Photo of Karin Bredin

Karin Bredin

Associate Professor, Docent

I am an Associate Professor in Business Administration, specializing in Human Resource Management in project-based and temporary work environments. I also work as a project manager at LiU Commissioned Education.

Human Resource Management, Projects, and Knowledge

How can today’s organizations and working life create more sustainable conditions for people to use and develop their knowledge and skills in ways that contribute to innovation and competitiveness?

Organizations characterized by temporary logics, such as project-based work and temporary employment, are particularly interesting in terms of HRM and knowledge management. This type of organization has gained significant popularity in both the private and public sectors, with the project form often highlighted as a superior organizational structure for effectively integrating knowledge.

However, there are also challenges in embedding temporary logics within organizations, particularly regarding the long-term ability to manage and develop personnel, knowledge, and competence. HR strategies and systems face a completely different playing field than the traditional, and the use of temporary employment forms may hinder the long-term development of knowledge and competence. They also do not always protect the people who provide these important resources.

My research is based on an interest in exploring these challenges and how organizations and working life evolve to meet them. Part of my research also involves how the skills of international students educated at Swedish universities can be better utilized in the Swedish labor market. This research is conducted in collaboration with Linköping Science Park, within the Vinnova-funded project Switch-to-Sweden. Read more about the project here: Switch to Sweden - Linköping Science Park.

Currently, my research focuses on three central areas:

  1. How can human resource management be developed for organizations and working life characterized by projects and temporary work forms?
  2. How can specialized knowledge and expertise be promoted when cross-functional working methods dominate?
  3. How can Sweden increase its ability to utilize the knowledge and skills of international students from Swedish universities?

LiU Commissioned Education

I also work as a project manager at LiU Commissioned Education, primarily with programs within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. In my role, I work on developing LiU's range of relevant, scientifically-based education for employers who want to strengthen their employees' skills. Read more about LiU Commissioned Education here: LiU Commissioned Education

Short facts

Academic Qualifications

  • Associate Professor in Business Administration, Linköping University, 2018
  • PhD in Business Administration, Linköping University, 2008
  • MSc in International Economics with a focus on Spanish, Linköping University, 2003

Ongoing assignments

  • Project Manager at LiU Commissioned Education
  • Member of the Swedish Project Academy

Teaching

I teach at both undergraduate and master’s levels within degree programs as well as standalone courses. A significant portion of my teaching and course/program development is within the master’s programs Strategy and Management in International Organizations (SMIO) and Human Resource Management.


Main Courses

  • HRM in Modern Organizations (Master’s level)
  • Strategy and HRM/HRD (Master’s level)
  • HR Work – Development and Models (Bachelor’s level)
  • Leading Creative Change (Master’s level)
  • Thesis in Business Administration & International Business Administration (Master’s level)
  • Thesis in HRM/HRD (Master’s level)

Publications

2023

Karin Bredin (2023) HRM and Projectification: Moving Beyond the 'Project-Based Organization' Concept Projectification of Organizations, Governance and Societies: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Implications, p. 111-130 (Chapter in book) Continue to DOI

2017

Karin Bredin, Cecilia Enberg, Camilla Niss, Jonas Söderlund (2017) Knowledge Integration at Work: Individual Project Competence in Agile Projects Managing Knowledge Integration Across Boundaries, p. 206-226 (Chapter in book) Continue to DOI

2015

Cecilia Enberg, Karin Bredin (2015) Sustained disciplinary expertise in project-based organizations: Horizontal and vertical integration of activity-based solutions
Cecilia Enberg, Karin Bredin (2015) Maintaining and developing disciplinary expertise in project-based organizations: a well-known problem with few solutions?
Karin Bredin, Camilla Niss, Jonas Söderlund (2015) Specialist med bredd eller flerbent generalist: vad utmärker en kunskapsintegrerande projektmedlem? Kunskapsintegration och innovation i en internationaliserande ekonomi: slutrapport från ett forskningsprogram, p. 72-83 (Chapter in book)

Coworkers

Business Administration

Organisation