The research group Complex Connections: People, Places and Organisations (CC:PPO) was established in 2019 and is headed jointly by professors Julianne Cheek and Magnus Frostenson and based at the Department of Welfare, Management and Organisation.
It engages in research focusing on people within organisations, the relationships that make up organisational contexts, and social and behavioural aspects and constructions of work. The various contexts that intersect with organisations (e.g. government policy, neo-liberal derived strategies, types of managers, types of employees) and which collectively impact on organisations are of interest. The contexts, complexities and consequences of such local practices will vary, depending on level (national, organisational, individual) and the connections within and across the levels.
Complex connections between individuals, organisations and societies are here to stay, and the complexities are likely to evolve and increase in the years to come. Addressing challenges facing contemporary organisations arising from such complexity involves exposing, exploring and understanding the web of complex connections between people, places and organisations. An example of this is the contemporary social phenomenon which has been labelled “the fourth industrial revolution.” The digital transformation driven by this phenomenon has had the effect of eliminating or reducing the importance of some connections, changes or increases the importance of other connections, and replaces old connections with new ones. Such a development places new requirements on how we should think about the connections between organisational research and the development of strategies and interventions in organisations.
Insufficient knowledge of complex connections can be costly, as we live in a time where there is a danger that “brief, inadequate answers [are given] to complex problems”, as Harding puts it. How can we navigate and structure our organisations and our working life in a world marked by unpredictability and complexity? CC:PPO aims to contribute to addressing this pressing organisational and work-related question by:
-
challenging, researching and contributing to understandings of the complex connections which exist between people, places and organisations.
-
increasing knowledge of what happens when abstract ideas and strategies for organisational change are to be put into practice in local contexts.
-
proposing sustainable solutions which take into consideration the organisational context and the social complexity of the connections.
Projects and research funding
The researchers of the group are involved in several research projects and other activities. Projects have been funded by NAV Østfold and Østfold County Municipality /The Norwegian Directorate of Health. One important project is ‘DiHiEd’, Digitalisation in higher education, where experiences, opinions and potential regarding digitalisation in the Norwegian educational sector are studied from a human-centred perspective. Other projects include, for example, ‘DiVi’, Digitalisation in Viken County, in which specific projects set out to facilitate and implement changes in the newly founded county are studied. Regular seminars are held, and the group members participate in various networks and activities. In November 2019, a highly relevant Organisation and Leadership conference was arranged by the research group, focusing on contemporary working life issues. It was attended by well over 300 delegates from government and industry, former students of the Master in Organisation and Leadership and current staff and students from ØUC.
National and International Networks and Collaborations
Members of CC:PPO are active in several national and international networks such as:
-
The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry network across some 40+ countries, where Cheek is on the international advisory Board.
-
Within sustainability and ethics networks related to higher education. Examples of these are the European Business Ethics Network and the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education. Frostenson is a member of the organisational committee of the EBEN Scandinavia network. Both networks arrange conferences, workshops and meetings.
-
Within other international networks, such as the Swedish Academy of Business and Management (Frostenson)
Sustainability
The research of this group, focusing on the relationships that make up organisational contexts, and social and behavioural aspects of work, contributes to promote inclusive institutions and a sustainable working life with productive employment and decent work for all (UN sustainability goals #8 and #16).
Publications
The members of CC:PPO publish their research on a frequent and regular basis. Between 2016 and 2021, the core members of the group have published some 65 scientific journal articles, book chapters and monographs.
Examples of scientific journals where the group has published in recent years include European Journal of Industrial relations, European Management Journal, Government Information Quarterly, Information Polity, International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, Qualitative Inquiry.
In addition, the members of the research group have published several book chapters and monographs, for example with publishing houses such as Routledge, Sage, Springer Nature, Gyldendal Akademisk or Cappelen Damm.