The Importance of Being Open: How European Open Universities Can Reposition in the Post-Pandemic Higher Education Landscape

Open universities (OUs) have been at the forefront of educational technology. Designed as innovative and flexible organizations, they have proven instrumental to assure the consolidation of research, innovation and quality practice in distance and online education. Inspired by the impact of open education and MOOCs, traditional higher education institutions began embracing technology-enhanced learning and online education. The growing competition from these universities, as well as of new non-formal providers, have resulted for the OUs in the decrease in student numbers, especially in Europe and North America. With the closing down of campuses due to Covid-19, this growing movement was noticeably accelerated. As higher education prepares for the new normal, how may the European OU remain socially relevant and competitive? Are they still indispensable for assuring quality education opportunities for all, as a growing number of critics question? In this paper we analyse the impact of the pandemic on European OU, discuss possible strategies to meet the challenges of a rapidly transforming higher education landscape, and identify potential trends and models for future development.

It Takes More Than a Good Camera: Which Factors Contribute to Differences Between Face-to-Face Interviews and Videoconference Interviews Regarding Performance Ratings and Interviewee Perceptions?

Due to technological progress, videoconference interviews have become more and more common in personnel selection. Nevertheless, even in recent studies, interviewees received lower performance ratings in videoconference interviews than in face-to-face (FTF) interviews and interviewees held more negative perceptions of these interviews. However, the reasons for these differences are unclear. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with 114 participants to compare FTF and videoconference interviews regarding interview performance and fairness perceptions and we investigated the role of social presence, eye contact, and impression management for these differences. As in other studies, ratings of interviewees’ performance were lower in the videoconference interview. Differences in perceived social presence, perceived eye contact, and impression management contributed to these effects. Furthermore, live ratings of interviewees’ performance were higher than ratings based on recordings. Additionally, videoconference interviews induced more privacy concerns but were perceived as more flexible. Organizations should take the present results into account and should not use both types of interviews in the same selection stage.

EPC 4.0: The quest for reducing CAPEX in EPC projects

Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) business in Europa is increasingly under pressure. Lack of productivity, low or negative profit margins for investors, and the lack of adopting necessary innovations and digitalization—from engineering activities through operations and maintenance to decommissioning—have caused significant deprivation of business and competitiveness compared to emerging providers in Asia. The quest for reducing capital expenditures (CAPEX) in EPC projects is intensifying. In May 2018, a research project was started to analyze the situation and key trends through desk research, to research how the challenges of the business could be tackled and to derive practical guidance for EPC contractors as well as for investors, owners, and operators (O/O). The project aimed to propose innovative ways of improving the EPC business model to reach the next level (“EPC 4.0”). In doing so, lessons learned from the automotive and aviation industry were considered. A key objective of the research project was to challenge statements of international EPC experts to cut CAPEX by 40–50% in EPC projects. With this statement in mind, the research focused on identifying measures with potential in six areas: (1) digitalization, (2) partnering, (3) flat supply chains, (4) flexible organizations, (5) core competences, and (6) the human factor. Summarizing the findings in these areas, the EPC 4.0 project came to a savings potential of up to 50% of the total budgeted project costs.

Bring Your Own Device in Healthcare

Bring your own device (BYOD) policies have become a very popular topic in information technology, as this approach allows employees to bring their devices into their organizations and use them to access information. This trend has some benefits both for the organization and to employees. This paper aims to identify those benefits as well as the advantages and disadvantages of BYOD usage in organizations. In addition, SWOT analysis of BYOD usage is presented and discussed. Finally, it is introduced as an approach to BYOD in healthcare. Utilizing personal devices at work is beneficial to organizational employees as they are in some way satisfied, and they have more freedom and choice to use their devices. This can easily lead the employees to be more productive and flexible. Organizations who embrace BYOD policies have noticed that their employees are happier, more productive, and more collaborative.

Factores de éxito que inciden en las mipymes del municipio de Balancán, Tabasco para lograr ventajas competitivas

Esta investigación pretende determinar los factores que inciden en el éxito de una MiPyMe; analizando factores relacionados con el ambiente interno de las Micro, Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas del municipio de Balancán en el estado de Tabasco que es el objeto de estudio de la investigación a través de una muestra de 575 empresas con la finalidad de proponer estrategias que le permitan ser organizaciones innovadoras, emprendedoras, modernas y flexibles; cuyo beneficio se traduzca en mejor calidad de vida y a su vez en un detonante para la economía del municipio,estado y país. AbstractThis research aims to determine the factors that influence the success of a MiPyMe; Analyzing factors related to the internal environment of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of the municipality of Balancán in the state of Tabasco, which is the object of study of the research through a sample of 575 companies with the purpose of proposing strategies that allow be innovative, entrepreneurial, modern and flexible organizations; whose benefit translates into a better quality of life and, in turn, a trigger for the economy of the municipality, state and country.

Evidence-based management for today’s “ambidextrous” organizations

Purpose This paper examines how evidence based management (EBM) can help managers build more flexible organizations. In the context of this article, we define the need to build for this capacity around the challenge of “ambidexterity”, or the need for companies to continue operations while also allowing for innovation. We present a framework to help managers create strategies that help them build ambidexterity in their organizations, whether they operate in highly regulated, compliance driven or un-regulated, non-compliance climates. Design/methodology/approach This paper identifies four organizational design strategies each of which represents a different leadership and organization consideration that may focus on how evidence based management practices are linked to competency building (i.e., exploitation), the need innovation, or an equal balance between the two (i.e., ambidexterity). Findings Our findings reveal that an organization’s use of data given these four strategic orientations reflect different uses of data (verifiability and codification concerns) and ways of embedding compliance and ambidexterity (exploitation vs. exploration) considerations. Practical implications These four strategies help managers expose biases in their current decision-making practices, and how they subsequently may affect lifecycle, change management, and data practice in ambidexterity development. Originality/value While EBM acknowledges the importance of utilizing evidence, it remains limited toward understanding how it might be used to build for ambidexterity in organizations.

Privatizing subjectivities: how New Public Management (NPM) is designing a “new” professional in education

This study presents a critical analysis of how education and management have been re-articulated by neoliberal policies and practices of new political management. It analyzes these changes in the social sectors and compares them with international policies. These new flexible organizations are part of a growing model of neoliberal business to which some social theorists attribute a growing inauthenticity in organizations (Sennett, 1998), and a development of greater flexibility to respond to the markets and not to satisfy the human needs of those who work in these markets. The study concluded that the competitive model of school management is not only changing what professionals do but who they are. Competition is rebuilding their own identities, both personal and professional.

In Search of Identity Leadership: An ethnographic study of emergent influence in an interorganizational R&D team

Recent trends in the leadership literature have advanced a relational and processual perspective that sheds light on the way leadership emerges and evolves in dynamic and flexible organizations. However, very few empirical studies have explored these processes over an extended period. To address this lacuna, we report findings from a three-year ethnographic study that explored the emergence and development of leadership in a self-managed interorganizational R&D team. Findings show that in the context of various events that impacted on the team, leadership emerged through interactions, processes and practices that were perceived by team members to develop and advance shared goals and shared identity. Leadership responses to uncertainty surrounding the project were generally legitimated by team members’ background and expertise in relation to this shared identity, while a lack of perceived legitimacy also compromised leadership. These observations are consistent with arguments that leadership revolves around the creation and enactment of shared social identity. However, they also suggest that the form and nature of leadership is hard to predict because it is heavily structured by specific identity-relevant practices and perceptions that arise in the context of unforeseeable events.

Integration of business intelligence with corporate strategic management

Integration of business intelligence and corporate strategic management has adirect impact on modern and flexible organizations. This integration helps decision makers toimplement their corporate strategies, adapt easily to changes in the environment, and gaincompetitive advantages. This paper extends the studies in this domain, and clarifies therelationships between business intelligence and strategic management. It highlights also therole of business intelligence in corporate performance management and strategic intelligence.This paper proposes a BSC-BI framework that facilitates the integration of business intelligencewith a balanced scorecard methodology. The BSC-BI framework implementation isdemonstrated using a case study on the telecom field.