Activities

Lectures and events

2023

Guest lecture by Mads Pankow in the seminar „Automatic Society: How do algorithms change work and organisations?“.
The expert on digital society and artificial intelligence Mads Pankow gave a guest lecture on the potential and limits of generative AI and large language models. Finally, the topics and their social implications were critically discussed with the students.


2022

Guest lecture by Marie Wehinger, SYSTEMIQ
Marie Wehinger gave a lecture in the bachelor's seminar "Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability in Business" on 9 November 2022.

She works as a consultant at SYSTEMIQ, where she deals with the theoretical and practical aspects of an environmentally sustainable transformation of the economy.

She works as a consultant at SYSTEMIQ, where she deals with the theoretical and practical aspects of an environmentally sustainable transformation of the economy.

Guest lecture by Dr Anna Prokhorova
Dr Anna Prokhorova, Senior Lecturer at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Kyiv, Ukraine), gave a lecture on 18.10.2022 on the topic: Sensitive Research and the Oral History Method as part of the Master's course "Qualitative Research Methods". She discussed her research on the Maidan and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Guest lecture by Dr Anna Prokhorova
Dr Anna Prokhorova, Senior Lecturer at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Kyiv, Ukraine), gave a lecture on 18 May 2022 as part of the Master's seminar “Work, Organization & Change” on volunteering during the Maidan. In the subsequent discussion, questions on the topics of self-organisation and professionalism as well as the context of the Maidan were discussed.


2021

Guest lecture by Prof. Dr Dagmara Lewicka
As part of the bachelor's seminar "Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability in Business", Prof. Dr Dagmara Lewicka held a session on the topic of „Diversity and Diversity Management“ on 9 November 2021. Prof Dr Lewicka is a professor at the Krakow University of Science and Technology.

Guest lecture by Marie Wehinger, SYSTEMIQ
Marie Wehinger, Associate at SYSTEMIQ, gave a lecture as part of the bachelor seminar "Ethics, Responsibility & Sustainability in Business" on 12 November 2021. Ms Wehinger reported from corporate practice and used a case study to present initiatives for making the economy more environmentally sustainable.

Guest lecture by Mads Pankow on creativity, chance and leisure
As part of the bachelor's seminar „New Forms of Work and Organisation“, the „philosopher of technology“ (DER SPIEGEL) Mads Pankow gave a lecture on artificial intelligence, work and organisation on 5 February 2021. This was based on his latest ideas, which he also discusses weekly in his podcast MENSCH, MASCHINE! The political consultant and author provided numerous thought-provoking ideas, which were then discussed in the seminar.

Guest lecture by Prof. Gideon Kunda
Prof. Gideon Kunda, Tel Aviv University, gave a lecture on 5 February 2021 on the topic of Culture and Control as part of the Master's course „Culture, Leadership & Diversity“. He is the author of the widely cited and award-winning book: „Engineering Culture: Control and Commitment in a High-Tech Corporation. Philadelphia, Penn: Temple University Press.“

Guest lecture by Dr Mona Florian
The former member of the chair Dr Mona Florian gave a lecture on "Agilität im öffentlichen Sektor – eine Managementmode?" as part of the bachelor seminar „Neue Formen von Arbeit und Organisation“ on 22.01.2021. This was based, among other things, on her experience as a consultant at Nordlicht Management Consultants.


2020

Guest lecture by Prof. Dr Hannah Trittin-Ulbrich
Prof. Dr Hannah Trittin-Ulbrich, Junior Professor of Business Administration, in particular Business Ethics at Leuphana University of Lüneburg, gave a lecture on gamification and CSR as part of the master's seminar „Business, Ethics & Responsibility“ on 13 November 2020.


2019

Guest lecture and discussion with Prof Christopher Grey on BREXIT
On 24 April, Prof Christopher Grey gave a lecture on the current developments surrounding the so-called BREXIT at the invitation of Prof Jana Costas. Prof Grey reported from two perspectives: as Professor of Organisational Studies at Royal Holloway University in London, he has dealt with the topic academically. Prof Grey is also one of the leading commentators on BREXIT and publishes extensive media analyses of British and European BREXIT policy. The lecture met with an interested audience of both students and academics from Viadrina, with controversial questions on BREXIT being discussed after the lecture.


2018

Guest lecture and discussion with Mads Pankow on consulting practice
In the context of the lecture seminar "Organisation Theories", Mads Pankow shows how relevant abstract concepts of organisation theory are for everyday application. In his guest lecture entitled "Luhmann's organisational theory in consulting practice", Pankow will report on his work and experience as a policy advisor, including for the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and as a policy advisor at the 'Innovationsbüro'.
Pankow vividly illustrates how the role of the consultant in Luhmann's sense consists above all in irritating existing structures and 'systems': sometimes it takes the view from outside, in Luhmann's case the environment of the system, in order to raise organisational awareness of the problem and initiate new ways of thinking. Consultants achieve this by first doing something counter-intuitive: Consultants observe the differences that are being bridged by organisational structures and contrast these with the interpretations and problem perceptions that already exist in the organisation. To a certain extent, they create 'new' problems. However, it is precisely in this function that they are part of the system: as part of the autopoietic structure of the system, which reproduces itself and must always remain connectable.

 

2022

Online-Symposium: Academia in Times of War – How has the Russian Attack Impacted the Work and Role of Ukrainian Academics?
Prof. Dr. Jana Costas & Dr. Anna Prokhorova
The aim of the symposium is to discuss how war shapes academia and in particular the work and role of academics. There has been a long-standing debate within academia and beyond on what role scholars might take: Should academics be activists? And if so, how can such activism look like? What impact can academics hope to achieve? And what are the limits of academic activism? The symposium will turn to these questions, with the particular focus on how they play out in the extreme context of the ongoing war in Ukraine that has significantly altered people’s lives and outlooks. Scholars from Ukraine will present how the Russian attack has changed or challenged their understanding of their work and role. They will talk about the heightened need for academic voices in times of war yet also the challenges they face.

Doctoral workshop with Melissa Fisher
On 30 September 2022, Ms Melissa Fisher conducted a doctoral workshop in the field of corporate ethnographies. Melissa Fisher is an anthropologist who works at New York University. She is an internationally recognised expert.

Doctoral workshop writing workshop with Oana Albu and Karin Doolan
On 16 September 2022, Ms Albu and Ms Doolan conducted a doctoral workshop.
Ms Oana Albu is a communication scientist at the Business School Copenhagen. Her areas of expertise include digital technologies, communication and ethnographies.
Mrs Karin Doolan is a sociologist at the University of Zadar. Her areas of expertise include inequalities, social classes and qualitative research methods.

Mads Pankow as guest lecturer of the seminar „Automatic Society: How do algorithms change work and organisations?“
The expert on digital society and artificial intelligence Mads Pankow co-conceived and accompanied the seminar „Automatic Society: How do algorithms change work and organisations?“ in the summer semester 2022. The seminar dealt with current technological sociological and philosophical questions of digitalisation.


2021

EGOS Sub-Theme Violence and Organization
Jana Costas, Philipp Arnold and Stefano Pascucci organised the sub-theme 'Violence and Organization' as part of the 2021 EGOS Colloquium in Amsterdam. The annual EGOS Colloquium is one of the most important conferences in the field of organisation and management studies in Europe.

Prof. Dr. Jana Costas

Office: Anette Hübner

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Room: HG 031