Project: Network-centric organisation of human capital and talent
Human resources and talent are the most important drivers of organisational innovation, organisational learning and sustainable performance. Literature already acknowledges that the HR function is shared beyond the HR department. The PhD-project is aimed at better understanding the possibilities and difficulties for organising human resources in employer networks, thereby acknowledging that HR is shared beyond organisations as well. In this respect, different types of (inter-organisational) networks have initiated possibilities to optimise and share the availability and use of human talent in work by personnel exchange, while delivering possibilities for developing employability and employment security to individuals at the same time, instead of job security, previously. The question is to what extent these networks, more specifically their network-centric organisation of employment, improve talent use by organisations, and contribute to organisational learning and creating sustainable careers. Meanwhile, networks encounter several types of difficulties. For example, legal and social security issues need to be addressed. In addition, a lack of knowledge and understanding on (optimal) functioning of these networks is hampering their role and goal. Hence, this project aims to understand possible configurations of factors that may play a role in organising work and human resources and talent in networks, and their outcomes, for both organisations and individuals. In doing so, this research contributes to developing sustainable HRM at the (inter)organisational level and more sustainable careers at the individual level.
The proposed PhD-project will be positioned in the area of sustainable HRM and Organisational learning and embedded in the research field of prof. dr. Semeijn and prof. dr. Caniëls, the advisors of this PhD-project. Prof. dr. Semeijn’s research focusses on sustainable HRM and careers, and the research of prof. dr. Caniëls extends to organisational learning, resilience and social networks.

Tasks
80% research
20% teaching, i.e. thesis supervision and creation of online learning materials.

The successful candidate is expected to hold a (Research) Master degree in economics or business with course work or specialisation in HR or careers, or Organisation studies. The candidate should have affinity with and knowledge of the above topics as well as a strong foundation in economics, and econometrics. Furthermore, he or she should have a demonstrated ability to perform research in this field, as shown by excellent grades for courses in at least some of these respective fields. The candidate should be open to various research methods, e.g. be willing to work with, for example, large proprietary datasets. Very good command of spoken and written English is required. Dutch language skills are beneficial but not required.

Fixed-term contract: for a period of 12 months. The appointment will be extended to four years when progress and performance are good.

The PhD candidate will be appointed for a period of 12 months (max. 38 hours per week). The appointment will be extended to four years when progress and performance are good.
The salary will be determined on the basis of your education, experience and qualifications but will be in accordance with the general salary scale P of the CLA-NU. The salary is € 2.325,= gross per month in the first year and is expected to increase to € 2.972,= in the fourth year, for a full time appointment, contingent on satisfactory performance.
The Open University provides good secondary benefits such as training and mobility.

Open Universiteit

Studying online anywhere in the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders)
The Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL) is the university in the Netherlands where students study part-time and follow online and activating education in bachelor and master degree programmes in seven fields of study. Characteristics of the education are openness, flexibility and quality. Enhancing the study success of students is an important point of focus. More than 14.000 students are studying at the OUNL and it has 655 employees. The OUNL has a network of regional study centres in the Netherlands and in Belgium (Flanders) (https://www.ou.nl/studiecentra). The head office is situated in Heerlen.
The most modern technologies and educational insights are applied in bachelor and master programmes and courses and also in projects and programmes with partners. Nationally and internationally the OUNL plays a key role in the innovation of higher education. Education and research are closely interrelated which guarantees that the current state of science is applied. The OUNL not only invests in research in the various academic disciplines, but also in research in the field of learning, teaching and technology.

Satisfied students
For several consecutive years, the OUNL has achieved a top position among the fourteen Dutch universities in the National Students Survey, the Dutch university guide ‘Keuzegids Universiteiten’ (in which the ratings by students and experts of the bachelor studies of the fourteen universities are compared), and the Dutch university guide ‘Keuzegids Masters’. In addition all studies score high in the rankings of the universities for these studies. All ratings are available on the website (http://www.ou.nl).

http://www.ou.nl

Faculty of Management, Science & Technology

The Faculty of Management, Science & Technology (MST) is one of the three faculties of the Open University of the Netherlands. Education, research and valorisation are the main tasks of the faculty. MST offers academic bachelor and master programmes in the fields of management, environmental science and computer science. Additionally the faculty offers a Liberal Arts & Sciences bachelor program as well as short programmes for professionals (certified professional programs), who aim at gaining more in-depth knowledge. The research program centers on Learning and Innovation in Resilient Systems and is characterized by its multidisciplinary approach. The faculty has a large number of PhD-students who conduct research on various current topics within this research program. As a result of the interdisciplinary focus on education and research, as well as the close link with practice, work at this faculty provides innovative and challenging opportunities.

Department Organisation
The Organisation department develops its field of expertise in collaboration with companies, universities, colleges, governments, professional organisations and, last but not least, students and PhD students. Research and education are designed in interaction with each other. The department conducts research in all areas of Organisational change and development and HRM and career management.

Issues related to sustainability in society and business have been gaining importance over the past years. Sustainable HRM and career management can contribute to more sustainable business models and practices. In the proposed PhD-project will be investigated how network-centric organization of human talent and the HR-practices used for this purpose can play a role in current society. With the focus on sustainability, the Organisation department contributes to the research of the Management, Science & Technology faculty as part of the faculty-wide research programme in Resilience.

Members of the department are members of the (guest) editorial boards of several leading Dutch and international academic journals in relevant fields, such as Employee Relations, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Sustainability and Gedrag & Organisatie. Members of the Department also publish in these and other leading journals in the field (COSUST, Career Development International, International Journal of Project Management, International Journal of Human Resource Management). Supervisors of the PhD-project have expert knowledge in HRM, career management, employability and organisational learning.