Professionalism and bureaucracy tend to be understood as incompatible systems of work organization, represented by the ideals of collegiality and auton-omy versus control and supervision. I present a historical case study from early 20th century Norway examining the potential clash between efforts made toward professionalization and bureaucratization in industry. Based on my findings, I argue that there is neither an inherent conflict between professionalism and bureaucracy nor static national trajectories at the level of professional versus bureaucratic work organization.
Many of the papers about skiing injuries in Norway have been epidemiological with identification of groups of skiers at risk. Other papers have studied adjustment and testing of release bindings and evaluated specific brands and types of bindings. The disclosed injury data called for preventive measures, and an Alpine Skiing Safety Council was established in 1984 with representatives from the main skiing-related organizations and the state authorities.
The council has worked to promote and coordinate the work for skiing safety in each organization, and plans of action have been made for five target areas (skiing equipment, skiing injuries, skiing ability and behavior, ski slopes, and rescue service). Parts of these plans have already been implemented.
An improved economy has generated more common initiatives from the council, and a second national conference on skiing safety was arranged in Oslo in November 1987.
This article investigates how the Norwegian Engineering Association responded to challenges from Americanization and industrial democracy in the period from 1945 to 1980. This period was the heydays of the engineering way to top management positions in Norway. The engineering way was justified with reference to the engineers technical 'Fachkompetenz'. As in many countries, Norway became subject for an institutional push toward Americanization of management the first decades after WW2. This process challenged the engineering way to management by propagating the need for management education. In Norway, there was not a smooth and swift process of Americanization of management and business. Rather, the Norwegian trajectory is a complex set of international and national influences and agendas. Primarily, Norwegian management practice was from the 1970s shaped by a political push for industrial democracy that was initiated by the Labor party and the labor movement in the 1960s. The process of introducing industrial democracy challenged both the traditional engineering way and the American way of making managers in Norway. This article unpacks how the Engineering Association responded to the challenges from Americanization and industrial democracy.
Purpose-The construction industry is considered worldwide to be a dangerous industry because of its high rate of fatal accidents and serious injuries. This study aims to find ways to improve this situation by focusing on how to improve competence on health and safety (H&S) among newly graduated construction engineers in Norway. Design/Methodology/Approach-In Norway, the regional safety representatives (RSRs) are considered to be cornerstones in ensuring H&S in the construction industry. Information in this study was gathered by conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 RSRs. Findings-The results show that RSRs believe that while construction engineers have sufficient theoretical competence on H&S; however, many seem to lack the practical competence needed to ensure and implement H&S measures. The informants underline the importance of work practice on construction sites as part of the education as key to improve H&S competence among graduates. Research Limitations/Implications-Input on possible improvements is collected from only one group of stakeholders in the industry. Other stakeholders might have valuable input that should be considered before concluding what improvements in the education are most effective. Practical Implications-The findings may help to decide upon and implement improvements in the education of construction engineers and, thus, contribute to a safer and healthier industry in the future. Originality/Value-The stakeholder perspective of RSRs on education of construction engineers has not been considered in earlier research despite the fact that they represent vital competence on H&S in the construction industry. This study aims to fill some of this gap.
Forsker II ved Institutt for rettsvitenskap og styring, Handelshøyskolen BI. pal.nygaard@bi.no 1. Jeg vil takke de anonyme fagfellene for nyttige kommentarer. I tillegg vil jeg takke Knut Sogner, Ketil Gjølme Andersen, Viktor Wikstrøm, Dag Thomassen og Fridtjov Øwre for kommentarer til tidligere utkast, og en saerlig takk til Pål Thonstad Sandvik for verdifulle kommentarer.
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