Research

Our main research interests center around processes of organizational change with a particular emphasis on routines and practices. In this vain we study the processual antecedents of organizational dynamics which contributes to a better understanding of the role of rules and routines in complex coordination processes. A specific focus builds the question how organizations cope with and manage unexpected. Of particular interest is the question how high reliability organizations like firefighters or rescue operators which prepare for and deal with extreme situations like catastrophes or crisis manage resilient operations.

In our research we build upon the increasingly well recognized practice-perspective because of our overarching interest to develop an understanding of the processual and communicative antecedents underpinning organizational change, routines and knowledge sharing processes.

Our studies are conceptual as well as empirical in nature and are oriented towards making creative, theoretical contributions in current management research. We adopt qualitative research methods, including ethnography, practice based studies and narrative analysis in our research endeavors to capture different dimensions underpinning the complex, deeply embedded social phenomena we are studying. In order to understand how unexpected events evolve and are handled, a process perspective is of utmost importance.

We study, among others, multinational firms, public and non-for profit organizations in the area of catastrophe protection and public safety as well as more local, entrepreneurial corporations with whom we are either already collaborating or seeking to establish research partnerships. Although our research is primarily theoretically oriented we also aim at making more practical contributions in cooperation with our research partners. In addition we cooperate with many national and international scholars in the field of management research. New joint projects are currently under way.

Our research is published in the leading international and national research journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Organization, Management Learning, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Culture and Organization, Schmalenbach Business Review (sbr), Die Betriebswirtschaft (DBW), Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung (zfbf). We also regularly present our research at leading international conferences such as the Annual Academy of Management Meeting or the Annual Meeting of the European Group for Organization Studies.