Innovating the Dynamics of Organizing Learning in Business and Business
Education
Call for Papers
12th EDiNEB Annual Conference
http://WWW.EDINEB.NET/ <http://www.edineb.net/>
June 15-17, 2005
Antwerp, Belgium
Deadline for abstract submission is March 1, 2005.
Business has fuelled interest in learning about the role of knowledge in
contemporary society. Business organizations have recognized the value of
knowledge creation, and turning their organization into a learning arena.
Business managers are eager to capitalize on new information technologies
and appreciate the importance of knowledge. Business schools commit
themselves to developing knowledge and learning as core competencies.
Innovation of the dynamics of organizational change
The EDiNEB network places innovation of the dynamics of organizational
change at the heart of its interest. It considers innovation as a change
process that forms the linking pin between how learning is organized at
business school and how learning is shaped at the workplace. Although
disciplines such as psychology and education have provided many insights
about how individuals learn, the interest about how organizations learn was
developed in management sciences. Despite their shared interest in learning,
few concepts and ideas are shared between these disciplines.
The nature of knowledge
In Western Society, production work is more and more displaced by knowledge
work. The way access to knowledge is organized, and how opportunities to
learn are realized are considered core issues for modern business. Paying
attention to the dynamics of change and learning process – both within
business schools and within business world – provides new possibilities to
understand the nature of knowledge and the way it can be learned. It needs
to attract the interest of multiple disciplines meeting within networks like
EDiNEB.
Modern business requires further advancement of understanding the nature of
knowledge and the dynamics of organizing learning. Current business practice
shows that many change processes stall prematurely or fail to achieve their
desired result. Existing patterns of collaboration between knowledge workers
are insufficient to guide change processes leading to new business products
and services. For that reason we need to understand what conditions are
necessary within business schools to prepare graduates for further learning,
and how business enterprises may gain from advanced learning.
Sustainable competitive advantage
Revisiting the roles of teachers and trainers is necessary to get a better
understanding of how specialized knowledge, and management of this
knowledge, can create sustainable competitive advantage for business. The
importance of studying the role of knowledge within companies derives from a
growing awareness that the capture and spread of knowledge within companies
provides a significant explanation for marked differences in productivity
and profitability between companies. Business leaders require management
tools that emphasize knowledge sharing and resolve problems hindering
knowledge sharing. Business schools need insights about required knowledge
for business practice, and how to prepare students for the workplace.
Understanding the social processes
Learning can be understood as connecting thoughts. But communities of
business practice report difficulties in knowledge sharing, and business
schools face the reality that education is not simply a matter of knowledge
transfer. If we want to understand the role of knowledge within business
organizations, we need to understand the social processes that shape
interaction between people. If we want to improve business education, our
focus should shift from content to process. Both issues require attention
for innovating processes that go along with the dynamics of organizing
learning. Whether it is within business schools or within business
organizations, learning theories and research are necessary to give guidance
in organizing learning. Understanding patterns of collaboration between
people may provide new insights in improving learning processes. For
business organizations and business education this requires a strengthened
focus on the development of knowledge and the social nature of learning
practices.
Improved performance
The 12th Annual EDiNEB conference aims to further our understanding of how
innovation of learning processes can improve the performance of business
schools and business organizations. The conference is organized around three
themes that address issues of learning from different perspectives and
different actors:
* Innovating Learning Practices in Business Work
* Agents of Organizational Learning
* Processes of Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge
Management and Knowledge Application
* Conditions Shaping or Debilitating Learning
* Who Benefits from Innovating? What value for whom?
* Shaping Sustainable Competitive Advantage through Learning Practices
* Innovating Learning Practices within Business Education
* Networks and Alliances of Business Schools
* Establishing Corporate Links between Business and Business Schools
* Reinventing the Business Curriculum
* Implications for Student Learning
* The Social Nature of Learning
* New Methods for Instructional Delivery
* The Transition from Business School to Business Practice
* Innovating the Dynamics of Organizational Change within Business
Practice and Business Schools
* Models for Organizational Change and Change of Business Curricula
* Putting Insights from the Learning Sciences in the Practice of
Education and Training
* New Training Methods for Business Teachers and Business
Organizations
* Developing Engagement of Teachers and Trainers for Change Processes
Deadline for abstract submission is March 1, 2005.
Explore the diamond capital of the world
Café terraces overflow with late-night revellers, ancient streets glow with
gentle lamplight, exotic rhythms escape across the waterfront…… Antwerp has
a truly cosmopolitan atmosphere. It can rival Bruges for medieval charm,
outshine Brussels for style and match Amsterdam for street life. The city
has enjoyed an artistic renaissance, led by a new generation of fashion
designers. When it comes to food, Antwerp has a great deal to offer, both
haute and nouvelle cuisine, celebrated Belgian chocolate and over 1.000
different types of Belgian beer. And Antwerp still glitters as the centre of
the world’s diamond industry, where two-thirds of the world’s diamond trade
is conducted behind discreet facades. Behind a more spectacular façade the
Corinthia Antwerp Hotel serves its own special brand of hospitality. The
distance to Antwerp Deurne airport is only 5 km, whereas Brussels Zaventem
Airport is 45km. The SN Brussels Airline Expressbus offers a shuttle service
from and to Antwerp every hour for the price of € 8,00
(www.brusselsairport.be/bus/index.cfm)
Sparkling like one of the diamonds Antwerp is so famous for, the smart four
star Corinthia Antwerp hotel (www.corinthiahotels.com
<http://www.corinthiahotels.com/> ) is conveniently located just 10 minutes
away from the historic city centre. With its unmatched standard of services
and facilities, the hotel is an ideal venue for the 12th Annual EDiNEB
Conference. Special room rates are applicable for participants, € 109 per
room, single occupancy and € 129 per room, double occupancy. Prices include
full breakfast and use of the hotel’s leisure facilities. Hotel
accommodation at the special EDiNEB rate can only be applied for via the
registration form for the 12th Annual EDiNEB conference. Rooms are available
at a first come first served basis, since EDiNEB has a room block on a
limited number of rooms.
Wim Gijselaers
Associate Dean
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Maastricht University, the Netherlands
http://www.fdewb.unimaas.nl/ <http://www.fdewb.unimaas.nl/>
Department Chair
Dept. of Educational Development & Research
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Maastricht University, the Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)43 3883729
http://www.fdewb.unimaas.nl/educ/index.htm
<http://www.fdewb.unimaas.nl/educ/index.htm>
http://www.edineb.net/ <http://www.edineb.net/>