Rune Bjerke

Prof. Dr. Rune Bjerke

Leadership & Organization, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

8Years (2019-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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5 March 2021 in Journal of Sport & Tourism
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
Rune BjerkeRune Bjerke
Rune Bjerke
HNHans Erik Naess
Hans Erik Naess
This paper addresses the 2018 Zürich E Prix as a sport event brand and the city of Zürich as a key co-creator. We applied a conceptual and exploratory approach in a service-dominant logic (SDL) and co-creation perspective. Next to analysing the motor sport event and relevant documents related to the world championship, we interviewed a key informant representing the organising committee, which acted as the main co-creator. First, this paper offers a new understanding of the development of green sports event brands where a city plays a significant role. For instance, green city policy making, networking strategy and collaboration with stakeholders, logistical innovation, green event leadership, flexible management, and green social norms are areas, where a city can contribute substantially. The findings, supported by existing theory, are summarised in a conceptual model consisting of the green event support system and the formation of the green sports event brand. Further, based on relevant cross-disciplinary theories, the motor sport event case, information about the FIA Formula E world championship, and findings related to the strategic role of Zürich, we propose a co-creation framework consisting of four steps: (1) the strategy and support system: (2) the sports event experience; (3) the green sports event brand development; and (4) the event evaluation. This suggested framework for a green sports event brand serves as a guideline for developing a green sports event brand in a city new to the sports event tourism literature.

8 April 2019 in Journal of Services Marketing
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
RPRosemary Polegato
Rosemary Polegato
Rune BjerkeRune Bjerke
Rune Bjerke
Purpose: This paper aims to explore the nature and relationships among the dimensions that constitute expectations, anticipation and post-experience assessment of cultural events, before and after an aesthetic experience, namely, a live Norwegian opera or ballet performance. Design/methodology/approach: A triangulation approach is used to combine qualitative and quantitative analyses. Quantitative data collection was conducted at the site before and after a performance experience. Findings: Expectations, anticipation and post-experience assessment are found to be multi-dimensional. Expectations and anticipation are identified as distinct constructs. Three dimensions of expectations of quality are extrinsic cues: building and functional attributes, available services and level of employee service. In addition, two dimensions of pre-experience anticipation are identified: anticipation of information gathering activities and anticipation of the event. Post-experience assessment has two dimensions: satisfaction and pride in the building. Two post-experience associations are enthusiasm and inclusiveness. Anticipation of the event and enthusiasm, not expectations, are found to be predictors of satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: An understanding of the role of anticipation in consumer engagement and satisfaction with aesthetic experiences could be broadened and enriched by studies that include other service or arts disciplines and within a more complex model of consumer engagement. Originality/value: Anticipation is a significant pre-experience phenomenon. Enthusiasm is identified as a post-experience association.

Rune BjerkeRune Bjerke
Rune Bjerke
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) states that Norway faces several major health challenges. Sick leave is at 6% and costs employers approximately EUR 1.75 billion annually. The NIPH proposes, with the support of the Public Health Act and the national strategy HealthCare21, that preventive measures should be developed to address negative lifestyle factors in order to decrease the number of new cases in the related disease groups (e.g., stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity). The purpose of this article is to answer why and how organisations should develop a health-promoting performance culture and to provide a conceptual model displaying the importance of this type of culture for organisational performance. To boost the national health standard as a consequence of employee physical activity at work, I suggest additional occupational safety and health (OSH) directives. Based on cross-disciplinary theorizing, I propose a definition of a health-promoting performance culture. This kind of culture consists of dimensions such as health objectives, shared health values, supportive health environment, goal-oriented and value-based behaviour of leaders and employees, and a winning mindset. In addition, the article underscores the importance of related individual HR drivers like fun at work, engagement, physical and mental health for increasing organisational performance. The company cases used in this paper, Schibsted, Gjensidige, Findus and Wilhelmsen, and findings from five in-depth interviews, indicate that health-promoting activities are the result of either an HR strategy or individuals’ initiative and voluntariness among the companies’ sports enthusiasts. The case of Findus exemplifies an ongoing development toward a health-promoting performance culture and the importance of leaders’ participation. The findings support several elements of the conceptual model showing the relations between a health-promoting performance culture, individual HR drivers and organisational performance. A framework for developing a health-promoting performance culture in practice is presented.

9 March 2020 in European Sport Management Quarterly
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
Rune BjerkeRune Bjerke
Rune Bjerke
IEIngunn Elvekrok
Ingunn Elvekrok
Research question: This study investigates the impact of a healthcare portal and employee attitude toward a healthcare program on sponsorship-based employee motivation to do physical exercises. Research methods: Applying a case methodology, the sponsorship object was the Norwegian National Cross-Country Skiing Team, and the sponsor was Aker, a major international corporation involved in fishing, offshore construction and engineering. By means of mixed methods, qualitative data were collected from 10 employees and then, quantitative data from 544 employees were used to test the hypotheses. Results and Findings: The findings show that the user-friendliness of the healthcare portal, and the attitude towards the health care program are significant predictors of employees’ sponsorship-based motivation to do physical exercises. These findings held when controlling for sex, education, income, portal usage, and physical activity level. Implications: These findings have practical implications for sponsors and the use of sponsorships as a strategic tool to improve employee matters. ‘The Internal CSR and Sponsorship-linked Health Care Strategy Model’ is presented. This paper establishes connections between internal sponsorship activation, employee health care program, and their motivation to do physical exercise.

9 September 2024 in Administrative Sciences
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Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Rune BjerkeRune Bjerke
Rune Bjerke
The purpose of this conceptual and explorative study is to document the advantages of health-promoting self-leadership practice. Professional certification programs are criticized due to a lack of practice among participants, involvement, and short duration. This study is based on self-leadership practices over several weeks of two executive MBA student classes from spring 2020 and 2021. A preliminary theoretical framework is developed suggesting that health-promoting self-leadership, which includes three orientations, has an impact on self-efficacy, mental fitness, and performance. Two different self-leadership classes with managers from the public and private sectors went through a self-development process as a semester project. The content analyses of 112 student reports unfolded students’ self-development processes and results identified in diaries, notes, tables, training schedules, and reflections. The findings, based on two different samples and aggregated data, support the theoretical framework. Moreover, the processes of self-development and self-leadership seem to be advantageous for almost all managers. The health-promoting self-leadership practice improved managers’ mental and physical fitness, energy balance, self-efficacy beliefs, and performance. These outcomes were achieved through physical activity, self-talk, meditative exercises, reward systems, visualizing, diet programs, and routines. The findings underscore the importance of self-development processes amongst managers, and that health-promoting self-leadership courses should last over several weeks.

2 July 2025 in Businesses
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
Rune BjerkeRune Bjerke
Rune Bjerke
The purpose of this conceptual and explorative study is to investigate whether health-promoting self-leadership could be used as a coping strategy enabling employees to deal with negative emotions in an organizational change process, providing a conceptual framework. A total of 18 faculty members from a Nordic university college were interviewed about their experiences, perceptions, and emotional reactions. The study reveals that new IT-systems; heavier workloads; and a lack of involvement, trust, and information, in particular, were stated to be the main reasons for negative emotions, detachment from the university-status aim, and the disruption of employee work–life balance. A few faculty members practiced fragments of what, in theory, is defined as health-promoting self-leadership to successfully manage the organizational change processes. Some were unconscious of their self-leadership practices, while others had no tools to enable them to cope with changes, leading to negative emotions. I discuss the findings regarding health-promoting self-leadership practice based on self-leadership, change management, and emotion theory. Based on both the findings in this study and relevant theories regarding self-leadership and coping strategies, I propose a health-promoting self-leadership-based coping model that could provide both individual and organizational health and performance benefits.