Morten Levin
Encyclopedia
Morten Levin is a Norwegian sociologist and Professor of Organization and Work Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
(NTNU). He has formerly been a Research Director at SINTEF
and has worked for the Royal Norwegian Defense Research Establishment
and universities throughout Scandinavia and at Cornell University
. His research focuses on change in organizations, especially with a view to the importance of the interaction between technology and organization. He has contributed to the epistemological and methodological basis of action research
, and has published books and articles on organization and management, organizational development and action research.
Levin studied mechanical engineering and graduated with a master's degree in Operations Research and
Economics in 1971. In 1981, he earned a PhD (mag.art.) in sociology. He joined the then-University of Trondheim as an assistant professor in 1976, was promoted to associate professor in 1982 and full professor in 1992.
He was a member of an international committee evaluating the entire Danish PhD education in 2006. He is a member of the editorial boards of Systemic Practice and Action Research, Action Research, Action Research International, Handbook of Qualitative Inquiery and Handbook of Action Research.
, and was one of the initiators of a petition that NTNU boycott Israel for the reason that "since 1948 the state of Israel has occupied Palestinian land and denied the Palestinians basic human rights". Together with Ann Rudinow Sætnan (an American-born Jewish Professor of Sociology at NTNU) and Rune Skarstein
, he organized a conference on the Middle East conflict in 2009, attracting scholars such as Ilan Pappe
, Stephen Walt
and Moshe Zuckermann. Israel's embassy in Norway protested against the conference. Alan M. Dershowitz used the conference as an example of Norwegian academia being "one-sided" and "anti-semitic" in a 2011 op-ed. In a 2009 op-ed in Adresseavisen
, Levin criticized the labelling of critics of Israel as "Anti-semites", describing it as the "daily dose of propaganda from pro-Israeli organizations and media".
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology , commonly known as NTNU, is located in Trondheim. NTNU is the second largest of the eight universities in Norway, and, as its name suggests, has the main national responsibility for higher education in engineering and technology...
(NTNU). He has formerly been a Research Director at SINTEF
SINTEF
SINTEF , headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, is the largest independent research organisation in Scandinavia. Every year, SINTEF supports research and development at 2,000 or so Norwegian and overseas companies via its research and development activity....
and has worked for the Royal Norwegian Defense Research Establishment
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
and universities throughout Scandinavia and at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. His research focuses on change in organizations, especially with a view to the importance of the interaction between technology and organization. He has contributed to the epistemological and methodological basis of action research
Action research
Action research or participatory action research – is a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "community of practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems. Action research is done simply by action,...
, and has published books and articles on organization and management, organizational development and action research.
Levin studied mechanical engineering and graduated with a master's degree in Operations Research and
Economics in 1971. In 1981, he earned a PhD (mag.art.) in sociology. He joined the then-University of Trondheim as an assistant professor in 1976, was promoted to associate professor in 1982 and full professor in 1992.
He was a member of an international committee evaluating the entire Danish PhD education in 2006. He is a member of the editorial boards of Systemic Practice and Action Research, Action Research, Action Research International, Handbook of Qualitative Inquiery and Handbook of Action Research.
Views on Israel
Morten Levin, who is Jewish, is also a critic of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and was one of the initiators of a petition that NTNU boycott Israel for the reason that "since 1948 the state of Israel has occupied Palestinian land and denied the Palestinians basic human rights". Together with Ann Rudinow Sætnan (an American-born Jewish Professor of Sociology at NTNU) and Rune Skarstein
Rune Skarstein
Rune Skarstein is a Norwegian radical economist employed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Skarstein was born on 7 April 1940 in the village of Olden in Nordfjord in Western Norway....
, he organized a conference on the Middle East conflict in 2009, attracting scholars such as Ilan Pappe
Ilan Pappé
Ilan Pappé is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, director of the university's European Centre for Palestine Studies, co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies, and political activist...
, Stephen Walt
Stephen Walt
Stephen Martin Walt is a professor of international affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Among his most prominent works are and . He coauthored The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy with John Mearsheimer.-Education and career:In 1983, he received a Ph.D. in...
and Moshe Zuckermann. Israel's embassy in Norway protested against the conference. Alan M. Dershowitz used the conference as an example of Norwegian academia being "one-sided" and "anti-semitic" in a 2011 op-ed. In a 2009 op-ed in Adresseavisen
Adresseavisen
Adresseavisen is a regional newspaper published daily, except Sundays, in Trondheim, Norway. It is an independent, conservative newspaper with a daily circulation of approximately 85,000. It is also informally known as Adressa. The newspaper covers the areas of Trøndelag and Nordmøre.Adresseavisen...
, Levin criticized the labelling of critics of Israel as "Anti-semites", describing it as the "daily dose of propaganda from pro-Israeli organizations and media".
Selected publications
- Davydd Greenwood, Morten Levin, Introduction to Action Research: Social Research for Social Change, SAGE PublicationsSAGE PublicationsSAGE is an independent academic publisher of books, journals, and electronic products in the humanities and social sciences and the scientific, technical, and medical fields. SAGE was founded in 1965 by George McCune and Sara Miller McCune. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California,...
, 2006 - Morten Levin, Researching Enterprise Development: Action Research on the Cooperation Between Management and Labour in Norway, John Benjamins Publishing Co, 2002
- Morten Levin, Roger Klev, Forandring som praksis: Læring og utvikling i organisasjoner, Fagbokforlaget, 2002
- Morten Levin, Nonverbal Communication Across Disciplines: Culture, Sensory Interaction, Speech, Conversation, John Benjamins Pub Co, 2002