| 1. |
- Näverå, Elisabeth, Bibliotekarie, 1965-, et al.
(author)
-
Library-faculty collaboration in the light of a business administration bachelor’s program : ‘The Scientific Wave’
- 2022
-
In: Nordic Journal of Information Literacy in Higher Education. - Tromsö : Universtity of Bergen Library. - 1890-5900. ; 13:1, s. 39-55
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In contemporary digital society, information literacy is increasingly important and viewed as a necessary life skill for all ages, social groups, and professional sectors, hence also affecting higher education. Universities need to develop strategies and approaches to integrate these skills into course syllabi, assignments and assessments based on close library-faculty collaboration. However, librarians and faculty members in higher education traditionally often have separate agendas and limited collaboration. This paper illustrates the background and process of constructing a successful librarian-faculty partnership, as a shared framework entitled the ‘Scientific Wave’ throughout a bachelor’s program in business administration to enhance students’ critical thinking, research skills and information literacy in particular. A case study approach was applied, and data collection was conducted during 2014–2019. The outcomes of a shared framework and library-faculty collaboration are discussed from the perspectives of students, library, and faculty. Findings show that a shared framework based on close collaboration between librarians and faculty, strategic anchoring and visualization in curricula, syllabi, course objectives and assessments developed in line with the mission of the university have an impact on students’ information literacy skills during their education and after graduation. The Scientific Wave is a co-designed continuous framework based on the separate but complementary skills of librarians and faculty to provide students with tools for critical and creative thinking, research skills and lifelong learning in today’s digital society.
|
|
| 2. |
- Olsson, Anna Karin, 1966-, et al.
(author)
-
The Way to the Wave : To Integrate Media and Information Literacy in the "Scientific Wave" Throughout a Bachelor Program in Business Administration
- 2019
-
In: INTED2019 Proceedings. - 9788409086191 ; , s. 3536-3546
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Media and information literacy is of increasing importance and viewed as a necessary life skill for all ages, social groups and professional sectors of contemporary digital society, hence also affecting the approaches and strategies for higher education. This paper illustrates the background and process of building a successful library-faculty partnership initiated as a quality improvement measure for a bachelor's program in business administration at University West, Sweden. According to the Higher Education Act, Swedish higher education should rest on scientific or artistic basis and on proven experience, research and development. The process started in 2012 as a response to criticism from the Swedish Authority for Higher Education regarding learning outcomes focused on students' skills and abilities to seek, collect, evaluate and critically interpret relevant information within the field of business administration. The quality improvement process entitled "A Scientific Wave" aims at supporting student development during the study period to develop and strengthen skills in critical and analytical approaches, written and oral presentation, and media and information literacy skills to provide the prerequisites for achieving the learning outcomes for a bachelor's degree in business administration. The Scientific Wave includes several different quality aspects and applies a holistic approach to improve the quality and progression of knowledge throughout all courses of the program. In addition, work integrated learning (WIL) is applied as an educational and pedagogic model throughout the program to enhance the link between work life and learning, theory and practice. This paper will focus on how to build a successful library-faculty collaboration to improve students' media and information literacy skills. Earlier research states that successful integration of media and information literacy in higher education should be based on close collaboration between librarians and discipline faculty, strategic anchoring and visualization in curricula, syllabi, learning outcomes and examinations, and developed in line with the mission of the university. The Scientific Wave is here viewed as a co-creative, continuous framework based on the separate but complementary skills of librarians and faculty to provide students with tools for critical and creative thinking, research skills as well as lifelong learning in today's digital society.
|
|
| 3. |
- Carlsson, Linnea
(author)
-
Social Aspects of Strategizing Industrial Digitalization
- 2023
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis aims to contribute to understanding how contemporary Swedish manufacturing organizations can strategize industrial digitalization with an emerging focus on social aspects. It complements earlier research by highlighting Swedish manufacturing organizations as they stand at the intersection of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.The thesis is a longitudinal case study of interviews and focus groups between early 2019 and spring 2023. The case study follows an explorative approach to give texture to industrial digitalization and to understand the social aspects of strategizing industrial digitalization. It is limited to the Swedish context and the characteristics of original equipment manufacturers.The thesis contributes by texturizing industrial digitalization through three social aspects, which are argued to be a way for manufacturing organizations to give shape to industrial digitalization. The social aspects elaborated on and presented in this thesis are: to look beyond digital technologies, to formalize a shared understanding, and to transcend organizational structures. These social aspects are thematic but also interlinked. Together, these social aspects bring insights into how managers can guide the organizational capabilities to ensure synergy between an organization’s actions and objectives when strategizing industrial digitalization. Strategizing industrial digitalization should, therefore, be texturized by each organization to define and redefine its organizational capabilities. This means each organization's social aspects are unique, making the manufacturing organizations' capabilities unique.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Högberg, Karin, 1982-, et al.
(author)
-
Linking Technological Frames to Social Media Implementation : An International Study of Hotels
- 2018
-
In: Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2018. - Cham : Springer. - 9783319729220 ; , s. 270-282
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social media have transformed the hospitality and tourism industry and affected how customers interact and take decisions, but have also affected organisations’ business strategies and processes. Prior research has shown that a key understanding of IT implementation in organisations is how individuals adopt, use and make sense of technologies. Despite the increased use of social media in hotel organisations there is a research gap and little is known about how individuals’ sense-making affects organisational use over time. The aim of the present study is to contribute to the research field by using Orlikowski and Gash’s (ACM Trans Inf Syst 12(2):174–207, 1994) framework of Technological Frames. The interpretative case study follows social media use in 14 hotel organisations within an international hotel chain in seven European countries over four years. The study finds incongruence and lack of dominant frames and discusses the related organisational implications.
|
|
| 6. |
- Högberg, Karin, 1982-
(author)
-
Persistent Digital Service Encounters : Challenges of organizational use of social media in a hotel chain
- 2018
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The emergence of social media has in many ways changed how individuals interact, communicate and also consume online. Due to the massive, world wide use of social media, organizations are starting to use social media in order to be present where their customers are. Earlier research has studied social media from different, rather fragmented perspectives such as social media use for marketingor for internal communication. However, research on the organizational implications and challenges from a more general organizational social media use is lacking. This thesis explores organizational implications and challenges of social media use over time. Hence the focus lies on both internal and external organizational activities related to social media use. The consequences of social media have been particularly striking in service industries, e.g. banks, restaurants and travel agencies. Social media has fundamentally changed how we (can) buy services, and also how service is provided. For example, we can ask a question or make a complaint directly on a specific social media platform. Hence, social media have had implications for the relationship between service organizations and their customers and thus changed the context in which service is delivered and experienced. The service encounter, i.e., the actual meeting between the customer and employees, has come to take place on social media platforms. The expansion of social media has affected the hotel industry in several ways. Hotel guests are using social media platforms in order to review and share experiences about hotels, and hotel organizations use social media to keep up with competitors and customer demands. The aim of this thesis is to describe and understand the challenges social media use brings to organizations in the service industry, inparticular hotel organizations. The following research question is addressed:Why and how does the use of social media platforms represent organizational challenges? The empirical data focuses on the introduction and use of social media in one international hotel chain over a four-year period. Furthermore, data was collected from other, independent hotels. The empirical data was collected through interviews, online observations, workplace observations and written documents. VIIIA multifaceted theoretical framework was used, including the Technology-Organization-Environment framework, the concept of technological frames, andthe concepts of functional simplification and closure. These theoretical frameworks capture the drivers behind organizational social media use and how individual employees interpret and use social media, but also how social media attributes create the need for new organizational routines and management of social media content created outside organizational boundaries.The analysis illustrates how social media use creates challenges for the studied organizations. Five main organizational challenges have been identified: the nature of social media versus organizational structure: how organizations and individuals make sense of social media over time; how private use of social mediahas implications for professional use; how social media creates stretched service encounters; and pseudo-relationships and roboticization of service
|
|
| 7. |
- Lundh Snis, Ulrika, 1970-, et al.
(author)
-
Becoming a smart old town : How to manage stakeholder collaboration and cultural heritage
- 2021
-
In: Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 2044-1266 .- 2044-1274. ; 11:4, s. 627-641
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Within the ongoing digitalization of society and dimensions of integration, equality, citizen needs, sustainability and quality of life are of increasing importance as driving forces for cities to become smart. The purpose of this paper is to examine participatory management challenges in becoming a smart old town in the context of cultural heritage. Design/methodology/approach: An explorative approach was applied on a qualitative single case study including in-depth interviews with 21 stakeholders representing local entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, the municipality, politicians, tourism organization and residents of an old town district in a Norwegian city. Additionally, participatory observations and document studies were performed. Findings were continuously validated with the respondents. Findings: The present study contributes with stakeholder views on challenges arising from the development of a smart old town and suggests possible innovative solutions for participatory management. The transformation of a city with cultural heritage into a smart city require efforts that go beyond smart ICT implementations into issues of social sustainability. Research limitations/implications: The study brings forward the opportunities that lie in the dynamics of interaction between the spirit of cultural heritage and the body of participatory management. It con-tributes by responding to calls for further research to deepen the insights into stakeholder inclusion in cultural heritage-based city transformation. This explorative study has its limitations as it is based on one qualitative single case. Practical implications: Participatory management insights and recommendations for smart city transformation are provided. Social implications: The study addresses socially sustainable outcomes to create democratic conditions that promote inclusion and community building by understanding what people need and expect from the place where they live and work. Originality/value: This study is positioned as unique in terms of its complex nature of transforming an old town to become a smart old town based on cultural heritage and an open and coordinated inclusion of stakeholders. Smartness in context of city transformation is revealed in many dimensions ranging from technology-driven to more participant-driven.
|
|
| 8. |
- Olsson, Anna Karin, 1966-, et al.
(author)
-
A co-workership approach on digital transformation : Towards smart manufacturing
- 2022
-
In: Proceedings of the International Association for Computer Information Systems - Europe June 23, 2022. - : International Association for Computer Information Systems.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Digital transformation refers to the process of organizational change, evolving over time for value creation and appropriation aiding for smart manufacturing (Skog, 2019). Regarding the role of organizational means, there is an embedded dynamic generator of challenges, opportunities, and resources that affect the digital transformation at various organizational levels related to social factors such as values, culture, and trust (Ibid). Earlier studies of the Swedish manufacturing industry imply that as the number of digital technologies increase within organizations, while striving towards becoming a smart factory, cooperation and social factors become more imperative (Björkdahl, 2020). By following this reasoning, understanding organizational prerequisites that facilitate the human-centric perspective in relation to digital transformation is crucial when approaching smart manufacturing by moving from Industry 4.0 (I4.0) towards Industry 5.0 (I5.0) (Navarandi, 2019). It is argued that a prerequisite for digital transformation is the employees’ ability to cross organizational boundaries both horizontally and vertically (Carlsson et al., 2022) challenging management. The aim of this study is to explore organizational prerequisites for co-workership in digital transformation towards smart manufacturing. The concept of the co-workership wheel reflects the employee as an autonomous actor within the organization. As such, co-workership is vital for managing organizational change, e.g., digital transformation, capturing employees’ initiatives and prospects (Andersson, et al. 2021). As illustrated in Figure 1 the co-workership wheel consists of four conceptual pairs: Trust and Openness; Community Spirit and Cooperation; Engagement and Meaningfulness; Responsibility and Initiative. Together these four pairs describe the foundation for co-workership within the organization, feedbacking a development process towards smart manufacturing.Inspired by the application of the co-workership wheel in the health care sector (ibid), this study builds on previous work by Carlsson et al. (2022) to further contribute to the exploration of co-workership in the manufacturing sector strengthening the I5.0 emerging research. By applying a qualitative case-study, organizational prerequisites for co-workership in digital transformation are explored (Yin, 2018). The term co-worker is herein applied in a general sense to explore employees’ experiences covering both managerial levels and service functions. The case company is a large manufacturing organization in the Swedish energy sector. In-depth interviews (n=29) were conducted over nine months (Oct. 20 – Jun. 21), exploring co-workers' current and retrospective experiences of the early phases of digital transformation. Referral sampling was applied for selecting informants from functions such as design, quality, production, logistics, digitalization development leaders, and corporate service functions including HR, IT, and financial controllers. Access was granted to six internal documents guiding all employees covering the organization’s strategic work with industrial digitalization, vision, and core values: responsibility, excellence, and innovation. Several rounds of data analysis followed, identifying organizational prerequisites related to each of the four conceptual pairs (Andersson et al., 2020) through a coding scheme based on the co-workership wheel, Findings show that employees interpreted digital transformation as difficult to navigate due to limited communication and cooperation across the organization. Furthermore, the need for trust in digital technologies and employee engagement for transformation are emphasized by informants. Thus, it is argued that an adaptive organizational culture and a focus on learning and competence are necessary organizational prerequisites for translating the means of digital transformation. Managers in the manufacturing sector hence need awareness and understanding of when and how to apply co-workership for transformational change. Manufacturing cultures need to absorb a more human-centric perspective when navigating I4.0, moving in incremental steps encompassing the whole organization, rather than treating digital transformation as scattered and disruptive activities. We argue that the findings give useful implications for manufacturing organizations navigating the challenges of digital transformation to reach the benefits of smart manufacturing. As digital transformation cuts across organizational structures and working processes, there is a need to highlight a human-centric perspective on smart manufacturing by applying the conceptual pairs of the co-workership wheel. Lessons learned show that by applying a co-workership approach with its aspects of trust and openness, community spirit and cooperation, engagement and meaningfulness, responsibility and initiatives, management needs to encourage organizational prerequisites such as an adaptive culture and learning and competence for reaching and sustaining a human-centric perspective on digital transformation.
|
|
| 9. |
- Olsson, Anna Karin, 1966-, et al.
(author)
-
Keeping up the pace of digitalization in small businesses : Women entrepreneurs' knowledge and use of social media
- 2021
-
In: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research. - 1355-2554 .- 1758-6534. ; 27:2, s. 378-396
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose – This study aims to explore how women entrepreneurs in small businesses encounter digitalization and learn to use social media at work by combining theoretical perspectives from research on women entrepreneurs in small businesses, digitalization and use of social media and digital skills in response to calls from earlier research regarding women entrepreneurs' adaptation to an increasingly digitalized world.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative methods were applied including a total of 13 in-depth interviews in two phases, in 2017 and 2019, with 11 women entrepreneurs in nine small businesses, along with observations of their digital presence.Findings – This study contributes with new insights regarding women entrepreneurs' behavior and ways to acquire digital skills to keep up the pace in digitalization. Learning by doing, informal learning and stepby-step self-development entrepreneurial behavior were practiced along with strategical recruiting of young digitally skilled employees, i.e. digital natives. Findings state that in order to remain competitive and generate business growth, women entrepreneurs constantly have to learn new skills to capture the potential of digitalization especially regarding the knowledge and use of social media. The women entrepreneurs emphasize challenges of digitalization as limited resources, constant need of new digital skills, digital stressor even burnout due to internal and external demands on online presence, scanning and maintenance of social media platforms. In contrast to earlier research, the women entrepreneurs did not express any significant gender stereotyping online, yet they strongly emphasized the continuous challenge of work–life balance.Originality/value – This study contributes to an under-researched field with novel research combining theories from women entrepreneurship and information and communication technologies (ICTs) related to digitalization with a special focus on social media. Following the era of digitalization, the women entrepreneurs have to act as digital entrepreneurs finding new innovative ways of doing business. The importance of recruiting young digitally skilled employees in small businesses is vital for women entrepreneurs, since the needed learning and business development takes place when digital natives and digital immigrants work together.
|
|
| 10. |
- Olsson, Anna Karin, 1966-, et al.
(author)
-
What are the prerequisites for a successful industrial PhD education collaboration?
- 2022
-
In: International Conference on Work Integrated Learning. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789189325302 ; , s. 87-89
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- BackgroundUniversity-industry collaboration is a widespread phenomenon in response to complex societal challenges. All sectors of society struggle to meet contemporary challenges by including various perspectives and competences (Bernhard and Olsson, 2020; Olsson et al., 2021; Stegeager and Thomassen, 2021). There is a need to continuously learn at work and redevelop work practices by relating to new concepts, technologies, and organizational principles. University-industry interactions are of importance for mutual learning in higher education as well as in industry (Bölling & Eriksson, 2016; Olsson et al., 2021). Universities have an essential role supporting life -long learning and acting as knowledge hubs embedded in society (Lind et al., 2013) providing trained res earchers prepared to meet these challenges (Altbach et al., 2019; Hayes, 2021). There is an emerging interest for collaboration with university in third-cycle education as the importance of PhD education is recognized in contemporary society (Bernhard & Olsson, 2020; Bin et al., 2016; Borrell-Damian et al., 2010; Gill & Mullarkey, 2015; Gustavsson et al., 2016; Jones, 2018; Roolaht, 2015). European higher education policies call for PhD educations that are transformed along with societal needs and labor markets for PhDs. Especially since PhD education does not merely aim for academic careers (Malfroy, 2011; Santos & Patricio, 2020; Valencia -Forrester, 2019). Industrial PhD education is emerging as one way of increasing collaboration between university and wo rklife during the PhD education. Industrial PhD students here refer to students who originate from and are fully employed in industry (industry funded) during their PhD education, i.e., the company is investing in an employee to become a PhD. Accordingly, industrial PhD students are acting in the intersection of academia and work-life, but with the same academic demands as traditionally enrolled academic PhD students. One transdisciplinary approach to increase collaboration between university and society is work-integrated learning (WIL) to integrate theoretical knowledge with practice work bridging research, higher education, and practice for mutual learning outcomes (Bates, 2008; Billett, 2009; 2014; Gellerstedt et al., 2015; 2018; Rampersad, 2015). WIL is here applied as theory and a model for academia-society collaboration aiming at knowledge exchange and research together with industry.AimThe aim of this study is to expand research on university-industry collaboration by focusing on industrial PhD education exploring the prerequisites for a successful industrial PhD education collaboration. This paper reveals the perspectives of industrial PhD students, university, and industry.MethodologyQualitative methods are applied to capture several disciplines and perspectives during three years (2019-2022).The empirical research context is University West in Sweden. The sample includes three categories of respondents (in total 38): 19 industrial PhD students within the three disciplines of Work-integrated Learning, Informatics with a specialization in WIL, and Production Technology; nine representatives from academia and 10 respondents from industry. The academy perspective was represented by the main supervisors and head of PhD education. The industry perspective was represented by industrial supervisors/mentors covering both the private and public sectors. WIL is applied as a theoretical lens to identify the perspectives of industrial PhD students, academia, and industry. All collected data was analysed to identify patterns and themes following iterative phases, as the perspectives of industrial PhD students, academia and industry were explored along the progression of the theoretical framework and collected data.Findings and ConclusionFindings show that industrial PhD students are contributing to learning by acting in the intersection of university and industry across PhD education and research. The mutual benefits of industrial PhD education collaboration such as access to data and current research, contextual understanding, are strongly emphasized by respondents. The relationship embraces industrial PhD education, research and collaboration generating work -integrated learning and understanding across sectors and industries. However, this study implicates that the following prerequisites need to be considered by university and industry to reach a successful industrial PhD education collaboration: (i) To operationalize continuous activities and processes that increase and strengthen the understanding and expectations during the entire industrial PhD education. Continuous dialogues and close interactions are needed to build long-term relations and trust for knowledge creation by operationalizing the collaboration in actions, practices, and routines over time. (ii) To design detailed formal agreementsfor industrial PhD education collaboration to avoid conflicts of interest and negative impacts on the industrial PhD students’ work conditions. (iii) To continuously maintain activities for industrial PhD students’ inclusion and access to dual contexts to ensure belonging, visibility and legitimacy. (iv) To integrate research in practice and practice in research. The scope of the industrial PhD students’ thesis needs to be carefully anchored in industry and research to achieve an integration of theory and practice based on a mutual understanding of the work -integrated learning approach. There are limitations as this study originates from one single university. The study was partly conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic which may have affected the results. Further research is of importance to deepen and broaden work-integrated learning in third-cycle collaborations to meet the demands and development of contemporary society.
|
|
