Patricia Elgoibar is a postdoctoral researcher at the Universitat de Barcelona Business School. She joined the Department of Business at the Faculty of Economics and Business last September. Previously she was assistant professor and academic director of the MSc in International Business Negotiation at IESEG School of Management (Paris). In this interview, she shares with us her thought and impressions about her past few months at the University of Barcelona.

It’s already been seven months since you joined the UB Business School as a postdoctoral researcher. What do you think of the experience thus far?

My experience is very positive. Since the first day I’ve felt very welcomed by the team in the UB Business School, they have helped me during my adaptation on daily basis. I’ve found a good place to develop my research and also, my experience in the classroom has been very enriching. I have met international as well as local students with great potential, who are very motivated about the subject. This has been also very encouraging to prepare new and challenging materials for the courses.

What can you tell us about the research you are carrying out at the UB Business School?

The main research activity I am carrying out now is my participation as researcher in the European research project funded by the European Commission –Employment, social affairs and inclusion– titled New European Industrial Relations (NEIRE): Mediation System effectiveness for collective organizational conflicts: A comparative study in Europe. Altogether we are 12 countries involved in this project aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of mediation as a tool for collective labour conflict resolution and strengthening of social dialogue.

In parallel, I am working on several empirical studies with co-authors at international level. These studies cover, among others, inclusion in organisation, conflict management and interdependence in negotiation and trust between employees and managers.

What are your fields of interest?

Employment relations, conflict management, gender equality, inclusion and trust in organisations.

What courses do you teach at the Faculty of Economics and Business?

I teach cross-cultural management at the degree of International Business and Human Resources at the master in Business research. On top of that I supervise master theses in both programs.

What do you enjoy most about teaching UB students?

In both courses I was glad to meet motivated students with international experience who are eager to learn. Also, I valued a lot that they are open to participate and share their experiences in the classroom as well as to accept the challenge to enter into role-plays that are sometimes new experiences for them. This way we all learn at cognitive and behavioural level.

What do you expect from your postdoc experience at the University of Barcelona?

The main point that attracted me to this position is the commitment to research. The UB Business School contributes strongly to the advancement of science by giving the needed importance to the research activities. I enjoy doing research and so having the opportunity to develop my role as researcher is highly motivating for me. Therefore, I expect to learn and increase my research knowledge. Also, I am at a university that is internationally recognised for its innovativeness and the quality of its programs and I expect to contribute in this and to help the students to grow. In that sense, I am happy to work in a public institution, and as such teaching to all interested students, something that is in line with my values.

In addition, I really appreciate the multidisciplinary approach in terms of pedagogy and research. My entire career and research is indeed multidisciplinary and I believe that understanding the concepts from different perspectives adds value to our knowledge and provides flexibility in understanding the views of others. I expect that this approach will contribute to my growth as a researcher and a professor.

While at the University of Leuven, you wrote a PhD thesis on organizational psychology. Can you tell us a little more about this?

First, I would like to clarify that the PhD program was a double degree program between the University of Leuven in Belgium and the University of Seville. My PhD thesis explores the conflict behaviour used by worker representatives within Europe; which are the antecedents to their behaviours and the comparative between industrial relations climates in Europe.

The research objectives of this dissertation were the following: a) to describe WRs’ conflict behaviour according to the Conglomerate Conflict Behaviour (CCB) theory and test the hypothesis that cooperative and competitive behaviours for WRs are positively related (Van de Vliert, Euwema, & Huismans, 1995); b) to further develop knowledge about some key antecedents of WRs’ conflict behaviour: trust in management, relation between WRs and management, support from unions and co-workers, commitment to the company and to the union, and gender; and c) to compare the effect of these antecedents in five countries: Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.

You have studied and worked in many different places, such as Madrid, Seville, Leuven and Lille, among others. How Barcelona is different from other cities?

I can say that I have learned from my experience in the different places I have lived and worked. It has been challenging and at the same time enriching to live in different countries. In some places it was more difficult to get integrated than in others but in general I have been very lucky with the people I have met along the way. Particularly, I should highlight the unbelievable value that had for me the support from my PhD supervisors during that challenge– and also now. Living abroad helped me to get empowered and develop a cultural adaptation skill. However, is not always easy.

What is different in Barcelona? Here I’ve felt welcomed and at home since day one. I feel very happy and well integrated at professional and personal level. On top of that, I have the possibility to work with excellent professors and persons in the department of business of the faculty who are helping me to make my life at UB enjoyable and easy and I feel really thankful for this. Here, I’d like to take the opportunity to say thanks to each of the professors who are helping me on this path.

Do you think that Barcelona is a hub for research and teaching in business and related fields?

Definitely yes! And in these months here I could see the motivation for research, the organisation of diverse international seminars, the positive team climate and the good flow of knowledge. It is the place where I want to be and to learn from.