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- Backström, Tomas, 1957-
(författare)
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How to Organize for Local Resource Generation
- 2008
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Ingår i: First International Conference on Business Sustainability, 25-27 juni i Ofir, Portugal..
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The generation of resources is a central issue for the sustainability of companies. This paper deals with two research questions: “Is decentralized generation of resources a possible way to reach sustainability in modern work life?” and “What prerequisites must be formed by organizations and managers to reach decentralized generation of resources?” The theoretical basis for this discussion is the complex adaptive systems theory. Three requirements for sustainable decentralized resource production are deduced: worker’s autonomy, worker’s integration in the organization, and demands on increased fitness. The empirical basis for answering these questions is the study of four different Pharmacy-districts, each with a different organizational solution. Three sources of data are used: interviews with the four Pharmacy-district managers; a questionnaire to all employees, and the balance scorecard of the company. Two of the districts may have reached an unbalance on the system level between autonomy and integration. The other two districts have similar scores of medium for both autonomy and feeling of integration. One of the balanced districts has also a manager focusing bottom-up change processes. This district has both the strongest resource generation and a leading position in increasing efficiency and customer satisfaction and, thus, sustainability. A simple model is formulated based on complex systems theory and tested in real life: Decentralized resource generation is one way of obtaining sustainability; co-existence of both autonomy and integration of employees, combined with a leadership of transformative character, all encourage this. The article may inspire researchers, managers, consultants and workers to use this new perspective on organizations and sustainability.
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- Backström, Tomas, 1957-
(författare)
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How to organize for local resource generation
- 2009
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Ingår i: Learning Organization. - : Emerald. - 0969-6474 .- 1758-7905. ; 16:3, s. 223-236
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The generation of resources is a central issue for the sustainability of companies. The purpose of this paper is to deal with two research questions: "Is decentralized generation of resources a possible way to reach sustainability in modern work life?" and "What prerequisites must be formed by organizations and managers to reach decentralized generation of resources?" Design/methodology/approach: The theoretical basis for this discussion is the complex adaptive systems theory. Three requirements for sustainable decentralized resource production are deduced: worker's autonomy, worker's integration in the organization, and demands on increased fitness. The empirical basis for answering these questions is the study of four different pharmacy-districts, each with a different organizational solution. Three sources of data are used: interviews with the four pharmacy-district managers; a questionnaire to all employees, and the balance scorecard of the company. Findings: Two of the districts may have reached an unbalance on the system level between autonomy and integration. The other two districts have similar scores of medium for both autonomy and feeling of integration. One of the balanced districts has also a manager focusing bottom-up change processes. This district has both the strongest resource generation and a leading position in increasing efficiency and customer satisfaction and, thus, sustainability. Originality/value: A simple model is formulated based on complex systems theory and tested in real life: decentralized resource generation is one way of obtaining sustainability; co-existence of both autonomy and integration of employees, combined with a leadership of transformative character, all encourage this. The paper may inspire researchers, managers, consultants and workers to use this new perspective on organizations and sustainability
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- Backström, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Regisserad kompetensutveckling
- 2008
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Ingår i: Nordisk arbetslivsforskningskonferens. - Växjö.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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- Backström, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Relatonics as a Key Concept for Networked Organizations
- 2008
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Ingår i: Encyclopedia of networked and virtual organization. - : Information Science Reference. - 9781599048857 - 159904885X
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Learning in organizations, and the competence the organization thereby obtains for performing its core tasks, has come into ever sharper focus when attempts have been made to explain the degree of competitiveness of companies. Much learning takes place when people interact, converse, or co-act. In their research, the current authors have found themselves in need of a new concept, relatonic, that can be applied to the study of interaction and relations at organizational level. To focus interactions and relations is important for all organizations, and extra important for networked and virtual organizations, where persons not as often meet naturally just by working close to each other. The authors have defined and used the concept on the basis of their respective theoretical platforms. These concern recent thinking within the theories of workplace learning (WPL) and organization pedagogics (Döös, 2004, 2007) and theories of complex adaptive systems (CAS) (Backström, 2004). The possibility of a joint definition of the concept of relatonics has been explored (Backström & Döös, 2005), thereby initiating integration of parts of the theories of WPL and CAS. Next, in the Background, follows the joint definition of relatonics and the concept relatonic is expounded from a CAS perspective. Thereafter, follows a description of practical implications of relatonics. The aim is to describe the importance of relatonics for networked and virtual organizations. The main underlying problem concerns which opportunities for everyday learning and competence development are offered in working life, both at an individual and organizational level, but also the problem of stabilizing and integrating organizations composed of relatively autonomous parts.
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