Ole Andreas Haukåsen has carried out his doctoral research as part of the PhD programme Innovation in Services in the Public and Private Sectors (INSEPP).
His thesis is titled "The competent change agent: Innovation in distributed organisations".
What does it actually mean?
"I have looked into how to bring about change in an organization across geographical distance. I have compared how change management in Sykehuset Innlandet and in a private breeding company can learn from each other with a focus on managing from a distance," says Ole Andreas.
When Haukåsen uses the term change agents, he can say that he has taken a closer look at the HR department and mid-level managers, and at how they can assist in change processes with learning and knowledge exchange.
"The results show that the change agent masters this by balancing proximity/distance between the geographically separated units – to maintain a necessary level of tension. In particular, knowledge of which barriers must be broken down and which must remain in order to maintain the balance between generalisation and specialisation of knowledge is important for safeguarding the basis of the innovation process," writes Haukåsen to inn.no.
The ability to motivate change, as well as an attitude that communication must be adapted, is also an important competence for being successful as a change agent in an organization that is geographically dispersed.
"These findings have contributed to one overarching debate. The debate takes a critical look at the static phases of change and highlights a more active change agent," summarizes Haukåsen.
The main findings of the PhD:
- An important finding is that the thesis provides increased understanding of the balance of power between managers and HR and as such, contributes to new knowledge about the change agent roles HR and middle managers can and will exercise to drive, support and influence innovation processes.
- Where previous theories point out that innovation needs learning and knowledge to innovate – this thesis helps to understand the human factors that must be in place for learning, knowledge exchange and innovation to take place. As the change agents persuasive, clear and adaptable skills have a major influence on organizational members' motivation and ability to share knowledge across geographical distance, distributed organizations should focus their attention on these qualities in the future development of HR and middle managers as change agents.
- In the study, Haukåsen found that the distributed context makes it difficult to strengthen one side of the innovation process without weakening another. The trick is therefore to strengthen the innovation process so well that it produces results, but at the same time so little that it does not weaken other vital mechanisms in the organization.
- The thesis helps to highlight that change agents must be able to combine different roles at the same time – in order to answer the paradoxes a distributed organization faces in an innovation process.
Here you'll find more information about Ole Andreas Haukåsen's public defence on 29 November 2023.
Contact information:
- ole.haukasen@inn.no
- Phone
- +47 61 28 74 76