Current research projects

In this research project, we examine the role of participation in organizational change processes. Building on a systematic review of the existing literature, we analyze how different forms of employee involvement are designed and what effects they have on employees’ attitudes, behavior, and the overall course of change initiatives. In cooperation with organizations, we develop and evaluate targeted participation interventions. Our goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the conditions under which participation is effective, the consequences it unfolds, and how it can contribute to more successful change processes.
 

In this research project, we examine leaders’ assumptions about how organizational change works. At the core of our inquiry is the question of how these implicit and explicit beliefs can be systematically described and how they shape preferences, decision‑making processes, and concrete design choices in change initiatives. A particular focus is placed on the role of multiperspectivity in change processes. We analyze how differing assumptions emerge among leaders, employees, and other stakeholders, and what consequences these differences have for the course of organizational change. Building on these insights, we develop measurement instruments as well as reflection‑oriented workshop designs that support organizations in making assumptions about change visible, reflecting on them, and using them productively.

This research project examines the transformative potential of open social innovation processes (OSI). Currently, societies are facing a simultaneity of intensifying challenges (e.g., ecological polycrisis, care crisis, growing inequalities). Social innovations that attempt to address these challenges are often designed according to an isolated “sector logic,” which complicates a holistic approach toward said problems. With the support of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society, an OSI initiative was developed together with a large social welfare organization, in which cross-sectoral solutions to current challenges were developed. An initial learning report on the opportunities and limitations of such initiatives, as well as a book chapter on the learning and development potential of students involved in such OSI processes as part of their university education, have already been published.

At the heart of this research project is the question of how sustainability-related and diversity-promoting practices are connected within organizations; specifically, whether they weaken each other or even mutually reinforce one another. The goal is to derive practical insights for implementing socio-ecological transformation approaches. Currently, data collection is taking place in so-called B Corps. These are companies that have voluntarily undergone an extensive certification process to comply with high social and environmental standards. Therefore, they can be regarded as (potential) pioneers in both areas – climate action/sustainability and diversity/inclusion – making them a particularly interesting research context.