Post-doc or junior researcher position on Interorganizational Collaboration & Boundary Work in NWO-funded project ‘Learning communities as innovation accelerators’

Research and industry have advocated for setting up Learning Communities as a new form of organizing and creative space in which professionals from various organizations and with different backgrounds and perspectives can work, collaborate, and innovate together. However, insights into how exactly learning communities function and contribute to accelerated innovation continue to be lacking. In this NWO-funded project, we study 13 learning communities (of different sizes, maturities, focus points, etc.) in which professionals experiment and collaborate to push forward matters related to the digital transformation. The Post-doc project uses a boundary work perspective to better comprehend how members of learning communities organize their joint work, coordinate and communicate across organizational and disciplinary differences, make sense of oftentimes broad and vague questions around digital transformation, and so forth. The project constitutes an excellent opportunity to conduct (independent) scientific research on novel forms of organizing and interorganizational collaboration, with numerous committed fieldwork sites to tap into. In addition, this project includes the possibility to directly contribute to pressing questions on how to transform work practices and organize work in the future.

As a Post-doc researcher (or junior researcher) in this project, your job is to

• Design and conduct longitudinal qualitative case studies (ideally of ethnographic nature) to better understand how organization, collaboration, and innovation processes unfold and can be best facilitated in spaces where professionals from various backgrounds and organizations come together.
• Work independently on your own research, while remaining a close relation with other researchers in the project team as well as with stakeholders and professionals of the involved learning communities.  
• Report and present your findings for both scientific and non-scientific audiences (e.g., at scientific conferences, in journal publications, or during workshops with practitioners).

The Post-doc position is funded by NWO and is part of the project CLIC-IT: Communities of Learning and Innovation in ICT to accelerate digital transformation . Besides the Post-doc (or junior researcher), a PhD-student and multiple other (junior and senior) researchers are working on this project. Several partners collaborate in the project, including Saxion Hogeschool, Hanzehogeschool Groningen, Fontys Hogeschool and Hogeschool Windesheim. The 13 involved learning communities are located across the Netherlands and represent in total more than 500 firms, stakeholders, and educational institutions (including also the Dutch AI coalition and the Centre for Safety and Digitalization). The large consortium of learning communities are committed to the research project and provide excellent sites for data collection and/or more impact-directed research approaches.

Your application should include the following documents:

• a cover letter (in English or Dutch) which explains your interest in the position and your qualifications for it;
• a curriculum vitae;
• a copy of your PhD-thesis or, if it is not yet available, an outline and summary of your thesis and one of your scientific papers.

Applications should be uploaded via www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en (click twice to find vacancy). Since only three documents can be uploaded per application, please combine documents if needed.

The application deadline is March 31st. Interviews will be held April 12th or 15th. The starting date for the position is ideally September or October 2024 (but sooner is also possible).

For additional information about this position, or to receive the full text of the research proposal funded by NWO, you can contact dr. Ellen Nathues ([email protected] / +31534891504).

More information about the department of Professional Learning & Technology can be found on the following website: https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/plt/

Researchers in our section study formal and informal learning of (future) employees, including the use of technology to measure and support professional learning. More broadly, we also study professional learning in relation to the collaboration and innovation processes of professionals, particularly so in multidisciplinary settings and new forms of organizing (such as learning communities or living labs). Our studies often take place in the high-tech, health, and educational sectors with the intention to understand, evaluate, and optimize (inter)professional and (inter)organizational learning, collaboration, and innovation in these various contexts. Increasingly, the settings we study revolve around grand challenges and wicked problems, such as the transitions to green energy and circularity or matters of digital transformation. To contribute to these challenges, we also design and evaluate (technology-based) interventions to optimize professional learning, innovation, and collaboration. In our research group, we combine expertise from a range of disciplines (e.g., educational sciences, psychology, business administration, organization studies, communication science).

The Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social sciences (BMS) aims to play a key role in understanding, jointly developing and evaluating innovations in society. Technological developments are the engine of innovation. As a technical university that puts people first, we tailor them to human needs and behavior and use social engineering to integrate them into society. We also ensure adequate governance at public and private level, and robust, inclusive and fair organizational structures. We do this by developing, sharing and applying high-quality knowledge in Psychology, Business Administration, Public Administration, Communication Sciences, Philosophy, Educational Sciences and Health Sciences. Our research and education in these disciplines revolves around tackling and solving societal challenges. The research programs of BMS are closely linked to the research of the UT institutes Mesa+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.

As an employer, the Faculty of BMS offers work that matters. We equip you to create new possibilities for yourself and for our society. With us, you will become part of a leading technical university with increasing, positive social impact. We offer an open, inclusive and entrepreneurial atmosphere, in which we encourage you to make healthy choices, for example through our flexible, adaptable benefits.