This approach is about specific social functions and logics of Nonprofit-organisations. This sector is highly heterogenous, besides the big, long-established aid organisations, which partly operate globally, it also comprises a multiplicity of local  initiatives e.g. the support of homeless or disabled persons, political organisations like chambers, collectives and trade unions, ecology groups or human rights organisations, cooperatives, self-help clubs or heritage societies etc. Empirical studies and theoretical analyses are conducted in order to find out, which characteristics and similarities these organisations show in matters of organisational change, conflicts, management, supervision and social relevance.

Qualitative analyses of organisations pose the question, how actions in organisations orientate, how the interaction of collective activities (also independently of intentions) settles, which expactions develop, and in which way an organisation stabilises and changes. The research work conducted at the institute primary aims at two subject areas: (1) Studies regarding family businesses (in cooperation with Forschungsinstitut für Familienunternehmen an der WU; specific focus currently on conflicts in family businesses and Family Governance in small and medium-sized businesses). (2) Another focus is formed by central theoretical organisation questions regarding the developmental dynamics in businesses (e.g. organisational management, ratio of formality and informality, questions of business consulting or specific aspects of safety at work).

In cooperation with the Sigmund-Freud-Institut (Frankfurt) and other research institutions it is being studied, how power structures in organisations correlate to gender conflicts and how both influence each other resprectively. This is about microsociological aspects (e.g. gender differentiated access to power and the handling of it) as well as about macrosociological aspects (e.g. structural inequalities). – The project is still in the pilot phase and is planned to include different empirical studies with international comparisons). Moreover the consequences of academic reform for (among other things) the reorganisation to entrepreneurial or managerial supervision at universities are being studied in the context of the D-A-CH-Verbundforschung regarding the issue „Entrepreneurial University and GenderChange (DFG als Lead Agency) within the framework of an international cooperation (Universität Göttingen, TU Berlin, Universität Graz, Universität St. Gallen und LMU München). The Austrian part of the research project „Wissenschaftskarrieren und Gender“ („Science careers and gender“) studies the changed working and career conditions for women and men at Austrian universities in cooperation with the Universität Wien.