Organizations In Norway Research Articles

A Study on Usage of Formal Knowledge Sharing Systems in Project-Based Organizations

Projects are one-time activities that have time and resource limitations. Projects are considered as arenas for learning. There are opportunities for creating new knowledge and utilizing existing knowledge in projects. Since projects are per definition unique, there is at least some degree of uniqueness associated with each project. This uniqueness provides opportunities to learn something new in each project. The known element in projects – such as existing solutions that have been proven to produce good results – can be shared and utilized to avoid using time and resources to create the same or similar solutions from scratch. Knowledge sharing and learning can play a notable role in improving the ability of project-based organizations to carry out their projects successfully and contributing to obtain higher productivity, profitability and sustainable competitive advantage. However, there are several challenges. This paper looks at one of the challenges, namely ineffective usage of formal knowledge sharing systems in project-based organizations. In this regard, the following two research questions are considered: (1) What are the challenges of using formal knowledge sharing systems? (2) How can the challenges be addressed? Formal knowledge sharing systems play an important role in supporting knowledge sharing and learning in organizations. Technological development has created many possibilities to enhance functions as well as benefits of such systems. However, there are several factors that are to be taken into consideration in order to make sure an effective usage of formal knowledge sharing systems in project-based organizations. This paper presents six factors in this regard and emphasizes the need to have a strategic view and a top management perspective of knowledge sharing and learning in project-based organizations. The study on which this paper is based, is of qualitative nature. In this regard, interviews have been conducted to gather information from five public project-based organizations in Norway.

Implementing public procurement of green innovations: Does structural alignment matter?

This study contributes to the theory and practice of public procurement by examining the role of structural alignment in the implementation of public procurement of green innovations. Structural alignment is defined as the coherence and harmonization between strategic aspects of an organization. The organizational aspects examined in this study are strategic goals, structural and control mechanism, and adequacy of resources. The study draws on secondary survey data collected from 379 public-sector organizations in Norway. The analysis was conducted using a novel approach that combines partial least squares structural equation modeling and necessary condition analysis. There is a positive and significant relationship between strategic goals and structural and control mechanism; between structural and control mechanism and adequacy of resources; and between the adequacy of resources and the attainment of public procurement of green innovations. The findings support the structural alignment hypothesis in that the presence of strategic goals results in the implementation of the public procurement of green innovations if structure, control, and adequate resources are in place. Finally, the results show that strategic goals are a necessary condition for enacting a corresponding structural and control design and that structural and control design are a necessary condition for allocating resources, which are themselves a necessary condition for the increased implementation of the public procurement of green innovations.

Making vulnerable groups able to connect socially and digitally—opportunities and pitfalls

IntroductionThis article addresses digital and social inclusion of adults with potential low digital skills. The article presents a case study of how digital learning activities (DLAs) as a service to refugees, immigrants, senior citizens, and young adults neither in education, employment, or training (NEETs), are delivered outside the formal educational system by two libraries and one civic organization in Norway, Denmark, and Belgium. Through the theoretical lenses of social capital building, co-creation and co-producing, the article analyzes how the DLA’s were organized and tailored for the participant’s needs, with an emphasis on cooperation efforts with local sub-partners and representatives from the target groups.MethodsA multiple case-design was applied using a process tracing method combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. To measure the partner organizations’ experiences from the project, we conducted participant observation, personal and focus group interviews, in addition to self-reporting schemas about how they organized the DLA’s. Surveys were conducted to measure the participants’ experiences.ResultsBy combining literature and theoretical approaches from several fields; digital inclusion, public and civil organization research—with a particular focus on libraries, and their role in educating refugees and other vulnerable groups, the article provides new insights on how public and non-public organizations in local communities can work together to tailor-make DLAs and contribute to the promotion of digital inclusion.DiscussionLibraries and civic organizations have potential to reach out to vulnerable people in local communities, to provide innovative DLA’s and to connect both people and organizations. Vital for recruitment of participants and to find the right level of digital/technical ambition is to closely co-create and co-produce with representatives from other local organizations in both civil and public sector during the whole process. Co-creating activities with actors representing the target group in the planning phase as well as co-producing them in the implementation phase, are important prerequisites. The article discusses the challenges of trust-building, of finding the right level of digital ambition as well as developing long-term digital activities as important factors for the promotion of digital inclusion.

Going green in the Norwegian fossil fuel sector? The case of sustainability culture at Equinor

As the effects of climate change continue to impact society, fossil fuel sector organisations are seen as principal contributors to the climate crisis. In the hopes of mitigating climate change at the source, we gain access to one of the largest fossil fuel organisations in Norway and conduct an exploratory case study investigation into their business practices, green ambitions, and notable results. Our analysis of executive interviews, confidential in-house documentation, media releases, corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, and grey papers suggests that a strong sustainability-oriented organisational culture can contribute to reversing ‘business as usual’ practices towards seeking strategic greener solutions. Such results are partly achieved by strong responsible leaders at the organisational helm in combination with a sustainability-oriented national culture. Additionally, we critically question the secrecy surrounding the case organisation’s ‘choice’ and ‘format’ of promotion and support for their operational status quo (e.g. greenwashing), to challenge the insider perspective unearthed herein. In sum, the study contributes to the newer and under-investigated field of green human resource management by better identifying the role of organisational culture as a critical lever in bringing about much-needed greener organisational policies, and offering a critical analysis less seen in green human resource management (HRM).

Three strategies of user participation. Interest organisation representatives’ views on how they make an impact on service development

ABSTRACT This paper explores user participation in interest organizations that represent people in vulnerable life situations and addresses the following research question: How do interest organizations seek to influence public actors, and what are the perceived impacts? Data collection was conducted through qualitative semi-structured interviews. We interviewed 14 representatives from 8 different interest organizations in Norway. Limitations included the fact that there were few informants from each organization and only three with personal service user experience. In the thematic analysis, we developed three themes related to how the informants described their organizations’ dealings with services, municipalities, politicians and other public actors. The cooperative strategy refers to participation as an arena for collaboration and partnership in which they assumedly would share interests and goals. The oppositional strategy shows how the informants would use open conflict and confrontation as tools for influence, often through the media and complaint systems. The third strategy, negotiation, illustrates how organizations would manoeuvre between being critical and constructive while maintaining relationships with public actors. Interest organizations seem to manoeuvre between these strategies, but they may prefer different strategies depending on their goals and relationships with public actors. Even though all could contribute to service development, the informants expressed that it was easiest to identify impacts from cooperative and oppositional strategies. To improve user participation by interest organizations, increased attention should be given to the interaction and power dynamics among the stakeholders. Moreover, increased attention should be given to the impact of these processes.

Nurses' professional discretion in the purchaser-provider split in home care in Norway.

To explore how nurses' professional discretion is operationalized in home care services that follow a purchaser-provider organization in Norway. A qualitative descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were used, and data were collected from in-depth interviews with 15 registered nurses working in home care in four Norwegian local authority areas between April and November 2020. Braun and Clark's six-step analysis was used to analyse the empirical data. The analysis yielded two main themes, namely 'The purchaser's instructions: facilitating and constraining care' and 'Professional discretion meets the purchaser-provider organisation of healthcare,' with five associated codes. Nurses are dependent on an organizational framework due to the complexity of health care services and the number of tasks involved. At the same time, they perform considerable compensatory work and need the ability to be flexible to enable this work and to perform actions related to the unforeseen needs of individual patients or those involving professional discretion. The purchaser-provider model both facilitates and constrains nursing practice and professional responsibility in home nursing. Home nursing services need to be well organized because of their complexity and the wide variety of tasks they involve. In this context, the element of constraint is associated with the need for flexibility and professional discretion. Despite a strict framework, the nurses perform additional and compensatory tasks. Reforms inspired by 'New Public Management,' such as the purchaser-provider split, limit the workload for nurses; however, there is still a need to exercise discretion. The findings of this study may help home care managers and health policy-makers understand the interaction between management logic and health care logic, leading to a more appropriate organization of health care services where the nurses, as actors, gain more trust. This study highlights home care nurses' opportunities to exercise discretion in an organizational framework that strives towards standardization. The nurses' ability to exercise discretion is important for individual and holistic patient care. At the same time, an organizational framework is needed because nurses cannot attend to all the needs the patients may have, as this will overload both home health services and the nurses.

Strategic planning in turbulent times: Still useful?

A common criticism of strategic planning is that it is of little use when the environment is turbulent and the future is unpredictable. The last decade has witnessed great environmental turbulence and uncertainty in many conditions that are important for public policy and administration. This study analyses survey data from 144 public sector organisations in Norway in 2020 on how strategic planning has been designed and used over the past 4 years and how managers perceived the usefulness of the strategic planning. Most of the central as well as local government organizations prepared strategic plans in addition to mandatory plans and the managers perceived the net benefit of the strategic planning as positive, even under the turbulent environments of the recent years. A multivariate regression analysis showed that a prospector adaptation, stakeholder participation, use of management tools and ease of use of the strategic planning process had the greatest positive correlation with the perceived usefulness of strategic planning.

A model to evaluate the acceptance and usefulness of enterprise architecture for digitalization of cities

PurposeEnterprise architecture (EA) is usually adopted as an approach for managing enterprise complexities and aligning business and information technology (IT) capabilities. Although IT practitioners and researchers agree about the potential applicability and benefits of EA in smart cities, little is known about the factors that influence the acceptance and usefulness of EA in smart cities. Thus, EA acceptance and usage remains a central concern of urban research and practice. Similarly, there are fewer studies that explored EA adoption from the context of enterprises that provide digital services in cities grounded on empirical evidence. Therefore, this study assesses the acceptance and usefulness of EA in smart cities context by developing an EA adoption model drawing on the DeLone and McLean Information System (IS) success model.Design/methodology/approachBased on the identified factors survey questionnaire was designed and sent out to participants which includes IT professionals, senior managers and consultants from 18 organizations in Norway and Ireland involved in a smart city project (+CityxChange) (https://cityxchange.eu/). Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and structural equation modelling using partial least square was applied for data analysis.FindingsThe results suggest that service quality and system quality positively impact user satisfaction of EA and user's intention to use EA. More importantly, information quality does not influence user satisfaction of EA, and the user satisfaction of EA and user's intention to use EA significantly influences the net benefit of EA.Originality/valueThis study provides a complete understanding for academicians and IT practitioners regarding the factors and impacts on EA acceptance and use in smart cities. Finally, this study discusses the implications of this research and provides recommendations for future research.

Identification of factors influencing the level of maturity of dealerships in Norway process orientation

AbstractThe main purpose of the article is to identify the factors limiting the achievement of higher levels of maturity in the implementation of process orientation elements on the example of automotive sector organizations in Norway. The study uses a systematic review of the literature and opinion poll carried out using the CAWI technique of 48 car dealerships functioning on the Norwegian automotive market. In the surveyed group of automotive sector organizations in Norway, based on the proprietary maturity model, it was shown that most of these are organizations in which business processes are only identified and formalized. The group of factors that prevent the achievement of higher levels of maturity includes the lack of process measurement systems, the lack of employee activation in process improvement, the lack of implementation of the customer‐supplier relationship mechanism in external and internal terms, and deficiencies in the management of knowledge diffusion within the organization. The presented results have been formulated for the examined group of 48 organizations and they cannot be extended to the entire population of authorized services. The theoretical model presented in the article, as well as the attached questionnaire for assessing the implementation of process orientation, enables self‐assessment of the process maturity for organizations operating in the automotive sector, both at the dealership level, as well as manufacturers and importers managing the dealership network. It is also a source of knowledge regarding the functioning of the examined dealership group in the selected market, primarily from the perspective of assessing the orientation of external and internal customers and the flexibility of the organization in responding to changes generated both in the environment and its interior. The theoretical model presented in the article is an innovative approach in assessing the level of the organization's process orientation implementation on the basis of an objectified and not subjective assessment of the respondents. In addition, the assessment model presented in the article was adapter to the specifics of the studied organizations of the automotive sector, which definitely increases the credibility of the obtained results in contrast to the use of universal models.

Artificial intelligence as an enabler of B2B marketing: A dynamic capabilities micro-foundations approach

Over the past few decades research has predominantly focused on the technical aspects and theoretical challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the deluge of data and the increase in processing power, businesses are now facing the challenge of how to deploy AI that generates business value. In this direction, there is still nascent research on how AI can be leveraged in for B2B operations, and particularly marketing. To address this gap, this study draws on the dynamic capabilities view of the firm and specifically on the micro-foundations approach and builds on three selected case studies of large organizations in Norway that use AI for B2B marketing purposes. The study identifies a number of AI-specific micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities, essentially highlighting how organizations can use AI to manage B2B marketing operations in dynamic and uncertain environments. This study also identified several key cross-cutting elements emerging from the data, demonstrating how some key concepts are inter-related and how they affect overall business value.

\u201cMagic through many minor measures\u201d: How introducing a flowline production mode in six steps enables journalist team autonomy in local news organizations

While facing cuts, downsizing and revenue losses, media organizations experience paradoxical demands in being organized for print or linear production with daily deadlines and simultaneously striving to be ‘digital first’ and produce and publish stories online on a continuous basis throughout the day. In this paper, we describe efforts applied when introducing the metaphor flowline in a medium-sized newspaper organization in Norway with the aim of aligning their production and publishing processes to readers’ consumption of online news. Both the production volume of journalistic content, reader consumption and the newsroom workers’ experience of mastering their everyday work life increased dramatically in a very short time. The involvement of a temporary autonomous team in the planning and designing of a test pilot aiming to make flowline “as practice”, was integral to the digital transformation success, allowing for participative action across newsroom boundaries. Based on the empirical findings from the local newspaper organization and drawing on theories on liminality (Turner 1982, 1986) and metaphorical work (Schön 1993), this article presents a set of six interrelated steps incorporating a structure for autonomous teams and their role in enabling lasting change in organizations facing digital transformation.

Motivational Differences? Comparing Private, Public and Hybrid Organizations

While studies of motivational differences between managers in private and public organizations proliferate, few have compared managers’ motivation in hybrid organizations to the motivation of managers in private and public organizations. This lack of studies is surprising, as corporatization has been an important trend in the public sector over the last decades. Using a large survey covering almost 3000 managers from a representative sample of organizations in Norway, this study fills this hole by comparing how managers in hybrid organizations differ on extrinsic, intrinsic and prosocial motivation from their counterparts in public and private organizations.

Business Elite as Elected Representatives in Voluntary Organizations in Norway

Little is known about the links between the business sector and civil society in Norway. To address the lack of knowledge, this study focused on members of the business elite who are elected representatives in voluntary organizations. Information about these representatives was obtained from a national survey of Norwegian elites and used to examine to what extent voluntary organizations are integrated into the business community’s network of institutions and organizations outside the corporate world. The analyses demonstrate that voluntary organizations are well placed within this network. Moreover, business leaders who are elected representatives are well-connected. Several of them serve on state boards and have frequent contact with politicians and state administrators. Business leaders who have experienced pronounced social mobility seem to be more attracted to being involved in the governance of voluntary organizations than their colleagues with a more privileged background.

Maintaining registration and tax benefits: Consequences for professionalisation of voluntary membership organisations in Norway and the UK

ABSTRACT This article investigates how regulation related to maintaining state registration and tax beneficial status affects professionalisation, covering paid staff and volunteers with specialist skills, of political parties, advocacy groups and service providing organisations. The article fills a gap in the literature which until now has been mainly concerned with the influence of state funding on professionalisation. To study the consequences of first-time exposure to reporting requirements, eight organisations in two contrasting regulatory regimes, UK and Norway are analysed, on the basis of extensive documents and a series of semi-structured interviews with different organisational actors. The study finds that organisations – irrespective of type - exposed to constraining regulation adjust to reporting requirements through recruitment of specialised personnel. Organisations’ financial capacity determines whether the organisation professionalises by taking on specialist volunteers or by taking on paid staff. The study demonstrates the pervasive impact of regulation on organisational maintenance of voluntary membership organisations in contemporary democracies.

Does managers' motivation matter? Exploring the associations between motivation, transformational leadership, and innovation in a religious organization

AbstractReligious organizations are social systems operating in a complex and changing environment. By looking to an authority beyond themselves, religious organizations have comparatively little control over defining their own goals. In this juggling between sticking to the ultimate goal of an organization and adapting to complex changing environments, that is, in the juggling between tradition and renewal, transformational leadership seems to play an important role in religious organizations. The extensive body of literature on transformational leadership has focused more on the outcomes of transformational leadership than on its antecedents. We extend the existing literature by linking managers' motivation to their transformational leadership behaviors in a religious organization. More specifically, we examined the associations of intrinsic and prosocial motivation with transformational leadership, and we investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation among 252 managers in the largest nonprofit organization in Norway, the Church of Norway. Analyses in structural equation modeling revealed a positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and transformational leadership, whereas the relationship between prosocial motivation and transformational leadership was not significant. Transformational leadership was positively associated with innovation. Based on the results of the study, we discuss practical implications regarding how to support intrinsic motivation, transformational leadership, and innovation in religious organizations.

Following up Previously Bullied Pupils: How can Schools Ensure a High-Quality, Systematic Approach?

Pupils exposed to bullying may experience severe negative consequences, including reduced academic performance and development of mental health problems. Little is known about effective interventions to prevent and/or reduce such consequences. This study explores how schools can follow up previously bullied pupils. Four focus groups were conducted. In three, informants were national experts representing the school system, the health system, attorneys, researchers, and user organizations in Norway (n = 31). A focus group interview with a primary and lower secondary school in southwest Norway (n = 9) was also carried out. Data were analyzed via content analysis. Findings suggest that school-based psychosocial resource groups can ensure that follow-up work after bullying is systematic and of high quality. Findings provide new knowledge on how schools can organize follow-up work and suggest support systems for schools to provide high-quality follow-up work. Further research on organizing follow-up work and the specific content of follow-up work is needed.

Abusive retaliation of low performance in low-quality LMX relationships

In the current study, we investigated the occurrence of abusive retaliation in response to low performance. More specifically, we hypothesize an association between low work performance and abusive supervision, as well as leader-member exchange (LMX) as a moderator of the association. Furthermore, we explored a potential link between abusive supervision and social loafing, and whether work-related negative affect would mediate this link. Data were collected from business organizations in Norway. To alleviate potential common method variance, data were collected separately from leaders and followers. In line with our expectations, we present results indicating that low performing followers are more prone to be abused by their supervisor, particularly if they are in a low quality LMX relationship. Conversely, LMX relationships can have a “buffering” effect on the performance/abusive supervision association. Furthermore, our results suggest abused followers reacted with both work-related negative affect and social loafing. The implications of this latter finding are discussed in light of the ongoing conversation regarding the role of emotions in exchange processes.

Professional training for future specialist in Bachelor’s degree in Norway

The article reveals the peculiarities of professional training of future specialists in bachelor degrees in Norway, presents information about higher education and duration of studies at the level of first bachelor, organizational and scientific activity of students, presents the difference between practical professional practice and theoretical training, theoretical, self-study search in the field of theory and practice in your chosen specialty. The curriculum provides students with the knowledge to master the general and professional competencies of a physical therapist through both theoretical and practical teaching methods.
 The overall purpose of organizing the training of future physical therapy professionals in Norway is to create the highest possible correspondence between the practical methods used by the physical therapist in professional practice and to foster students' professional competence in the learning process.
 In Norway, physical therapists are leading experts in health promotion and physical activity in the health field. Higher educational establishments of the department carry out the preparation of bachelors in physical therapy for three years through different educational courses and through the introduction of innovative methods and techniques of physical therapy. At the end of the program, graduates receive a diploma recognized by the leading health organizations in Norway and the world. Understanding the connection between practical professional practice and theoretical perspectives is basic. The educational program provides knowledge-based practice. The curriculum emphasizes the reciprocity and interaction between thought and action, assessment, and practical skills, since physical therapy is an activity of professional and ethical understanding, physical skills and the ability to evaluate should be integrated into specific situations of interaction with others.

Data Visualization in Scandinavian Newsrooms: Emerging Trends in Journalistic Visualization Practices

Abstract The visualization of numeric data is becoming an important element in journalism. In this article, we present an interview study investigating data visualization practices in Scandinavian newsrooms. Editorial leaders, data journalists, developers and graphic designers in 10 major news organizations in Norway, Sweden and Denmark provide information for the study on a range of issues concerning visualization practices and experiences. The emergence of multi-skilled specialist groups as well as innovation in technology and the ‘mobile first mantra’ are identified as important factors in the fast-developing practices of journalistic data visualization. Elements of tension and negotiation are revealed for issues concerning the role and effect of complex exploratory data visualizations and concerning the role of ordinary journalists in the production of charts and graphs.

Civil society institutions or semi-public agencies? State regulation of parties and voluntary organizations in Norway

ABSTRACTThe relationship between the Norwegian State on the one hand, and political parties and voluntary organizations on the other, has traditionally been based on mutual trust. To assess the claim that civil society institutions are developing towards ‘semi-public agencies’, we review state regulation of Norwegian voluntary organizations and political parties. The State does demand more accountability and transparency in return for public funding, but many aspects are also regulated scarcely or not at all. This indicates that substantial mutual trust remains. This relationship might be characterized as a partnership based on interdependence, rather than colonization.