Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Work Innovation

 

Special Issue on: "Work Innovation in Emerging Economies"

Guest Editors:
Martha Corrales and Héctor Pérez, EGADE Business School, Mexico
Víctor López, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama
Francesc Miralles, Ramon Llull University, Spain
Cecilia Martínez, Clarkson University, USA

It is claimed that the only future and sustainable source of value creation, leadership and competitive advantage for organisations is the design and implementation of new forms of work structures based on networks, mobility, virtuality, and communities (Keen and Williams, 2012). In this perspective, new work models based on competence, trust, communication, collaboration and coordination are promoted (Martinez and Corrales, 2011).

In this context, the consideration of emerging economies is of particular interest. The mainstream literature in management presents emerging economies as offering an opportunity platform and value engine because their domestic markets are growing fast, creating opportunities for setting up extended value chains incorporating know-how. Also, human capital with high skills and technical capabilities is available, and its wages are highly competitive (Karandikar and Nidamarthi, 2006).

Companies need to develop and build presence in emerging economies to better understand markets and customers, to deliver value on competitive terms and to incorporate competent resources not available at a single location (Nicholas, Pick and Roztocki, 2010; Zhang, Gregory and Shi, 2008). New opportunities require 21^st century organisations cooperating across national, economic and social boundaries to compete in the global economy (lewis, Pajwa, Pervan et al., 2007).

These claims are deeply oriented towards a liberal market economy, mainly inspired by occidental views on the conditions of economic growth; trying to impose this single perspective of development could be viewed as a form of postcolonialism.

In this special issue, we tend to (a) identify effective work innovation strategies, designs, processes, platforms and programmes that distinguish new forms of work that are demonstrably effective for emerging economies,and (b) produce a critique of such visions of work innovation in the specific context of emerging economies.In sum, we seek papers that are able to contribute answers to the performative question: “How does work innovation help emerging economies to build a more effective organisation that adds to the enterprise’s ability to exploit real innovation?”

Additional considerations that the editors view as positive additions to the formal requirements are:

1. Original work by work innovation researchers which presents new approaches, theoretical grounding and methodology.
2. Style and attractive presentation; the goal of the issue is for it to have influence in work innovation communities, amongst researchers, work innovation professionals, human capital executives and educators.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

• Forms of work innovation as diverse as organisational design, communication skills and international/global collaboration processes, networked organisations and communities of practice, global virtual teams and work innovation frameworks.
• Criticism of work innovation in emerging economies, which must draw upon post-colonialism studies, Marxist studies, labour process theory, etc.

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper has been completely re-written and if appropriate written permissions have been obtained from any copyright holders of the original paper).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process.

All papers must be submitted online. To submit a paper, please read our Submitting articles page.

Questions about the special issue should be addressed to the Guest Editor, Martha Corrales (mcorrales@itesm.mx).

Important Dates

Manuscripts due by: 2 August, 2013

Notification to authors: 27 October, 2013

Final versions due by: 31 December, 2013