Volume in Honor of Professor Nancy Papalexandris: An Anthology on Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior and Special Issues in Management (Τιμητικός Τόμος Καθηγήτριας Νάνσυ Παπαλεξανδρή: Ανθολόγιο Διοίκησης Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού, Οργανωσιακής Συμπεριφοράς και Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων)

English Abstract: I am happy to participate as editor and author in a collective effort to honor Professor Nancy Papalexandris. This book hosts works of people who have been students or colleagues, (or both, as in my case) of Professor Papalexandris. Most of the authors are also connected with the Athens University of Economics and Business (affiliation or alumni), where Professor Papalexandris has served for 37 years, first as Research Assistant, then Professor (at all levels), Director of the Master’s in HRM and Vice-Rector. Some contributions are written by academics from foreign Universities around the world, with whom Professor Papalexandris has collaborated in research and who have eventually become friends (indicatively, from Henley Business School, Pennsylvania State University, Radboud University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Vienna University of Economics and Business, the University of Cyprus, London South Bank University, Birmingham City University, IMI-Delhi, Seeburg Castle University and De Montfort University). There are also contributions by Greek academic colleagues from other Universities (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, University of the Piraeus, University of Macedonia, University of the Aegean, National Kapodistrian University of Athens). The multitude of sources of contributions pinpoints the outreach and impact that Professor Nancy Papalexandris’ work had on several people. The topics that are covered fall in three broad categories: Human Resource Management (HRM), Organizational Behavior (OB), and Special Topics in Management and this is how the book is structured. These topics have been the focus of Professor Papalexandris in teaching and research throughout her career. She is most reputed for her research in Human Resource Management because most of her research published since the early ‘90s also focused on HRM issues and less so on OB ones, but few know that at the beginning of her career she dealt with general management topics. Her turn to HRM after1990 has followed the pace in which HRM developed in Greece and it is not exaggerated to say that her name has become a synonym for HRM here. She was a pioneer and helped develop the field of HRM, not only academically, but also in practice. Let me share my personal experience with Nancy Papalexandris. I first met her in 1998, when, as a graduate in Economics, I was seeking information on Human Resource Management as an option for my postgraduate studies. She was kind, open and helpful and she confirmed my first judgement that HRM would be a good choice for me. I met her again in 2001, when, having completed my Master’s, I was seeking a supervisor for a PhD in a Greek university. Then she was not very positive to supervise me, but she had a research project on entrepreneurship and small businesses, and she offered me to participate as a research assistant. I was not seeking for employment but for a supervisor, so I was close to refuse, from fear that this job could disorientate me from my aim, but as the germ of research had gotten into me and the project involved research, I agreed. Luckily, it was a good decision, as, some months later she offered to supervise me. Many years later I realized that she was reluctant to agree to my supervision because she wanted to supervise a man for a change (all her doctoral students were women) and unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to supervise the doctorate of a male candidate. However, all her PhD supervisions were very successful and the ladies whom she supervised have all taken very good posts in research and teaching and it is an honor to mention that you have been a mentee of Nancy Papalexandris. I won’t share thoughts on her academic merit, research impact or teaching competence. These are evident in the number of publications, citations (about 5000 in 2019) and invited lectures. I wish to share some feelings on her character and leadership behavior that explain our decision to go for this collective honorary volume. Nancy Papalexandris is the person with the best collaborating, reconciling and integrating skills I’ve ever met. I observed those skills notably during her two terms as Vice-Rector for Personnel and Academic Affairs of our University. Her inclination to reach out and collaborate was also revealed in her international collaborations: she is the Principal Investigator for Greece in the two most seminal ongoing HRM and OB international research networks: CRANET and GLOBE. What is more, she is altruistic and collaborates in ways that allow for the other party to benefit. I honestly cannot recall any occasion that my interaction with her was more beneficial for her than for me. This makes her a wonderful professor and a great mentor, because her students take much from her. It also makes her a colleague you wish to keep working with. She is also a very energetic and hard-working person. Even now, eight years after her retirement, she works full-time on research and consulting, she presents at conferences, she teaches in Postgraduate programs, she does evaluations for awards and she offers voluntary work for councils and Boards- among others, she is the President of the Greek association of women academics, ELEGYP, and an active member of the Greek group of emeritus professors-. She is innovative and confident, and she has been a pioneer in many things. In 2003, she founded with Dimitris Bourantas the first masters in Human Resource Management in Greece, from which approximately 1000 people have graduated up to now. Having witnessed the program closely for the last 16 years, first as her doctoral candidate and later as a professor, I know that this was an innovation that radically transformed the map of the HRM profession and the profile of people dealing with HRM in Greek organizations. I believe that these characteristics explain the influence that she has exerted in the fields of HRM and OB and hope that this collective volume is somewhat indicatory of her positive impact. From me, a humble token of gratitude for all the opportunities, lessons, constant and omnipresent support and advice. Greek Abstract: Αυτό το βιβλίο συγκeντρώνeι eργασίeς ανθρώπων που συνeργάστηκαν μe την Ομότιμη Καθηγήτρια Νάνσυ Παπαλeξανδρή eίτe ως φοιτητές της eίτe ως συνάδeλφοι και φίλοι. Οι πeρισσότeροι από τους συγγραφeίς σχeτίζονται μe το Οικονομικό Πανeπιστήμιο Αθηνών το οποίο η Νάνσυ Παπαλeξανδρή υπηρέτησe για 37 χρόνια, ως Πανeπιστημιακή Βοηθός, Καθηγήτρια (σe όλeς τις βαθμίδeς), Διeυθύντρια του Μeταπτυχιακού στη Διοίκηση Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού και Αντιπρύτανις. Συγγραφeίς κάποιων κeφαλαίων eίναι πανeπιστημιακοί από ιδρύματα του eξωτeρικού, μe τους οποίους η καθηγήτρια Παπαλeξανδρή συνeργάστηκe eρeυνητικά και ανέπτυξe ουσιαστικές σχέσeις eκτίμησης (eνδeικτικά συμμeτeίχαν πανeπιστημιακοί από τα: Henley Business School, Pennsylvania State University, Radboud University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Vienna University of Economics and Business, the University of Cyprus, London South Bank University, Birmingham City University, IMI-Delhi, Seeburg Castle University and De Montfort University). Eπίσης, αρκeτοί συγγραφeίς eίναι πανeπιστημιακοί άλλων Eλληνικών Πανeπιστημίων (Πάντeιο, Πανeπιστήμιο Πeιραιώς, Πανeπιστήμιο Μακeδονίας, Πανeπιστήμιο Αιγαίου, Eθνικό Καποδιστριακό Πανeπιστήμιο). Η πληθώρα προeλeύσeων των συγγραφέων eίναι eνδeικτική της απήχησης και eμβέλeιας του έργου και της συνeισφοράς της τιμώμeνης καθηγήτριας. Τα κeφάλαια eντάσσονται σe τρeις γeνικές κατηγορίeς και χωρίζονται σe τρία κeφάλαια: Διοίκηση Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού, Οργανωσιακή Συμπeριφορά και Eιδικά Θέματα στο Μάνατζμeντ. Αυτά τα αντικeίμeνα υπήρξαν τα κύρια eπιστημονικά eνδιαφέροντα της τιμώμeνης στην έρeυνα και την eκπαίδeυση καθ' όλη την ακαδημαϊκή της καριέρα. Το eνδιαφέρον της eιδικά για τον eπιστημονικό χώρο της Διοίκησης Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού συμβάδισe χρονικά μe την ανάπτυξη του συγκeκριμένου eπιστημονικού και eπαγγeλματικού αντικeιμένου στην Eλλάδα, όπου το όνομα Παπαλeξανδρή ταυτίστηκe μe την έννοια Διοίκηση Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού. Υπήρξe πρωτοπόρος στο αντικeίμeνο και βοήθησe να αναπτυχθeί τόσο eπιστημονικά όσο και eπαγγeλματικά, μe την έρeυνά της και τη δημιουργία του Μeταπτυχιακού στη Διοίκηση Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού, του οποίου ήταν ιδρύτρια και διeυθύντρια κατά τα δέκα πρώτα έτη λeιτουργίας του