INORMS 2014

1. INORMS 2014 Proactive Learning: pre-and-post award transfer of knowledge in a cradle-to cradle approach Lone Varn Johannsen and Lone GrøndahlDalgaard

2. Non performance related reasons for success Proactive learning and co-creation of knowledge Status: • From 2010 to 2013: an 85 % increase in external funding • Well reputed name of AAU management in e.g. European Commission • Positive feed back from researchers: qualitative support and facilitation During this session you will get inspiration, alternatives and tools on how to optimize practice through employee driven innovationin teams (EDIT) Going beyond performance discourse – focusing on employee driven innovation: • EDIT. Distributed and situated management – Transcending hierarchy and power • Employees creating a true learning environment • Productive potential of dialogue – beyond performance discourse We will end the session with an interactive co-creation of knowledge We hope that you will participate

3. Contents • Presentation: Aalborg University, The Research Support Office and the cradle-to-cradle approach • The why’s and how’s of the increasing success: innovation, performance – and the co-creation of knowledge and results • Improving practice through employee driven innovation in teams • Tools and take-aways • Co-creation in practice: a fruitful and productive learning environment • Challenges and possibilities • A struggle of Discourses • Conclusions and perspectives

4. Whoarewe? • Lone GrøndahlDalgaard,Academic officer: 8 years’ experience as a research support officer with extensive experience in European and Danish research funding. Contact details: lgk@adm.aau.dk • Lone Varn Johannsen,Manager: 6 years’ experience as a project manager with extensive experience in European projects. Contact details: lvj@adm.aau.dk

5. Presentation Aalborg University is a small regional university with a longstanding tradition for engaging with the surroundings: • Innovation • Cross disciplinarity • PBL Fundraising and Project Management Office. Longstanding tradition of: • Collaboration across team, faculty and central/decentralized offices • Self-management and distributed management • 19 staff: 10 pre-award, 9 post-award 15 in Aalborg, 2 in Copenhagen and 2 in Brussels

6. Cradle to Cradle Work… Disseminateresults Negotiate with fund Post-award Write proposal Develop new ideas Pre-award Lobby Continuous focus on involving each other across the office and on involving surrounding offices Lobby again New proposal

7. The why’s and how’s of success • 85 % increase in external funding the past 4 years • Well reputed name of AAU management in e.g. European Commission • Positive feed back from researchers: qualitative support and facilitation • More experience with fundraising • Better access to research support (more staff) • Higher motivation of researchers • Self-managing teams • Distributed management • Focus on learning across pre- and post award • Close cooperation with other teams • Office projects on social and professional relations & co-creation The facts The quick fix Going beyond

8. Continuously improving: co-producing not re-producing • Core assumption: knowledge is not a thing but something situated and embedded in work practices • EDIT: Dialogical organizational processes in and between teams. Innovation and improvement of processes/practice occur in the interaction between people and dialogical communication • Potential of dialogue – dialogue as a driver of innovation. A means to avoid reproducing status quo and consequently open up for new voices, alternatives, directions • Share, dare and care culture – prerequisites for success and opens up for a dissensus approach • Innovative cocktail: Distributed management with clear visions and goals combined with self-managing teams

9. Research administration kit: tools and take-aways Making sure that all, incl. opposing opinions are voiced and heard. Innovative meeting culture: Facilitating voice AND a forum • Construing and implementing innovative agendas (allowing voice and promoting dissensus) • Bystanders • Working consciously with question types rather than postulates, for instance to ensure that voices not commonly voiced are voiced AND heard. (Introvert / extrovert) • Evaluating meetings and dialogue Administrative clusters • Mapping and optimizing stakeholder input • Time and activity plans for specific C-2-C processes pre and/or post award • Lunch meetings, administrative management fora and innovation networks across faculty, teams, offices

10. Creating a fruitful and productivelearningenvironment Contextualizing EDIT, the pro’s and con’s 3-minute chats: Talk to the person next to you: Come up with 2 – 3 advantages: what’sgoodaboutthis? Talk to the person next to you: Come up with 2 – 3 challenges: what’sdifficultaboutthis?

11. Input from participants • Advantages: • Challenges:

12. From our point of view: A struggle of discourses Innovation discourse Performance discourse

13. The innovation discourse is the foundation for the performance discourse – and vice-versa

14. Conclusions and Perspectives • Share-dare-care: Improving internal processes in order to boost the performance of the researchers • Participation and involvement: integrating organizational visions with bottom-up innovative processes • Dissensus versus consensus – potential of dialogue in co-creation • Discourse analysis integrating both performance and innovation. The two discourses feed on each other, each other’s pre-requisites Looking forward: • Implement systematically in research support – consolidate as method in cooperation with researcher • Prioritize: Development versus day-to-day operations • Integrating knowledge from all project life cycle phases

15. References • Deetz, S & Simpson, J: Critical OrganizationalDialogue. Open Formation and the Demand of ”Othernessin DIALOGUE Theorizing Difference in Communication Studies ed. Anderson, R; Baxter,L.A; Cissna, K.N • Elmholdt, C., Keller, H. and Tanggaard, L (2013): Ledelsespsykologi, Samfundslitteratur • Fagerberg, J, Mowery, D & Nelson, R (Eds) (2005) Handbook of Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press • Kristiansen, M & Bloch-Poulsen. (2009) Sådan kan man fremme medarbejderdreven innovation – værktøjer til innovationsledelse af team. Ledelseidag.dk, 2009, oktober • Kristiansen, M & Bloch-Poulsen. (2009) Medarbejderdreven Innovation i team (MIT) – on dialogiske organiseringsprocesser i og på tværs af teams. Erhvervspsykologi 2009, 7 (4), 52-69 • Mintzberg, H. (2004): Managers, Not MBA’s - A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Managing and Management Development. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.