neither a perfect nor an imperfect world.

Palgrave Macmillan

Builds on a solid foundation of business philosophy theory. Illustrates academic points with a rich array of practice based examples. Explores how green management and leadership theories can be developed and spread.

Proceedings of the 23rd European Conference on Knowledge Management Vol. 23 No. 2 (2022) s. 869-877 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/eckm.23.2.513

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare all the papers in the proceedings of ECKM in 2017 (Barcelona), 2018 (Padua), 2019 (Lisbon), and the digital conferences in 2020 and 2021. The study classifies the papers according to methodology, analysis, discussion, and conclusion regarding their contribution to the four paradigmatic boxes. The approach uses the five philosophy of science framework and compares this to the content of the research papers. We will use the findings in four representations of knowledge, two typologies of concepts, four paradigmatic classifications, and the concluding framework for knowledge management research. The five conferences heavily emphasize knowledge-itis and instrumental itis and much less on problem-itis. The papers are mostly centered around existing knowledge and accepted methodology and are less related to new problems. The results indicate a conference based upon as-is knowledge and less upon new and often unsolvable problems. The ECKM academic papers in 2017, 2018, and 2019 have relatively low complexity presented in an empirical and materialistic paradigmatic framework through definitive concepts representing a form of atomistic research. The papers in 2020 and 2021 are presented within a more robust clarified subjectivity and action research-based framework through both definitive and sensitizing concepts. What would ECKM have been with a higher degree of complexity in action and subjective paradigmatic framework through sensitizing concepts representing a form of holistic research? Probably a more creative, engaged, and relevant conference. Probable also a more scientific conference since advances in knowledge demand not living up to the conference expectations data cannot meet. The more critical and green papers in the 2020 and 2021 conferences are open to new perspectives on the choice of methodology, problems, and knowledge. The 2021 conference represents a turning point for critical green and sustainability papers based on clarifying subjectivity through action-based research.

Towards a science of ideas: An inquiry into the emergence, evolution and expansion of ideas and their translation into action s. 199-218

Electronic Conference Proceedings of Sinergie - Sima Management Conference Boosting knowledge & trust for a sustainable business s. 447-452

This paper contributes to collecting some insights on the impact of digitalization on the design-driven innovation (DDI) process, a research topic that is poorly investigated in the literature. We explored and identified aspects related to how digitalization impacts the characteristics of design products, the DDI process, and the network of actors involved in such a process. Direct interviews with key interpreters of the design world were done. The exploratory research is focused on physical design products of the furniture sector.

Proceedings of the 23rd European Conference on Knowledge Management Vol. 23 No. 2 (2022) s. 861-868 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/eckm.23.2.353

The empirically investigated problem of our paper is: What impact do micropolitics and power have upon the conduct of project management in an organization? The informal power and micropolitics played a massive role in the projects, and personal and relational knowledge appeared in all projects to achieve the expected results. The project manager uses personal networks, personal relations, and mentor's network together with cognitive, affective, and emotional influence as power and politics if needed to achieve expected results. Power and micropolitics were necessary skills and tools for a successful project manager. The findings relate to the manager's intentions. The informal power and micropolitics process are reused in every project in the way that informal power and micropolitics are a part of project work. Power accumulation and wise handling are essential leadership tools for every manager. Employees work for managers who have power over those who do not. The former can get them what they want: visibility, upwards mobility, and resources. Micropolitics and power represent a unique competence (i.e., knowledge, experiences, and attitudes) and tool for handling any project. A democratic and consensus-oriented decision process opens for power games and micropolitics rather than hedging them in more hierarchical organizations. A complex matrix organization involving employees in many projects is also open to micropolitics and power. Micropolitics and power might prolong and complicate decisions processes in ordinary projects and improve processes in fast-track projects. Micropolitics and power might thus both increase and reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization.

Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management (EJKM) 19(2) s. 194-210 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EJKM.19.2.2536

The purpose is to analyse and compare all the academic papers in the proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM) in 2017 (Barcelona), 2018 (Padua), 2019 (Lisbon), and the digital conference in 2020 (Coventry). The methodology is to code and classify 440 papers and use five contemporary science frameworks to describe and analyse the papers. The theoretical implication of contemporary KM is a research field without common paradigms, domains, and perspectives without accumulating knowledge. The KM researchers do not understand the nature of knowledge management as a field where the research cannot be replicated, synthesized, or theorized. Knowledge management needs to move along from the empirical research paradigm to a clarified subjectivity and action-basedresearch. The criticism implying acceptable/unacceptable solutions and constructed adequate/inadequate solutions for corporations and societies have strengthened their place, offering new paradigms and perspectives. The way to do this is to let in controversial, greener, and sustainable studies, whatever objectivity or subjectivity the studies have. We need more actual problem focused and less knowledge and instrument focused studies. KM will have a higher responsibility for sustainability and greener corporations and the possibility of accumulating knowledge into replication and synthesizing for general knowledge. The rate of tested and replicated studies is for the four conferences zero. The tested part, but not replicated, is 80%. The rate of untheorized untheorizable concepts is zero, the rate of theorized but not synthesized studies is zero, while the number of synthesized, theorized, and conceptual studies is around 20%. To become a discipline or research domain KM needs to replicate both empirical and conceptual studies. The only way to accumulate knowledge is through replication giving paradigms for verification and falsification. To move ahead for better quality in the research, we must break free from the empirical and materialistic paradigms and move into the clarified subjectivity and action paradigm. Paradigmatic ecumenism will tend to a fiercer but idea-generating debate. This pluralistic approach will give more engaged practical research representing more sustainable societies and businesses. ECKM is on the road to include more pluralistic perspectives upon sustainability, value creation, gender issues, and the design of future knowledge work. There is a critical openness toward these issues making ECKM 2020 a more relevant conference than the ECKM conferences in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The 2020 conference more open up for reflections, dialogues, and criticism upon existing problems and knowledge asking about what is the adequate actual KM solutions.

Proceedings of the 22nd European conference on knowledge management: A virtual conference hosted by Coventry university, UK, 2-3 September 2021 s. 603-611 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.21.107

The problem of the paper is: What is the importance and conduct of power and micropolitics in project management? The issue has resulted in five research questions: • How do power and micropolitics appear in projects? • How does the project manager use power and micropolitics to influence the result of his project? • How are the findings related to the actor's intentions in the projects? • How do the employees regard managers using power and micropolitics? • What organizations foster and hinder power and micropolitics? We reviewed the literature as the basics for an open survey study to twelve managers to answer the research questions. We followed up the knowledge from the survey study with twelve in-depth interviews with project managers in four Norwegian companies in the oil and gas business, where all activities are based upon project management. The informal power and micropolitics played a massive role in the projects, and personal and relational knowledge appeared to achieve the expected project results. The project manager uses personal networks, personal relations, mentor's network together with cognitive, affective, and emotional influence as power and politics if needed to achieve expected results. Power and micropolitics were regarded as necessary skills and tools for a successful project manager. The findings relate to the manager's intentions. The informal power and micro-politics process are reused in every project in that informal power and micropolitics are part of project work. The accumulation and wise handling of power is an essential leadership tool for every manager. Employees work for managers who have power over those who do not. The former can get them what they want: visibility, upwards mobility, and resources. A democratic and consensus-oriented culture opens for power games and micropolitics rather than hedging them compared to more hierarchical organizations. Informal micropolitics and power mean a high potential to prolong and complicate decision processes and significantly reduce efficiency and effectiveness. The theoretical implication is a general model for power and micropolitics, while the practical implication understands how power and micropolitics are practiced in projects.

Proceedings of the 22nd European conference on knowledge management: A virtual conference hosted by Coventry university, UK, 2-3 September 2021 s. 389-396 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.21.112

'Traveling ideas' denotes that virtually identical management ideas crop up more or less simultaneously in similar organizations globally. The encounter between thought and practice may be lasting; beliefs may affect training and practice. Leaders in organizations may play a more active role than the one often depicted in management fashion theory. The ideas represent a trade-off between business strategy, leadership, and employees. We keep acceptable and adequate ideas while we drop unacceptable and inadequate plans. The ideas work like a sensitizing concept of directions along which to look for temporary order and stability. Adopting a business idea is like a virus spreading worldwide, leaving an enormous strength through global corporations and societies. The study methodology is built upon a total of 20 in depth interviews in Telia and Telenor done in 2019 and 2020. We also analyzed the annual reports for 2020 for the 20 largest corporations at the stock markets in Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen (N=60) to compare the results. We developed seven hypotheses from the literature foundation for empirical testing. We identified the following ideas at Telia (Sweden) and Telenor (Norway): Globalization, digitalization, sustainability, trust-based leadership, value-based leadership, virtual teams, project management agility, and flexible workplaces. The ideas came up both top-down as strategic intentions and bottom-up as the direction of work or by the COVID-19 crisis. We found that most of the 60 largest corporations at the Scandinavian stock market practice the same ideas. We have thus concluded that strategic and leadership concepts work as traveling ideas. These buzz words go to almost any private business forming the way of thinking and working as a traveling virus. We argue that this article's empirical test supports our belief that a virus-inspired theory gives a more vibrant picture than the fashion theory. Our analysis shows that four of our six hypotheses, derived from the virus-inspired theory, are strengthened by Telia and Telenor's empirical explorative story. Telia and Telenor have decided upon what is adequate and acceptable as their business ideas and beliefs, similar to other corporations globally as a virus infection. The virus might hit the corporate culture in different ways, Virtually identical ideas crop up globally more or less simultaneously in similar organizations. A primary idea virus is running in every larger organization with a smaller differentiation than anticipated. In Telia and Telenor, the virus ideas worked like mission statements giving meaning and belief to work as a spiritual business soul of belonging to the modernity and the future. The virus works like directions along which to look for meaning, belonging, and modernity. The image of modernity through global buzz words might be a self-betrayal and most businesses would probably benefit more from critical reflections and a learning from their own culture and history.

Proceedings of the 22nd European conference on knowledge management: A virtual conference hosted by Coventry university, UK, 2-3 September 2021 s. 594-602 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.21.110

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare all the papers in the proceedings of ECKM in 2017 (Barcelona), 2018 (Padua), 2019 (Lisbon), and the digital conference in 2020. The study classifies the papers according to methodology, analysis, discussion, and conclusion regarding their contribution to the four paradigmatic boxes. The approach uses a philosophy of science framework and compares this to the content of the research papers. We will use the findings in four representations of knowledge, two typologies of concepts, four paradigmatic classifications, and the concluding framework for knowledge management research. The four conferences have a heavy emphasis upon knowledge-itis and instrumental-itis and much less emphasis upon problem-itis. The papers are mostly centered around existing knowledge and accepted methodology and less related to new problems. The results indicate a conference based upon as-is knowledge and less upon new and often unsolvable problems. The ECKM academic papers in 2017, 2018, and 2019 have relatively low complexity presented in an empirical and materialistic paradigmatic framework through definitive concepts representing a form of atomistic research. The papers for the digital conference in 2020 are presented in a clarified subjectivity and materialistic-based framework through both definitive and sensitizing concepts. What would ECKM have been with a higher degree of complexity in action and subjective paradigmatic framework through sensitizing concepts representing a form of holistic research? Probably a more creative, engaged, and relevant conference. Probable also a more scientific conference since advances in knowledge demand not living up to the conference expectations data cannot meet. Data do not prove anything in themselves. It is only the logical argumentation and speculations of the researchers that can prove anything at all. Objectivity is in demand, but subjectivity is needed. There are more critical and green papers in the 2020 conference opening up for new perspectives in the choice of methodology, problems, and knowledge. To move ahead for better quality in the research, we find it necessary to break free from the empirical paradigm and the materialistic paradigm and move into the clarified subjectivity and action paradigm. Paradigmatic ecumenism will tend to a fiercer but idea-generating debate. This pluralistic approach will give more engaged practical research representing more sustainable societies and businesses. ECKM is on the road to include more pluralistic perspectives upon sustainability, value creation, gender issues, and the design of future knowledge work. There is a critical openness toward these issues making ECKM 2020 a more relevant conference than the ECKM conferences in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Proceedings of the 22nd European conference on knowledge management: A virtual conference hosted by Coventry university, UK, 2-3 September 2021 s. 381-388 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.21.106

This conceptual paper discusses the inclusive knowledge philosophy fundamental for different modes of experiencing living enterprises. The American pragmatist philosopher John Dewey pointed to the importance of restoring the continuity between the refined and intensified experiences in our practices and everyday doings. He based this restoring on “the inclusive philosophic idea”. By this idea he was acknowledging the possibilities of imagination and associations among the social, technological-physical, natural, and mental modes. Another philosopher, the Norwegian Arne Naess, also highlighted imaginative experience and the human/nature interconnectedness including its potential joy and perseverance for individuals as well as organizations. • We combine these two related philosophical lenses to enable fundamental understanding of concerted practices and strategic accomplishments for knowledge management (KM) studies. We propose inclusive association and imagination are necessary for the arts of exhibiting and experiencing new or improved offerings. • We provide examples drawing on our own studies in the businesses of art organizations as knowledge-based, complex practices. Given that rich knowledge endeavours are necessary to develop arts for society, how can valuable arts/business practices be accomplished in inclusive, resourceful ways? Specifically, we investigate how arts business exhibition strategies develop in art museum contexts as illuminating examples of this process. • The necessity of art is giving a societal meaning to the process of knowing based upon the experience of art. The reflection and dialogue based on art-as-experience can contribute to knowledge management by the shared ingredients involved in creating and participating in more fulfilling experiencing in the business offering process. • The paper introduces a philosophical framework for how this might work. Dynamic art, design, and innovation processes are imaginative practices where the past, the present, and the future melt together. The imaginative experiencing might be crucial not only for the creation, but also for the make-believe of sustainable businesses and societies. We conclude that understanding the inclusive dynamic knowledge processes might be mutually beneficial for art and innovative businesses.

Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance s. 223-232 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/MLG.21.047

Sustainability thinking in enterprise strategies has emerged as a new concern for leaders in many industries and countries. It has spread like a virus in abstract corporate visions communication. We propose that more attention be devoted to leveraging the concrete developmental work from an action-based leadership for sustainability perspective. Our conceptual paper seeks to understand sustainability and change thinking in micro-practices, which can open for reusing resources, transforming core processes and offerings, and innovating in corporate missions. For this conceptual aim, we combine processual philosophy and sustainabilityoriented design thinking with exemplary practices in one specialized business enterprise to help us understand how and why micro sustainability practices can be born, formed, and shaped and how they can evolve into something foundational for an entire value-creation. The focused enterprise in this paper, Flokk, has pioneered sustainability thinking in both its design and development and its entire philosophizing towards the users. In contrast to prevailing management beliefs towards unconstrained creativity, enduring imaginative design and development efforts and leading with some concrete constraining criteria can become beneficial for leveraging sustainable practices, as shown in this puzzling office chair-maker case.

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management ECKM 2020 s. 576-584 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.20.090

The purpose this paper is analysing and comparing all the papers in the proceedings of ECKM in 2017 (Barcelona), 2018 (Padua) and 2019 (Lisbon). The study is classifying the papers according to methodology, analysis, discussion and conclusion regarding their contribution placing them into the four paradigmatic boxes. The approach is to use a philosophy of science framework and compare this to the content of the research papers. We will use the findings in four representations of knowledge, two typologies of concepts, four paradigmatic classifications and in the concluding framework for knowledge management research. Both conferences have a heavy emphasis upon knowledge-itis and instrumental-itis and much less emphasis upon problem-itis. The papers are mostly centred around existing knowledge and accepted methodology and less related to new problems. The results indicate a conference based upon as-is knowledge and less upon new and often unsolvable problems. The ECKM academic papers in 2017, 2018 and 2019 have rather low complexity presented in an empirical and materialistic paradigmatic framework through definitive concepts representing a form of atomistic research. What would ECKM have been with a higher degree of complexity in action and subjective paradigmatic framework through sensitizing concepts representing a form of holistic research? Probably a more creative, engaged and relevant conference. Probable also a more scientific conference since advances in knowledge demand not living up to the conference expectations data cannot meet. Data do not prove anything in themselves. It is only the logic argumentation and speculations of the researchers that can prove anything at all. Objectivity is in demand, but subjectivity is needed. To move ahead for better quality in the research it is necessary to break free from the empirical paradigm and the materialistic paradigm and move into the clarified subjectivity and action paradigm. Paradigmatic ecumenism will tend to a fiercer, but an idea-generating debate. This pluralistic approach will give more engaged practical research representing more sustainable societies and businesses.

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management ECKM 2020(December) s. 378-385 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.20.088

This paper investigates what forms the knowledge work design in the future on a corporate level. The future is 2030. The methodology includes 20 in-depth interviews with researchers working with these issues in the Swedish telecommunication company Telia and the Norwegian telecommunication company Telenor. These are both companies making their living of understanding the future of work both on a corporate level. We did the interviews in April 2019 and during the Coronavirus in April 2020. The findings: 1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics will be an incremental revolution introduced step by step. 2. The Coronavirus has reorganized work as online work at home, and a more significant part of the online work will organize as online digital work at home and virtual teamwork. 3. Video conferences have come to stay, giving less business traveling. 4. Greener national supply-chains will partly replace the global supply chains. 5. The workforce will be more disciplined and loyal, have better competence (knowledge, skills, and attitudes), and more women as middle managers and top managers. 6. The incentive system will be based more upon an internal corporate pipeline. 7. The corporations will take a more energetic responsibility for greener solutions and the climate. 8. The households will be using more reused goods, traveling less, and have a greener living focus. The difference between April 2019 to April 2020 is that online homework is the actual work situation in March- April 2020, and the interviewed believe that 50% of the work will be done online outside the workplace. The corona crisis changed the way we are working for the future. Digital online work done outside the workplace increases productivity and gives greater flexibility, better motivation, better learning, and better meaning for the employees. The age of digitalization is on the road.

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management ECKM 2020(December) s. 370-377 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.20.093

'Travelling ideas' denotes that virtually identical management ideas crop up more or less simultaneously in similar organizations globally. The encounter between thought and practice may be lasting; beliefs may affect training and practice. Leaders in organizations may play a more active role than the one often depicted in management fashion theory. The ideas represent a trade-off between strategy, leadership and employees. We keep acceptable and adequate ideas, while unacceptable and inadequate plans are dropped. The design is like a sensitizing concept of directions along which to look for temporary order and stability. The adoption of a business idea is like a virus spreading all over leaving an enormous strength. We identified the following ideas at Telia (Sweden) and Telenor (Norway): Globalization, Digitalization. Trust-based leadership, Value-based leadership, Virtual teams, Project management agility, Working greener and Online home workplace. The ideas came up both top-down as strategic intentions and bottom-up as the direction of work or by the COVID-19 crisis. We found that most of the 60 largest corporations at the Scandinavian stock market practice the same ideas. We have thus concluded that strategic and leadership concepts work as traveling ideas. These buzz words go to almost any private business forming the way of thinking and working as a traveling virus. We argue that this article's empirical test supports our belief that a virus-inspired theory gives a more vibrant picture than the fashion theory. Our analysis shows that four of our six hypotheses, derived from the virus-inspired theory, are strengthened by Telia and Telenor's empirical explorative story. Telia and Telenor have decided upon what is adequate and acceptable as their business ideas and beliefs, similar to other corporations globally as a virus infection. The virus might hit the corporate culture differently, but then there seems to be the primary virus running every larger organization with a smaller differentiation than anticipated.

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management s. 868-873 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/EKM.20.092

A large part of leadership research has focused on transformational leadership. The research has focused on why this form of leadership is good. However, there are few, if any, studies on how to learn this way of leading. The research question is: How do adults prefer to learn transformational leadership? Based on the theory of learning and learning style theory, this research paper discusses the findings from in depth interviews with 68 people before the completed executive courses in transformational leadership. The findings show in the learning process of transformational leadership, promoting intellectual stimulation and creativity perceives as difficult. Creating visions and being able to motivate their employees is a challenge. Learning by doing is a desired learning process, and a mixture of exercises and theory is preferred. When it comes to the way of learning, half of the informants want to learn with others, learn something new, and approach the new skills in a structured way. They also want to see what they learn from different perspectives. There is a positive attitude to learning transformational leadership, but a demanding context of learning by doing using the existing knowledge and experiences developed further by learning together by using actual problem-based situations.

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management 1(2019) s. 574-583 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/KM.19.056

This paper discusses arts as practice for business and society studies. Given that arts are necessary to develop business and society; how can valuable arts practices be learned? This conceptual paper is investigating how collective knowing develops in business contexts using art by unconventional painters such as Edvard Munch and Hakon Bleken as examples of this process. The necessity of art is giving us a societal meaning of the process of knowing or a scripted story for enterprise action based upon the knowledge of art. The reflection and dialogue based on art might contribute to creativity and innovation in the business process. The paper develops a theoretical framework and theory for how this might work. Dynamic art, design and innovative processes are processes where the past, the present and the future melt together. Understanding these processes might be crucial for the creation of sustainable businesses and societies. Understanding the dynamic tacit and explicit knowledge processes might be mutual beneficial for art and innovative businesses.

Proceedings IFKAD... IFKAD 2019 s. 1935-1946

Proceedings IFKAD... s. 1207-1219

This paper discusses arts as practice for business and society studies. Given that arts are necessary to develop business and society; how can valuable arts practices be learned? This conceptual paper is investigating how collective knowing develops in business contexts using art by unconventional painters such as Edvard Munch as examples of this process. The necessity of art is giving us a societal meaning of the process of knowing or a scripted story for enterprise action based upon the knowledge of art. The reflection and dialogue based on art might contribute to creativity and innovation in the business process. The paper develops a theoretical framework and theory for how this works.

Proceedings of the European Conference on Knowledge Management 1 s. 565-573 Doi: https://doi.org/10.34190/KM.19.055

Uniped - Tidsskrift for universitets- og høgskolepedagogikk 41(01) s. 68-79 Doi: https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1893-8981-2018-01-06

Artikkelen retter søkelyset mot utvikling av utdanning i entreprenørskap ved en norsk handelshøyskole. Artikkelen har en eksplorativ form og drøfter noen grep som ble tatt for å utvikle entreprenørskapsprogrammer på Handelshøyskolen BI. Tema for drøftingen er pedagogisk entreprenørskap i et gradsgivende studieprogram. Vi har studert utviklingen over tid i én kontekst sett fra spesielt faglæreres engasjement og handlinger. Vi redegjør også for samspillet med eksterne samarbeidspartnere på ulike tidspunkter. Vi forstår utviklingen som et resultat av «effektuering», en «man tager hva man haver»-tilnærming, fordi det var slik den foregikk i praksis. Entreprenørskapsutdanning foregår ikke bare i klasserom, men like gjerne i inkubatorer og tettere integrert i økonomiske økosystemer enn det som er vanlig ved akademiske gradsgivende programmer. Dermed er det større behov for samarbeid enn når en akademisk institusjon har tilnærmet monopol på å bestemme utdanningens innhold og form. I artikkelen identifiserer vi tre suksesskriterier for pedagogisk entreprenørskap i et gradsgivende studieprogram: institusjonelle koblinger til eksterne parter, praksis i klasserommet og balanse mellom statiske kvalitetskrav og aktive studenter.

On entrepreneurial teams and their formation in science-based industries s. 83-112

On entrepreneurial teams and their formation in science-based industries s. 113-149

Management Learning 48(4) s. 379-396 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507617690319

In this article, we explore a circle of younger-generation economists at Cambridge who contributed to new theories in the 1930s. The aim was to understand how and why innovative thinking in academic theorizing, seen as situated, discursive practices, can emerge and gain ground. We also address how new theory building by an unlikely candidate, Joan Robinson, could unfold. We examine how there was a change in discourse related to imperfect markets and identify forming practices. Our perspective on how knowledge was reframed is Foucauldian. The study is grounded in archive studies, recent reviews and biographical material. This article contributes to learning, knowledge creation and communities of practice by exploring idea innovations as discursive practice. We propose ‘epistemic interaction’ as a sensitizing concept for understanding new theory building and theorizing in collaborative partnerships and small circles that became key to intellectual discovery.

European Journal of Innovation Management 18(1) s. 19-43 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-09-2013-0089

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the development and experimentation with a designer-assisted and collaborative concept-creating approach can provide new insights into the emergent field of service innovations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper were independent researcher with no commercial interests in the method investigated. The paper adopted qualitative methodology informed by 12 innovation workshop series among three Norwegian service companies, followed up by formative validation of the three years constructional and experimental period. Findings – The workshops introduced tangible tools and produced large numbers of innovation ideas, some of which were exploited. Participants internalized partially service design-terms and tools. The experimentation contributed to a common language among participants. Weaknesses included not explicitly addressing managerial learning and organization-internal issues. Research limitations/implications – New innovation interventions in the often fuzzy front-end should be validated to accumulate insights and allow changes. Practical implications – The paper offer a managerial framework for improving innovation experimentation among corporate employees and specialists. This will help companies understand service design impact on innovation by delineating key managerial components and limitations from broad business perspective. Social implications – Relationships influenced the construction and conduct of the innovation experiments, and consequently who were influenced by the experiment in the companies. To evaluate whom to include in the workshops and whom to represent by proxy innovation networks should be analyzed. Originality/value – This study reports one of very few appraisals of design-assisted service innovation interventions through process observations and follow-up field interviews, including interviews after the finalizing of field experiments. The paper offer frameworks and critical issues for fuzzy-end innovation practice and research.

The Highways and Byways to Radical Innovation - Design Perspectives s. 41-66

Society and Business Review 9(2) s. 124-138 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-11-2013-0085

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to shed light on the particular organizing design practices behind making items exchangeable into commodities. It is a constructive contribution to establish more critical studies of merchandizing. Design/methodology/approach – The study included several longitudinal projects in retail chains in Scandinavia. The research was based on anthropological and participatory research methods. We introduce the term “waremaking” as a term for the work to make items exchangeable and expand on a distinction between silent and seen design (Gorb and Dumas, 1987). Findings – Waremaking is business, but includes giving form to relations between business and society to make exchanges at all possible. We found considerable silent design work that is not commonly acknowledged in economic and social theory. Research limitations/implications – There is a need for comparative and aggregate studies. We deconstruct the conventional categories “commodities” and “merchandizing” and a study of the contingent effects on the meaning of other constructs is needed. Practical implications – Introducing the notion of waremaking yields important insights for organizations and managers. We offer a new framework of waremaking that crosses existing boundaries and helps construct new interfaces between designers, traders and consumers in society. Social implications – The papers reveal merchandizing as a culturally complex and nuanced form of work and a crucial field of practice. Originality/value – Scholars have denoted little attention to the cultural work of merchandizing. By delineating a new practice-based framework encompassing both ordinary and extraordinary work, we can address the cultural production of commodities.

Universitetsforlaget

Design Integrations. Bristol and Chicago: Intellect and Intellect s. 87-118

Innovasjonsprosesser. Om innovasjoners odyssé, Hernes, Tor og Anne Louise Koefoed (red.) s. 51-72

Design Issues 21(3) s. 25-48

Paulsen, Neil & Tor Hernes (eds.) Managing Boundaries in Organizations. Multiple Perspectives s. 110-128

Nordiske organisasjonsstudier 5(4) s. 100-138

Nordiske organisasjonsstudier 5(4) s. 3-27

Pleasure With Products: Beyond Usability s. 283-295

NyskapingsNorge s. 113-117

? 4(4) s. 339-358

Publ. in International Journal of New Product Development & Innovation Management, Vol 4, No 4. (The journal was later closed down). Abstract: The field based research described in this paper focuses on industrial designers and their creative work, which typically occurs in several firm interfaces and may unfold as strategic boundary work creating new or renewed values for firms and their end users. Grounded in a multiple-case study from export-oriented Scandinavian businesses, the author delineates what constitutes design-rich boundary work and its underlying dynamics. At least six types of boundary activities exist that can enable designed innovation. While the setting for this study was industrial design-business relations, it may contribute to illuminating boundary work more generally as an important two-sided aspect of the innovation process. On the one hand this concerns the opportunity to strengthen the organisation’s core values and mission through focused innovation, thus avoiding going in undesired and perhaps too risky directions. On the other hand, boundary workers such as talented designers may be capable of a constructive reconfiguring of the organisation’s offerings thus creating new points of departure for the organisation. It is noteworthy that the designers in these cases started as newcomers from the threshold or ‘liminal’ positions, and yet, were able to co-create new and better product architecture in integral, collaborative ways with the firm and their target groups.

NyskapingsNorge s. 149-164

? s. 129-151

Design Management Review 1 s. 25-39

Birgit Jevnaker, a faculty member in the Department of Innovation and Economic Organization at the Norwegian School of Management, looks at how having voices that champion design can influence and enhance corporate strategy. The article is based on case-study observations, a literature analysis, and interviews. The outcome of this effort is a distillation of the many ways design has an impact on management—from resource allocation to the development of cross-disciplinary teams, to innovation and the development of strategic initiatives. What is intriguing is that, in addition to these global perspectives, Jevnaker notes the many details and personal elements that contribute to design management success. An interest in design, for instance, often starts with a conversation or even a cold-call from a design consultant. The depth of design integration in an organization is also dependent on a designer’s initiative and the ability to overcome or move outside existing corporate structures. Within a company, storytelling and hands-on experiences are critical to embedding respect for design’s value. Observing and talking with customers are frequently the basis for innovation. Design must be championed, but that role is really an education process that works best if it comes from a variety of internal and external sources. To have an impact on strategy, the relationship with a design consultant should be an ongoing, long-term exchange. So Jevnaker’s revelations continue as she gathers evidence to make the point that design management is also about leadership and human interaction.

Magma forskning og viten 3(1) s. 21-39

Det er behov for økt kunnskap om hvordan man skaper og realiserer mer attraktive og brukervennlige produkter, tjenester, merker og bedriftsprofiler med et egnet særpreg. Forskningen om dette er i en startfase, men et nyttig verktøy i flere bedrifter har vist seg å være industri- og kommunikasjonsdesign. Vår kunnskap om hvordan kvalifisert design utnyttes i organisasjoner, er foreløpig skrinn. Norske og internasjonale undersøkelser har like fullt dokumentert at en rekke fordeler kan oppnås. Spesielt er det verdt å notere at bak resultatene ligger en «skjult formue» av entusiasme, ekspertise, konseptuell kreativitet og samarbeidserfaring. Slik utvidet designkompetanse kan gi ny dynamikk i bedriftens innovasjonsprosesser.

Design Management Review Winter 2000 s. 41-47

Dynamic Strategic Resources: Development, Diffusion and Integration s. 267-298

(Peer review: The article was selected from blind reviewed and accepted papers to the Strategic Management Society's annual international conference (1998) and was then further reviewed, reworked, and accepted.)

Management of Design Alliances. Sustaining Competitive Advantage s. 1-8

Management of Design Alliances. Sustaining Competitive Advantage s. 13-37

Management of Design Alliances. Sustaining Competitive Advantage s. 107-135

Kompetansestyring i arbeidslivet s. 109-145

The Design Journal 1(1) s. 24-40

Aschehoug & Co

NordREFO 1997(3)

(Part of research-based edited volume by Eskelinen, H. (ed.), Regional Specialization and Local Environment - Learning and Competitiveness.)

Kompetanseutvikling i næringslivet (Competence Development in Norwegian Business) s. 109-128

Designjournalen 2(2)

Product Development: Meeting the Challenge of the Design-Marketing Interface s. 181-201

Praktisk økonomi og ledelse 1994(3) s. 105-114

Entreprenurship and Business Development s. 335-357

Design Studies 14(4) s. 379-401

Strategisk personalledelse. 3.utgave (Strategic Human Resource Management. 3rd edition) s. 139-172

(Competence strategies in firms, in Norwegian)

DMI Design Management Journal 4(2) s. 48-54

That chairs should be designed to support the human body and offer valuable mobility while doing routine desk work is not a new idea. But building a successful product line and international reputation based on innovative solutions to this problem is a unique situation. Birgit Jevnaker analyzes two Scandinavian firms that have adopted this strategy and thoughtfully enumerates the similarities and differences in their approaches to design management as it relates to this interesting segment of responsible design.

Den norske kvinnerevolusjonen - Kvinners arbeid 1975-85

Kan vi planlegge oss til likestilling i 2010?