Young NHH researcher awarded publication prize

Silje Rydland Skaar has been awarded the Odd Nordhaug Memorial Prize. The PhD candidate receives the award for the best article published in the journal «Beta» in 2019 and 2020.

Odd Nordhaug Memorial Prize

The Odd Nordhaug Memorial Prize is an honor to the great effort Professor Odd Nordhaug (1953–2013) made for research in general and for the dissemination of Scandinavian research in particular. He was for many years editor of Beta. The award is given by the department. The prize was established in collaboration with Beta.

This week, Silje Rydland Skaar received the Odd Nordhaug Memorial Prize 2021, which this year prioritises young researchers.

Someone to lean on

Skaar receives the award and NOK 15 000 for her research article «Someone to Lean On: First-Line Manager´ s Change Agency Across Distance». The article was published in Beta June 2020.

Silje R Skaar — `It is incredibly motivating to be able to share results from my research and contribute to new knowledge´, Silje Rydland Skaar says.

`It' s great to receive this award, and it may lead to more people reading the article. As a researcher you always want as many people as possible to read and benefit from your research´, says Skaar.

Professor emerita at the Department of Strategy and Management, Ingeborg Astrid Kleppe, is head juror and editor-in-chief of Beta:

`The jury says that this is a very well developed study of how first-line managers’ assume different strategies for change agency in a Scandinavian energy company. Skaar excites the reader with in-depth field data, which she theorizes in a systematic and creative way. In doing so, the author argues how her findings extend existing theory and thereby she pushes the frontier for further studies´, says Kleppe.

The first runner up is Halvdan Haugsbakken for his article A Research Literature Study of Enterprise Social Media Platforms in Organizations. He receives NOK 5 000 for his published article. The jury says that this a very solid review article that establishes a platform other researchers can use to positon their own studies in this field.

‘It’s a privilege to take a degree programme that is so sought after by businesses and is part of the reason why I chose NHH. I knew there were good job prospects at the end of the programme,’ says the NHH master's student Nils-Fredrik Solem. PHOTO: Helge Skodvin

‘Knew there were good job prospects’

Master’s degree student Nils-Fredrik Solem (25) is set to graduate with a business economics degree this summer. He was offered a permanent position with successful start-up Forte_Digital in September.

NHH students found relevant work after their studies

A massive 97 per cent of students who graduated with a master's degree from NHH in spring 2020 and who have jobs are in relevant employment. Most were offered a job before completing their degree.

`Useful experience`

Silje Rydland Skaar is now finishing her doctoral dissertation at the Department of Strategy and Management and will start a new job at Tryg Forsikring this spring. Here she will work as a consultant in strategy and change management processes.

In the midst of a very hectic period, the award is a very welcome recognition. She recommends other doctoral students within the field to consider publishing their research in Beta.

Ingeborg A Kleppe — Ingeborg Astrid Kleppe, Professor Emerita at the Department of Strategy and Management.

`It is incredibly motivating to be able to share results from my research and contribute to new knowledge. For me, the publication process and the feedback from the experts has been a really useful experience´.

Special Issue

Beta is a with peer reviewed journal, where anonymous researchers evaluate the article's quality and contribution.

`BETA had a special issue with dedicated collections of articles that highlighted the topic of strategic change, which I felt was quite exiciting. First-line leaders are often forgotten, and I saw an opportunity to contribute with knowledge within the field. First-line managers are at a low operational level, with no managers below them, but also at this level, change management is important´, says Skaar.

`What Skaar says about contributing with knowledge is important, and also I think young researchers benefit from the publishing process, like the one in Beta. When they submit articles to the BETA editorial staff, we go to great lengths in order to help PhD candidates in their publication process.

Hawrylko voted one of Norway's best tech-heads

In 2017, NHH graduate Izabella Hawrylko (28) took up a coveted position with Microsoft. Last year, she ended in third place in E24’s ranking of the best tech-heads in the country.