Research areas

Research at  the Chair of Management, Organization Studies, and HRM (MOP) is problem-oriented and focuses on the three broad research fields of (strategic) management, organization studies, and human resource management, as well as their interfaces. Rooted in business-related explanatory approaches, the research is fundamentally interdisciplinary, drawing on insights from adjacent disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and economics.

Thematically, our research spans various topics within these three areas.

In the field of organization studies, the emphasis is on the internal and cross-organizational design of structures and processes, as well as the decision-making and learning behavior of individual actors and groups (e.g., teams) within organizations. Exemple themse encompass organizational learning, individual learning processes within organizations, handling organizational diversity, and the impact of demographic changes and digitalization on organizational structures and processes.

Within the realm of (strategic) management, we investigate  issues related to leadership, with a focus on understanding why certain firms are more successful than others in competitive markets (e.g.,  mergers & acquisitions (M&As) as components of corporate strategy, determinants of strategic shifts, facets of strategic decision behavior (e.g., within the context of collaborations and cooperations), and institutional influences in international comparison).

We conceive of Human Resources as embedded within the company's strategic framework and directed towards the sustainable attainment of competitive advantages. In alignment with this understanding, we examine employee-centric design aspects for the acquisition, development, enhancement, and retention of human resources (e.g.,  employer branding, employee motivation, communication and intra-organizational knowledge transfer, and challenges of international human resources management).

Methodologically, our research, of which some is conducted in collaboration with companies, follows an empirical approach across all three areas, using large-scale quantitative secondary data sets as well as  primary data (collected online and offline) including experimental data.