The study investigated the impact of intergenerational differences on knowledge transfer among engineers in large Slovenian production organizations.
Using the Delphi method, experts answered ...open-ended questions. The process concluded with a consensus reached in the third round. The resulting questionnaire was then administered to engineers of all ages working in large production organizations.
The experts’ responses indicated that intergenerational differences are most prominent in the workplace in terms of computer literacy and the use of information and communications technology. Effective employee engagement, including exemplary leadership, a system of mentoring and reverse mentoring, and a supportive organizational culture, was found to enhance the flow of knowledge transfer. Statistical analysis revealed that there are statistically significance intergenerational differences in knowledge transfer among engineers in large production organizations (p < 0.001).
The study’s findings suggest that recognizing intergenerational differences and fostering the abilities of employees can contribute to organizational success. However, the study is limited to engineers in large production organizations in Slovenia. Future research should explore organizations in a wider geographical area and across different sectors.
Education is a fundamental human right and essential to enable people to maximize their abilities to settle in a new country, adapt to a new environment, and become participating community members. ...As part of the challenges posed by immigration, the society aims to provide at least primary education to the children of immigrants. Statistical data show that in recent years, the number of students from other countries has increased in Slovenia. Slovenian educational institutions are confronted with a larger number of immigrant and refugee children with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds than Slovenian children. In order to explore what the challenges are in integrating immigrant students into Slovenian primary schools, we will try to answer the main research question of what challenges principals face in integrating immigrant children into primary education. This will be researched through an empirical analysis methodologically based on semi-structured interviews with school principals in selected primary schools.
Background: Integrating Industry 4.0 technologies in organizations affects employees’ workplaces and working conditions. Works Council members play an essential role in this because as intermediaries ...of information between employees and management, they increase mutual trust and help introduce changes in the work environment. This article discusses the Works Council members’ autopoietic endowments that are necessary for their proactive activity, which we discuss as building blocks for creating constructive relationships with management and quality energy in an organization. As such, we were interested in examining whether the autopoietic endowments of Works Council members influenced the type of relationship with the Works Council and management, and whether this relationship affected Works Council members’ organizational energy. Methods: A questionnaire was developed, piloted and distributed to Works Council Members, and 220 completed questionnaires were returned. Results: We found that the higher the level of self-awareness, the better the relationship between Works Council members and management. Moreover, poor energy represented poor relationships, and poor relationships signified a higher degree of resigned inertia and corrosive energy. Conclusions: Our research provides managements with insights into the relationship between employees and management, and the quality of their organizational energy.
Background: Automation of production processes is not just a simple replacement of a person in production, but it should lead to the success of an organization and contribute to the sustainable ...development of society and the natural environment. The aim of our study was to find out whether the level of automation of production processes affects the proportion of night work hours of production workers and whether employers are willing to automate production processes to achieve a lower number of night work hours. Methods: We used a quantitative approach to collect primary data through the survey method. The questionnaire was completed by 502 large and medium-sized manufacturing companies in Slovenia. Results: We found no statistically significant correlation between the level of automation of production processes and the percentage of night work hours of production workers. We also found that the reduction of the proportion of night work does not appear to be the main motivator for the introduction of automation of production processes. Conclusions: Based on the results, we rejected the assumption that automation of production processes has a direct impact on the proportion of night work. Moreover, our study will benefit all those who are concerned with the automation of production processes and night work.
Research Question (RQ): What challenges did students recognize in the sudden transition to e-learning due to the outbreak of COVID-19? Which suggestions facilitated in the improvement of implementing ...e-learning and to what extent did the students think that following their recommendations contributed to better e-learning? Purpose: With the research, we wanted to determine what challenges students at higher vocational schools perceived during the e-learning process. Due to the sudden appearance of COVID-19, the educational approach swiftly changed, and both teachers and students were faced with many challenges. Method: Content analysis was used on domestic and international research studies. The literature was reviewed and analyzed using keywords. For the empirical research, we collected data by surveying students from the southeastern part of Slovenia in seven different short cycle higher education programs. The questionnaire was designed based on self-evaluation reports and previously analyzed professional literature dealing with this area. Results: Results are depicted based on the challenges that students faced in the sudden onset of e-learning due to the pandemic. By following recommendations provided by students, teachers were able to improve their e-learning approach, in which everyone was involved, and thus facilitated the learning process. Organization: The results of the research enable schools to implement the identified challenges that students perceived during the educational process to improve e-learning. The research findings portray a possible answer on what needs to be improved in e-learning and how to adapt approaches in a way that is tailored to the student. Society: Recognizing students’ e-learning challenges is the foundation for improving the entire e-learning process, which contributes to better achievement of educational goals and greater contribution of knowledge to society. Originality: Several studies on e-learning have already been conducted, but we have not found any that address the challenges posed by short cycle higher education students in the face of the immediate and unexpected introduction of e-learning due to the global health situation. Limitations/Future Research: We have limited ourselves to research that has already been conducted in this area. The resulting questionnaire was created as a pilot survey on a larger sample to determine reliability and to obtain a starting point for implementing improvements in practice and the possibility of further testing on an even larger number of students. The research also offers a starting point for the preparation of a questionnaire intended for higher education teachers who already have conducted e-learning.
Raziskovalno vprašanje (RV): Kako dejavnik zaupanje spodbuja in vpliva na izmenjavo znanja zaposlenih v organizaciji? Namen: V članku nameravamo predstaviti, kako dejavnik zaupanje vpliva ali ...spodbuja izmenjavo znanja v organizaciji. Nameravamo proučiti obstoječe raziskave s področja zaupanja med zaposlenimi in vplivanje le tega na izmenjavo znanja ter spodbude in posledice izmenjave znanja, ki so na delovnem mestu v EU in ZDA. Metoda: Pregled obstoječih znanstvenih raziskav smo opravili po smernicah integrativnega pregleda literature. Po ključnih besedah smo iskali preko baz: ABI/INFORM, Business Source Premier, dLIB, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Springer Link, Web of Science in smo s ključnimi besedami povezanimi z izmenjavo znanja in zaupanjem v organizaciji pridobili 23 člankov. V pregled smo vključili članke, ki so stari 10 let ali mlajši in so objavljeni v indeksiranih revijah s faktorjem vpliva nad 1, vzorec v raziskavah se nanaša na delovno populacijo v gospodarstvu, raziskave so opravljene z vzorcem iz EU in ZDA, upoštevajo se samo kvantitativne, kvalitativne in mešane metode ter članki objavljeni v angleškem oziroma slovenskem jeziku. Rezultati: Skozi integrativni pregled člankov, kjer so bile raziskave opravljene smo preučevali spodbude za izmenjavo znanja, zaupanje, izmenjavo znanja, posledice izmenjave znanja. Ugotovili smo, da je v EU in ZDA najpomembneje, da je v organizaciji prisotna organizacijska kultura med zaposlenimi, ki spodbudi zaupanje na spoznanju in čustvih ter vodi v izmenjavo implicitnega in izrecnega znanja. To pa v intenzivnem okolju pripomore, da se organizacija odzove na spremembe, ker ustvarja novo znanje, je inovativna in konkurenčna. Organizacija in družba: Omenjeni pregled člankov in ugotovitve pripomorejo v organizaciji, predvsem voditeljem, da strmijo k ustvarjanju organizacijske kulture na nivoju, ki med zaposlenimi ustvarja zaupanje, ki vodi v izmenjavo znanja in ustvarjanje novega znanja, s ciljem biti in delovati v spremenljivem okolju inovativno in konkurenčno. Originalnost: Raziskava ponuja neposredne zbrane ugotovitve iz EU in ZDA, katere so spodbude za izmenjavo znanja, pomen dejavnika zaupanje pri izmenjavi in posledice izmenjave znanja in ustvarjanja znanja za organizacijo.. Omejitve/nadaljnje raziskovanje: Raziskava je omejena, saj bi bilo lahko preučenih več člankov iz različnih regij in tudi za daljše časovno obdobje. Hkrati pa bi lahko upoštevali tudi druge dejavnike, ki pripomorejo ali pa zavirajo izmenjavo znanja. Tako bi prišli do boljšega in celovitejšega pogleda na problematiko vpliva različnih dejavnikov na izmenjavo znanja.
Raziskovalno vprašanje (RV): Raziskave kažejo, da organizacije potrebujejo za svoje delovanje energijo zaposlenih, ki izhaja iz njihovih procesov ustvarjanja, doseganja ciljev in medsebojnega ...sodelovanja na vseh ravneh. V raziskavi nas zanima, ali obstaja medsebojni vpliv organizacijske energije (energija malodušja, energija razjedanja, energija produktivnosti, energija udobja) in avtopoietičnih lastnosti (samozavedanje, vest, svobodna volja, ustvarjalna domišljija) zaposlenih. Kot ciljno skupino smo za izvedbo raziskave izbrali člane sveta delavcev v slovenskih organizacijah. Namen: Namen raziskave je bil preučiti medsebojni vpliv organizacijske energije in avtopoietičnih lastnosti zaposlenih ob predpostavki, da se višja stopnja avtopoietičnih lastnosti odraža v višji vrednosti njihove kakovostne organizacijske energije. Hkrati je bil namen preveritev zanesljivosti vprašalnika. Metoda: Za zbiranje informacij za potrebe raziskave smo uporabili metodo anketiranja. Kot merski inštrument smo uporabili vprašalnik, ki smo ga postavili na osnovi izhodišč dveh že oblikovanih vprašalnikov ter predhodno analizirane strokovne literature z našega interesnega področja. Rezultati: Izsledki raziskave potrjujejo medsebojni vpliv avtopoietičnih lastnosti in organizacijske energije članov sveta delavcev. Da bi pa lahko preverili vpliv neodvisne spremenljivke na odvisno, bi potrebovali večji vzorec. Rezultati tudi kažejo, da imajo anketirani člani svetov delavcev višjo vrednost kakovostnih kot nekakovostnih energij, kar nakazuje na njihovo konstruktivno uporabo osebnih potencialov. Organizacija: Obstoj medsebojnega vpliva avtopoietičnih lastnosti in organizacijske energije je pomembno spoznanje za organizacije, ki bo lahko prispevalo k razumevanju upravljanja energije zaposlenih. Družba: Izvedena raziskava predstavlja prispevek k novim spoznanjem na področju uresničevanja delavskega soupravljanja v organizacijah v Sloveniji. Originalnost: Tako v Sloveniji kot tudi v svetu obstaja veliko raziskav o obravnavani temi, nismo pa zasledili take, ki bi prepletala organizacijsko energijo in principe avtopoieze v kontekstu delavskega soupravljanja. Omejitve/nadaljnje raziskovanje: Raziskava je potekala v obliki pilotne raziskave za namen preverjanja zanesljivosti vprašalnika. Pilotno anketiranje bi lahko razširili na večji vzorec, vendar smo se zaradi ločitve anketirancev med pilotno in glavno raziskavo odločili, da večji vzorec pridobimo v glavni raziskavi. Poskušali pa smo ublažiti omejitev tako, da smo iskali vzorec, ki je večji od 25, kar je sprejemljiva številka za izvedbo pilotne raziskave za namen testiranja vprašalnika.
The primary school sector, where educational and socialization activities occur, is the first and most important sector for integrating migrant students into a new environment. Nevertheless, the 2019 ...Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) for Slovenia concludes that while Slovenian integration policies provide equality on a legal or theoretical level, they do not fully integrate immigrants into society. Therefore, this research has answered the main research question with a methodologically empirical analysis based on semi-structured interviews with teachers or other professionals in selected primary schools. The study examines the integration of immigrant students into Slovenian primary education, specifically within the pedagogical framework. It explores the challenges encountered by pedagogical and professional staff in this context, as well as the experiences of immigrant students and the overall classroom community throughout the educational process, as reported by the interviewees.
Raziskovalno vprašanje (RV): Pisanje strokovnih in znanstvenih del je za raziskovalce pomembna dejavnost. Pri tem se srečujemo z veliko dilemami, zato smo si zastavili raziskovalno vprašanje, »Kako ...zapisati strokovno ali znanstveno delo, da bi bili pri tem čim bolj učinkoviti in uspešni?«. Namen: Namen in cilj članka je zbrati pravila in priporočila za pravilno pisanje strokovnih in znanstvenih del. Metoda: Kot metodo smo uporabili spoznanja metodologov in raziskovalcev, in lastna spoznanja in izkušnje pri raziskovanju in pisanju strokovnih in znanstvenih del. Rezultati: Rezultat je sistematični nabor priporočil in pravil po poglavjih strokovnih in znanstvenih del. Vsi ti izdelki morajo biti narejeni po IMRaD standardu. Organizacija: Nabor priporočil in pravil je posebej uporaben za izobraževalne in raziskovalne organizacije, oz. za njihove raziskovalce. Družba: Na ravni družbe je inovativnost strateškega pomena in pisanje strokovnih in znanstvenih del prispeva nekaj k temu. Originalnost: Originalnost članka je konceptu »kratkega vodnika« za pisanje strokovnih in znanstvenih del. Omejitve/nadaljnje raziskovanje: Nadaljnje raziskovanje mora iti v smeri še bolj poglobljenih pristopov in tehnik metod raziskovanja in pisanja strokovnih in znanstvenih del.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is a relationship among leadership, action, social, and personal competencies of managers in modern organizational structure types ...and whether a relationship exists between a company's organizational structure and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire was carried out among top managers in Slovene mid- and large-sized companies. The relationship among managerial competencies, the choice of organizational structure type and the company effectiveness were measured with a value-added approach. The method of structural models was used for establishing the affect among individual variables.
Findings
– The results support the hypothesized effect of managerial competencies on a company's organizational structure type. The effect of a modern, horizontal organizational structure on a company's performance and growth on the market facilitates the achievement of higher value added as well as has a direct impact of managerial competencies on a company's performance.
Research limitations/implications
– The study was limited to mid- and large-sized companies in Slovenia. Only top managers were included in the study as they are the ones that are responsible and have the largest influence in creating a company's organizational structure.
Practical implications
– The paper includes implications to those organizations in the process of restructuring and for those companies that are prepared to modify traditional principles of management participation.
Originality/value
– To the authors knowledge no research studies were found that examined the affect and relation of top management competencies with respect to different organizational structures.