Professor Üksvärava koolkond juhtimisteaduses: teke, toimimine ja mõjud majandusele

Abstract:

This article analyses one quite unique case of international knowledge transfer, which occurred in this time Soviet Estonia from 1960s onwards – the importing of modern US based organisational and management theories to Estonia and adapting and using new approaches and methods in the conditions of planned economy. This process was related to the activity of “founding father” of the Estonian school of thought in management and management development, professor Raoul Üksvärav (1928–2016).

The author tries to describe this phenomenon and to explain how this transfer achieved certain results in Estonia. The analysis is partially based on the organisational emulation concept by the US researcher R. Vidmer. The question about impact of this knowledge transfer on the later transition of Estonia to market economy is also addressed in the paper.