Call for Book Chapters: “Look to Norway!” Leveraging Norwegian Organizational Practices for Global Challenges

Introduction

As the world grapples with unprecedented global challenges, including rapid technological changes, environmental sustainability, and evolving workforce dynamics, there is a growing need to explore innovative organizational practices that can offer solutions. Norway's unique societal and organizational culture, characterized by high trust, respect, openness, and humanistic orientation, provides a rich context for such explorations. This book aims to harness these Norwegian practices, emphasizing humanistic approaches to personal growth, well-being, and facilitative leadership, to address global organizational issues.

Objective

This edited volume seeks to bring together a collection of chapters that demonstrate how Norwegian organizational practices can be applied globally to solve pressing challenges. Chapters will include both private and public sectors, including initiatives of organizing change in societies building upon cooperation across different sectors. By combining the insights of practitioners and academics, and integrating perspectives from both Norwegian and international backgrounds, the book aims to offer a diverse and comprehensive understanding of how fostering environments of trust, respect, involvement, and transparency can lead to more effective and humane organizational practices worldwide.

Target Audience

This publication is designed for a diverse audience, including:

• Business leaders and managers at all levels
• Human Resources professionals
• Organizational development consultants
• Academics and students specializing in business, leadership, and organizational studies, especially executive management education
• Policymakers interested in organizational and cultural development

Suggested Topics

Contributors are encouraged to address themes that include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Trust and Openness:

• Case studies on building and maintaining trust in organizations.
• Strategies for enhancing openness and learning processes inside and in between organizations.

2. Innovative Leadership and Co-leadership:

• Exploration of 'medarbeiderskap' (followership) and its role in enhancing leadership effectiveness and personal development.
• Comparative studies on facilitative and authoritative leadership styles.

3. Cultural Integration and Global Application:

• How Norwegian practices can be adapted/integrated to different cultural contexts globally.
• Success stories of Norwegian organizational practices implemented abroad.

4. Employee Well-being and Personal Growth:

• Programs and policies that promote employee well-being and personal development.
• Impact of humanistic management practices on organizational performance.

5. Inclusive and Participatory Work Environments:

• Methods for fostering employee involvement and delegation in decision-making.
• Impact of open communication and respect on organizational innovation.

Submission Guidelines

Authors are invited to submit chapter proposals of approximately 500-1000 words, detailing the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Proposals should clearly articulate how the chapter will integrate Norwegian practices with global applicability. We are most interested in chapters with multiple authors with diverse histories, combining practitioners and academics, and Norwegian and non-Norwegian backgrounds.

Timeline
• Proposal Submission Deadline: 1st April 2025
• Notification of Acceptance: 1st May 2025
• Full Chapter Submission: 15th August 2025
• Review Results Returned: 15th September 2025
• Final Chapter Submission: 15th October 2025
• Publication Date: 1st March 2026

Submission Procedure

Chapters must be original and not previously published elsewhere. Submissions should be sent via email to bze@human-factors.no with the subject line "Chapter Submission – Look to Norway". Each submission will undergo a peer review process, ensuring the highest standards of scholarly rigor and practical relevance.

Editorial Contact

For more information or to discuss potential contributions, please contact: Bjørn Z. Ekelund. Chairman of Human Factors AS, Oslo, Norway. bze@human-factors.no. Tlf + 47 908 75 547.

Bjørn Z. Ekelund, psychologist, MBA, has been leading the consultation company Human Factors AS since 1992 and is most known in Norway and worldwide for the concept of Diversity Icebreaker (www.diverstyicebreaker.com) that he and his colleagues developed in Norway. The concept has been applied in more than 75 countries. He has contributed to business and research in cross-cultural management for the last 25 years.

Conclusion

This book seeks to provide a platform for sharing Norwegian organizational practices that are exemplary in fostering environments of trust, transparency, and humanistic values and how these can be translated to serve global needs. We look forward to your contributions and to fostering a dialogue that bridges Norwegian and international perspectives on organizational excellence.