Call for papers: "Work Innovation in Emerging Economies"

For a special issue of the International Journal of Work Innovation.

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. Again, 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, their human capital, with high skills and technical capabilities, is available, and the 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 21st century organisations, cooperating across national, economic and social boundaries to compete in the global economy (Lewis, Pajwa, Pervan et al., 2007).

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 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:

• Original work by work innovation researchers that shares new approaches, theoretical groundings and methodologies.
• Style and attractive presentation; the goal for the issue is to have influence in work innovation communities, e.g. on researchers, work innovation professionals, human capital executives and educators.

Suitable topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Forms of work innovation that should be considered may be as diverse as organisational design, communication skills and international/global collaboration processes
• Value creation from networked organisations, communities of practice and global virtual teams
• Critical success factors and business cases when implementing work innovation frameworks
• Critics on work innovation in emerging economies must draw on labour or process theory, etc.

Important Dates

Submission of manuscripts: 15 November, 2014