doc.dr. Miha Škerlavaj

A most interesting conference on knowledge and learning is approaching fast: World Summit on the Knowledge Society, Athens, Greece, September 24.-28.  I am proud to be a member of its’ scientific committee  and also a reviewer.

In November 2008, together with Remko Helms from Utrecht University, I am co-charing a workshop Knowledge Networks: Discovering Network Structure and Patterns Using Social Network Analysis at the conference Practical Aspects of Knowledge Management (Yokohama, Japan). Wellcome!

We are inviting authors to submitt their manusripts to be considered for a special issue “Knowledge and Learning Networks in Organizations” in European Journal of International Management (EJIM), which is listed among the ISI journals (SSCI). With the special issue “Knowledge and Learning Networks in organizations” we aim to bring together innovative empirical research and conceptual work with strong implications for producing further insight about knowledge and learning networks in organizations. Multilevel research and research simultaneously using multiple theoretical backgrounds are especially welcome.

Submissions are encouraged to be related but are not restricted to the following topics:

•     The social network perspective to organizational learning and knowledge transfer

•     The effect of contextual factors (e.g., organizational structure, leadership, organizational culture, HRM practices, work design) on organizational learning and knowledge networks

•     Effects of homophily and physical proximity in organizational learning and knowledge networks

•     Dynamics of knowledge and learning networks

•     Knowledge and learning networks and organizational performance

•     Other consequences of learning and knowledge networks (e.g., innovation)

•     Interaction between knowledge and learning networks and other intra- and inter- organizational networks

The authors submitting their work for this special issue should follow instructions that apply for regular EJIM papers. Please note that your paper should be between 5000-7000 words including references. All submitted papers will go through another round of double-blind reviewing process. The special issue is limited to a maximum of 7 papers and is scheduled for early 2010. Full paper submissions for the special issue should be sent directly to robert.kase@ef.uni-lj.si or miha.skerlavaj@ef.uni-lj.si by October 31 2008. However, we would appreciate if you could communicate your intention to submit your work as soon as possible.

Following the big success of the track on Intra-organizational knowledge and learning networks at EURAM 2008 conference in Ljubljana, we decided to organize its’ successor at EURAM 2009 in Liverpool in May 2009.  Together with Juani Swart (University of Bath), Robert Kaše (University of Ljubljana), and John Powell (Cardiff University) we kindly invite interested authors to submitt their manuscripts to the track on Knowledge renewal in social networks (due December 5th, 2008).

Article Škerlavaj, M., Dimovski, V., Mrvar, A. and Pahor, M. (2008),  ‘Intra-organizational learning networks within knowledge-intensive learning environments’, Interactive Learning Environments, is now available online. Link: (DOI: 10.1080/10494820802190374).

The SSCI publications just keep on comming! This time it is Hernaus, T., Škerlavaj, M., Dimovski, V. (2008): Relationship between Organisational Learning and Performance: The Case of Croatia, Transformations in Business and Economics, 7(22).

The focus of the paper is on the examination of organisational learning (OL) process and its link with organisational performance (OP) which was determined through operationalised OL and OP constructs. The research involved 202 Croatian companies employing more than 50 people. Besides determining the linkage between organisational learning and organisational performance, the research task was to determine which organisational performance measurement variables are the most and the least important, and even further, to identify the best and the worst predictable OP measurement items for each organisational learning variable. The most important finding of the study is the empirical evidence about exsistence of strong, statistically significant, positive relationship between organisational learning and organisational performance. In another words, organisations with development of their learning processes congruently increase their performance. The research also showed that employees’ measures are the most strongly related with organizational learning process.

These days I am attending International Management Teachers Academy @ Bled, Slovenia, organized by Central and East European Association for Management (CEEMAN). It is a great 2-week long event, which reminds me of a crash-course MBA. Top-notch professors J.B. Kassarjian (IMD, Switzerland & Babson College, USA), Joe Pons (AXIOMA Marketing Consultants, previously IESE Barcelona, Spain), Arshan Ahmad (Concordia University, Canada) and Krzystof Obloj (Warswaw University and Kozminsky Business school, Poland) are doing their best to keep busy all 42 participants from 15 countries from dawn till dusk. And what a good job they are doing!

Seriously speaking (well, writing), workshops such as this are a great motivational tool and self-reflection opportunity. They make you think about your work, yourself, and all the stakeholders that one deals with in a role of professor (students, businesses, faculty,…). Teaching, researching, consulting, and administrative task … they all overlap. One thing is for sure, we are never bored and we always strive for growth and development (of our own and those that we impact). In addition, there has been a lot of work on using case studies to develop skills and attitudes, lots of hands-on experiences, energy and emotions , metaphors and stories involved in the learning process. And lots of networking opportunities with new, interesting people from all around the (eastern) part of the world. So far, I can only use superlatives!

Yesterday, there was a splendid event called 7th Trimo Research Awards, which took place in a magnificent surrounding of Božidar Jakac gallery at Kostanjevica na Krki. And I was part of it, as one of the awardees for The Best PhD dissertation. This is a honour and recognition for me to be able to blend modern scientific findings with practical, down-to-earth situations that companies such are facing. Trimo is in many cases an example of good practices and is rigthly considered to be a learning organization. Desire to grow and develop constantly is deep-rooted in their ‘DNA’ - organizational culture. And they know what it means to set bridges among R&D institutions world-wide and their business. Together we are better, stronger, and faster.

I am proud to announce yet another paper that was accepted for publication in top-notch journal: Pahor, M., Škerlavaj, M., Dimovski, V. (Forthcoming): Evidence Supporting the Network Perspective on Organizational Learning. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Here is the abstract:

The paper provides evidence for the network perspective to organizational learning on the cases of two companies different in size, industry and culture. It builds on an earlier paper that introduced the network perspective to organizational learning and proposes some common traits of the learning networks and tests them with the help of the tools of social network analysis. We find support for the network perspective to organizational learning. There are some traits of the learning network that are common to very different companies, like the fact that learning occurs mainly in clusters. Some other traits depend much on the organizational culture. 

JASIST is an international, SCI ranked peer-reviewed journal (2006 IF 1.555) which serves as a forum for new research in information transfer and communication processes in general, and in the context of recorded knowledge in particular. Concerns include the generation, recording, distribution, storage, representation, retrieval, and dissemination of information, as well as its social impact and management of information agencies (JASIST, 2008).

As a result of most productive discussions at EURAM track on knowledge and learning networks, we’ve established a Google group. It has such a lovely name (KLean - Knowledge and learning networks) that it would be shame to miss it. It’s aim is to join researchers and practitioners which share common interest of understanding structural, relational, and cognitive aspects of learning and knowledge networks. The idea is to keep everybody updated with research and publication opportunities, collaboration proposals, and publications of our group members. Wellcome to join! Just drop me an e-mail at klean@googlegroups.com if you want to be invited.

EURAM Knowledge and learning networks (KLeaN)

Visit the group KLeaN