CBS Leadership
CBS Leadership connects researchers and business professionals around a shared ambition: to enable leaders to create value and resilience in companies and organisations, and to drive necessary transformation fuelled by societal agendas such as sustainability, digitalisation, and diversity.
About (Panel content)
About us
Responsible leadership is key to value creation and prosperity in companies and organisations. It is essential for businesses and the public sector to assume their growing responsibility for addressing societal challenges that affect individual countries and the planet as a whole.
CBS Leadership facilitates these advancements in leadership practice – it is a meeting place for leadership researchers and professionals in Denmark and internationally.
We assemble, strengthen, and communicate CBS leadership research, and we enable interaction with practitioners in both private and public sectors.
The ambition is to inspire the transformation needed to address agendas such as geopolitical risk, sustainability, digitalisation, and diversity.
With CBS Leadership, CBS aims to make the university the Nordic centre for leadership knowledge and inspiration by strengthening and mobilising leadership research, education, and outreach.
Our purpose and raison d'être
We develop insights on new leadership frontiers to inspire leadership for a positive future.
We support CBS’ ambition to inspire and support responsible leadership through knowledge, education, and engagement with practice and society.
Our vision
To become a nexus for novel leadership insights in Denmark and the Nordic countries, and globally acknowledged.
Our work
We convene a vibrant community of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to encourage research, strengthen education, and create opportunities for the development and sharing of insights on new leadership frontiers.
Where you’ll meet us
CBS Leadership is a portal for accessing leadership research and knowledge produced in different areas of the university.
Focus areas
CBS Leadership explores leadership from multiple perspectives. The focus areas highlight how leadership is shaped in organisations, how it evolves in times of change, and how it responds to major societal agendas such as digitalisation, sustainability, diversity, and uncertainty. Dive into our focus areas below.
Leadership and Organisation
Leadership is about inspiring and involving people, but also about balancing concerns and finding solutions that fit the organisational purpose and context. CBS research explores core challenges in leadership practice, including change management, leadership in teams and networks, and leadership training and evaluation.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into CBS research on core challenges in leadership and ways to handle them:
CHANGE MANAGEMENT:
- From Connecting Leaders to Connecting Leadership: A Study of Interaction
- Leadership in Interaction: An Introduction to the Special Issue
- The 4 Types of Leadership
- Slow Management
Read more Change management research stories here.
LEADERSHIP IN TEAMS AND NETWORKS:
- Openness Towards Language Differences and Cultural Differences in Multicultural Teams: How do they Interact?
- How to Lead Academic Departments Successfully
LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND EVALUATION:
- Conditions for Reflexive Practices in Leadership Learning: The Regulating Role of a Socio-moral Order of Peer Interactions
- Taking Leadership Fashions Seriously as a Vehicle for Leadership Learning
- Taming the Survey: Managing the Employee Survey to Create Space for Change Oriented Leadership
- The Deep Organisation: The Organisational View in a Public Management and Leadership Development Programme
Read more Leadership training and evaluation research stories here.
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with Leadership and organisation:
- Annemette Kjærgaard
- Carsten Greve
- Christian Dyrlund Wåhlin-Jacobsen
- Dan Kärreman
- Dana Minbaeva
- Eric Guthey
- Elias Gilling Borgmann
- Eva Boxenbaum
- Frank Meier
- Frans Bevort
- Jan Molin
- Johan Simonsen Abildgaard
- Kristian Kreiner
- Magnus Larsson
- Majken Schultz
- Nicolai Foss
- Nicole Ferry
- Sara Louise Muhr
- Signe Vikkelsø
- Silviya Svejenova
- Susanne Boch Waldorff
- Thomas Ritter
The Leadership Role
Being a leader means balancing multiple roles under constant scrutiny. CBS research highlights the personal aspects of leadership, from hubris and narcissism to authenticity and followership. The work shows how leadership identity is shaped in interaction and under pressure.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into research on the personal aspects of leadership and leadership development:
- CEO Narcissism and Board Composition: Implications for Firm Strategy and Performance
- Differentiating Leader Hubris and Narcissism on the Basis of Power
- The Fallacy of Discrete Authentic Leader Behaviours: Locating Authentic Leadership in Interaction
- The Risky Path to a Followership Identity: From Abstract Concept to Situated Reality
Read more research stories here.
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with The leadership role:
Leadership Ethics
Taking the lead involves making difficult decisions that are often subject to criticism. CBS research addresses the ethical dimensions of leadership and investigates what it means to act responsibly, and what distinguishes good leadership from bad leadership.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into research on leadership ethics:
- Guilt, Responsibility, and Leadership
- Magt og omsorg i det eksistentielle lederskab
- The Truths and Falsehoods of Post-Truth Leaders
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with leadership ethics:
Leadership in Times of Digitalisation
Digitalisation and new technologies are transforming organisations and business models. CBS research investigates how leadership can navigate these transformations and explores how digital tools shape communication, interaction, and decision-making.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into research on Leadership in times of digitalisation:
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with Leadership in times of digitalisation:
Leading in Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Innovation and entrepreneurship are vital for both start-ups and established organisations. CBS research and activities at Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship examine how leadership enables growth, drives creativity, and supports founders in moving from small teams to larger organisations.
Leading start-ups and moving from being a small team of founders to an organisation with a larger number of employees implies leadership knowledge that is often not part of the founders DNA. Leadership is crucial for continued innovation growth and for maintaining energy and drive of both founders and the company’s growing workforce. The latter is the focus of research in leadership of entrepreneurship at CBS and the hands-on experience at our Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship (CSE) – the CBS entrepreneurship centre with incubator, accelerator programme, educational offerings and numerous activities that focus on how to succeed as an entrepreneur.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into research on Leading in entrepreneurship and innovation:
- Organizational and Institutional Entrepreneuring: Introduction to the Special Issue
- Organizational Entrepreneurship, Politics and the Political
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with Leading in entrepreneurship and innovation:
Leading for Green Transition
Climate change demands a radical green transition in economy and society. CBS brings together researchers, students, and external partners through CBS Green Office and other initiatives. Leadership research focuses on how leaders can connect the right people to create sustainable solutions.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into research on Leading for green transition.
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with Leading for green transition:
- Andreas Rasche
- Anne-Karen Hüske
- Christian Garmann Johnsen
- Dennis Schoeneborn
- Erin Leitheiser
- Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen
- Jacob Hasselbalch
- Jonathan Feddersen
- Julie Uldam
- Karin Buhmann
- Kristian Roed Nielsen
- Lena Olaison
- Majken Schultz
- Miriam Feuls
- Philip Beske-Janssen
- Steen Vallentin
- Stine Haakonsson
- Susana Borras
- Tor Hernes
LEARN MORE
Read about Green Transition at CBS here
Leading for Diversity
Diversity requires an interdisciplinary approach. CBS Diversity and Difference Platform consolidates and advances research on inclusion and difference. CBS research addresses how leadership interacts with issues such as gender, culture, and identity, and how leaders can foster more inclusive organisations.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into inspiring research on Leading for diversity:
- From Presence to Influence: Gender, Nationality and Network Centrality of Corporate Directors
- Bias and Leadership Aspirations: Exploring the Interaction of Gender and Parental Status in Self-Evaluations
- Mentoring as Affective Governmentality: Shame, (un)Happiness, and the (re)Production of Masculine Leadership
- 'Almost like Female Men': The Performative Violence of Gendered Leadership
Read more research stories here.
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with Leading for diversity:
Leading through Uncertainty
Leadership in uncertain times requires both overview and insight. CBS research investigates how leaders handle crises, balance immediate challenges with long-term perspectives, and develop resilience and adaptability in organisations.
CBS RESEARCH
Dive into research on Leading through uncertainty:
- Politics, Governance, and Leadership: What Can We Learn From the Academy of Management's Response to EO13769?
- Managing Through a Crisis: Managerial Implications for Business-to-business Firms
- Analyzing the Impact of the Coronavirus Crisis on Business Models
CBS RESEARCHERS
Researchers working with Leading through uncertainty:
Contact
CBS Executive Education
executiveeducation@cbs.dk
Dalgas Have 15
2000 Frederiksberg
Denmark
People (Panel content)
Affiliates with special responsibilities
CBS Leadership also collaborates with a number of affiliates who contribute with special responsibilities in specific areas of leadership research and practice.
Christian Bason (Panel content)
Christian will be a key player in our efforts on Collaborative Leadership. His research interest is how leaders can navigate complex societal challenges to develop impactful businesses. During his residency, he will explore the need for leaders to rethink their roles and positions, moving from a focus on hierarchical control to fostering collaboration and innovation inside and across organizations and within wider ecosystems.
Christian has a diverse background in innovation, strategic design and leadership and is the author of numerous books in those fields. He is co-founder of Transition Collective and the former CEO of the Danish Design Center. He holds an M.Sc. in political science from Aarhus University and a Ph.D. from CBS.
Dan Kärreman (Panel content)
Dan Kärreman is a Professor at Department of Management, Society and Communication. He the Co-Lead of our Leadership Papers Series which is an initiative dedicated to stimulate cross departmental discussions on leadership research that is in the making.
Dan is a leading researcher in the field of critical management studies and is also known for his research on knowledge work, organizational control, organization culture and leadership in organizations.
Among others, Dan teaches leadership of change and digital management in various programs at CBS.
More about Dan Kärreman
Laura Empson (Panel content)
Laura Empson is a Professor at Department of Organization at CBS. She is the key driver of our new “Leadership &” initiative which will be launched during 2025.
Laura is renowned for her pioneering work on collective leadership in the context of professional organizations and her dedication to bridging the gap between academic research and practical application. With over 30 years of experience in leadership and professional organizations, Laura brings a wealth of knowledge to our community.
Besides her affiliation to CBS, Laura Empson is Professor in Management of Professional Service Firms at Bayes Business School, University of London. She also holds Research Fellowships at Harvard Law School and Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
More about Laura Empson
Natalie Shefer (Panel content)
Natalie Shefer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of International Economics, Government and Business and a Co-Lead of our Leadership Papers Series.
Her research explores how leadership dynamics—particularly around gender and social influence—shape organizational decision-making. Natalie’s work skilfully combines innovative methodologies to offer fresh insights into executive leadership.
More about Natalie Shefer
Academic Affiliates
International affiliates and Leaders in Residence
International Affiliates
We want to work with leading researchers from universities, as visiting scholars and or other types of affiliation.
Affiliates to be announced.
Leaders in Residence
We are joining forces with high profile short-term guests that work on a co-created project with members of CBS Leadership Centre.
From 1 November 2024, Christian Bason, PhD and Co-Founder of Transition Collective, joins the CBS Leadership as Leader in Residence. He contributes to the centre’s work on Collaborative Leadership, exploring how leaders can navigate complex societal challenges by shifting from hierarchical control to fostering collaboration and innovation across organisations and ecosystems.
With a background in innovation, strategic design, and leadership, Christian is the former CEO of the Danish Design Center and the author of numerous books. He holds an MSc in political science from Aarhus University and a PhD from CBS.
Think Tank (Panel content)
The CBS Leadership Think Tank brings together more than 50 members, including accomplished leadership practitioners and distinguished researchers from CBS. Together, the members represent diverse experiences and mindsets that support the development of new thinking about leadership.
The Think Tank consists of 55 trend-setting and accomplished leadership practitioners and researchers. Together, we will explore the future of leadership and the capabilities required in a world of constant change.
On a backlog of the climate crisis, geopolitical changes, inequality discussions, and other impactful megatrends, the world is facing a shift in paradigms.
But what does the future of leadership look like, and what are the critical leadership capabilities in a world of constant change? In the Leadership Think Tank, we combine the newest research with the experiences of leadership practitioners, to create a visionary, robust, and nuanced picture of the future of leadership.
Get first hand insights from leadership practitioners and researchers
Members of the Think Tank
Adam Wolf
CEO, Danske Regioner
Aleksandra Gregoric
Associate Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Strategy and Innovation, CBS
Alero Akuya
Vice President of Global Brand, LEGO
Anna Frellsen
CEO, Maternity Foundation
Anne Jastrup Okkels
CEO, Gentofte & Herlev Hospital
Anne Marie Jess Hansen
CEO, CBS Executive Fonden
Anne Reff Pedersen
Vice Dean of Executive Education and Professor at Department of Organization, CBS
Birgitte Vedersø
Executive Advisor, Mobilize Strategy Consulting, Independent
Bjarne Corydon
CEO, Børsen
Bodil Nordestgaard Ismiris
CEO, Lederne
Brian Grevy
CEO, Hunkemöller
Camilla Holm
CCO, PFA
Caroline de la Porte
Professor MSO, Dept. of International Economics, Government and Business, CBS
Casper Kirketerp-Møller
CEO, Clever
Christian Bason
Ph.D., Founder, Transition Collective
Christian Huber
Associate Professor, Dept. of Operations Management, CBS
Christian Jensby
CEO, Deloitte Danmark
Christina Lubinski
Professor at the Department of Business Humanities and Law, CBS
Claus M. Andersen
CEO, Bornholms Energi & Forsyning
Dan Kärreman
Professor at the Department of Management, Society and Communication
Eva Fog Bruun
Centre Director, CBS Leadership Centre, CBS
Flemming Jensen
CEO, DSB
Flemming Mathiasen
Major General, Commandant of the Royal Danish Defence College
Frank Meier
Associate Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Organization, CBS
Ghita Wolf Andreasen
CEO, Hans Knudsen Instituttet
Henriette Divert
Executive Advisor, Bcc
Henrik Burkal
CEO, REMA 1000
Henrik Ryberg
Rear Admiral, Admiral Danish Fleet, Forsvaret
Inger Askehave
Deputy President, CBS
Ingrid Reumert
SVP Global Stakeholder Relations, Ørsted
Jesper Theil Thomsen
CEO of Soundboks, Co-founder of Saga DK
Kasper Meisner Nielsen
Professor, Center Manager, Dept. of Finance, CBS
Katrine Winding
Director General, Erhvervsstyrelsen
Le Gammeltoft
CCO/CMO, NetCompany
Malou Aamund
Senior Advisor at EQT Group, Non-Executive Director at DSV, The Lego Foundation, Matas, KIRKBI, and WSAudiology
Marcus Schindler
Executive Vice President & CSO, Novo Nordisk
Maria Rørbye Rønn
Director General, DR
Marie Louise Mors
Professor, Ph.D., Deputy Head of Department, Dept. of Strategy and Innovation, CBS
Marie Munk
CFO, Det Kongelige Teater
Mette Louise Kaagaard
CEO, Microsoft Denmark and Iceland
Mia Jung
Head of Leadership Development, Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship, CBS
Minna Paunova
Associate Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Management, Society and Communication, CBS
Moira Daly
Associate Professor, Dept. of Economics, CBS
Morten Enggaard Rasmussen
EVP People & Stakeholder Relations, Novonesis
Natasha Friis Saxberg
CEO, the Danish ICT Industry Association
Nima Sophia Tisdall
CEO of Nordic Makers, Co-founder of Saga DK
Pernille Tang Raschke
Deputy Director General, EVP People & Culture, Dansk Industri
Peter Møllgaard
President at Copenhagen Business School
Poul F. Kjær
Professor of Governance and Sociology of Law at the Department of Business Humanities and Law, CBS
Rabab Boulos
COO, A.P. Moller Maersk
Sheela Maini Søgaard
CEO, Bjarke Ingels Group
Sigge Winther Nielsen
CEO and Founder, INVI – Wild Problems Institute
Signe Jensen
Director, Transformation Office, Lundbeck
Silviya Svejenova
Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Organization, CBS
Sofie Plenge
Director of Culture & Health, Vejle Kommune
Sune Schnack
CEO of Flügger Group
Sverre Spoelstra
Associate Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Business Humanities and Law, CBS
Thomas Hanssen
CEO, Center for Ledelse
Thomas Kirk Vilsbøll
CCO / Commercial Director, ISS
Thomas Plenborg
Professor, Ph.D. / Chair of the Board, Dept. of Accounting, CBS / DSV
Thomas Ritter
Professor, Dept. of Strategy and Innovation, CBS
Tina Blegind Jensen
Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Digitalization, CBS
Tomas Therkildsen
General Secretary, DJØF
Torsten Ringberg
Professor, Ph.D., Dept. of Marketing, CBS
Members of the Think Tank 2023-2024
- Adam Wolf, CEO, Danske Regioner
- Aleksandra Gregoric, Associate Professor, CBS, Department of Strategy and Innovation
- Alero Akuya, Vice President of Global Brand, LEGO Group
- Anna Frellsen, CEO, Maternity Foundation
- Anne Marie Jess Hansen, CEO, CBS Executive Foundation
- Anne Jastrup Okkels, CEO, Gentofte/Herlev Hospital
- Birgitte Vedersø, Executive Advisor, Mobilize Strategy Consulting (Ex Gefion)
- Bjarne Corydon, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Børsen
- Bodil Nordestgaard Ismiris, CEO, Lederne
- Brian Grevy, CEO, Hunkemöller
- Camilla Holm, Group President, PFA
- Caroline de la Porte, Professor MSO, CBS, Department of International Economics, Government and Business
- Christian Bason, Co-Founder, Transition Collective
- Christian Jensby, CEO, Deloitte
- Christian Huber, Associate Professor, CBS, Department of Operations Management
- Claus M. Andersen, CEO, Bornholms Energi & Forsyning
- Eva Fog Bruun, Centre Director, CBS Leadership Centre, CBS
- Flemming Jensen, CEO, DSB
- Frank Meier, Associate Professor, CBS, Department of Organization
- Ghita Wolf Andreasen, CEO, Engineer for the Future
- Henriette Divert-Hendricks, Executive Advisor, Bcc
- Henrik Burkal, CEO, REMA 1000
- Henrik Ryberg, Kontreadmiral, Chef for Søværnskommandoen, Forsvaret (The Danish Armed Forces)
- Inger Askehave, Deputy President, CBS, Board of Directors
- Jesper Theil Thomsen, CEO / Co-founder, Soundboks / SAGA
- Kasper Meisner Nielsen, Professor, CBS, Department of Finance
- Katrine Winding, CEO, Erhvervsstyrelsen (Danish Business Authority)
- Le Gammeltoft, CMO, Nets
- Louise Mors, Professor, Department of Strategy and Innovation, CBS
- Malou Aamund, Chair and Non-Executive Board Member, Ex Google, Microsoft, IBM
- Marcus Schindler, Executive VP & Chief Scientific Officer, Novo Nordisk
- Maria Rørbye Rønn, Generaldirektør, DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation)
- Marie Munk, Økonomi- og personaledirektør, Det Kgl. Teater (The Royal Theatre)
- Mette Kaagaard, CEO, Microsoft Denmark and Iceland
- Mia Jung, Head of Leadership Development, Copenhagen School of Entrepreneurship
- Minna Paunova, Associate Professor, Department for Management, Society and Communication, CBS
- Moira Daly, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, CBS
- Morten Enggaard Rasmussen, CEO / EVP People, Sustainability & Brand, Novozymes
- Nima Tisdall, CEO (Forbes 30 Under 30), Nordic Makers
- Pernille Tang Raschke, EVP People & Culture / Board Member at DI, DI – Dansk Industri (Confederation of Danish Industry)
- Rabab Boulos, Executive VP Logistics, Mærsk
- Sheela Maini Søgaard, CEO, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG Architects)
- Sigge Winther Nielsen, CEO, INVI
- Signe Jensen, Director, Transformation Office / Berlingske Talent 100, Lundbeck
- Sofie Plenge, Director, Culture & Health, Vejle Kommune
- Thomas Hanssen, CEO, Center for Ledelse
- Sara Louise Muhr, Professor, Department of Business Humanities and Law, CBS
- Silviya Svejenova, Professor, Department of Oganization, CBS
- Sverre Spoelstra, Associate Professor, Department of Business Humanities and Law, CBS
- Tina Blegind Jensen, Professor MSO, Department of Digitalization, CBS
- Thomas Kirk Vilsbøll, CCO Facility Management, ISS
- Thomas Plenborg, Professor, Department of Accounting, CBS
- Thomas Ritter, Professor, Department of Strategy and Innovation, CBS
- Torsten Ringberg, Professor, Department of Marketing, CBS
Education (Panel content)
Education
CBS offers a broad range of leadership education. The programmes and courses provide opportunities to specialise, update skills, and strengthen leadership capabilities at different stages of a career.
The portfolio includes full degree programmes, shorter courses, executive education, and a dedicated programme for founders.
Learn more about CBS’s leadership education below.
Leadership programmes
A leadership programme is a comprehensive package of courses focused on a specific area of leadership. Each programme description outlines the courses included. Many of the courses can also be taken individually.
Participating in a programme allows you to specialise in a subject area. By studying a series of interconnected courses, you enhance your skills in a field of particular interest, which may qualify you for specific jobs or industries. If there is no programme available in your desired area, you can still specialise by taking individual courses.
Undergraduate programme:
- MSc in Economics and Business Administration – Strategy, Organisation and Leadership (cand.merc.SOL)
Executive Education programmes:
Executive Education courses
At CBS Executive Education, we offer a wide range of courses focused in leadership & management. Take one course at a time or combine them to increase your skills,
Browse through our offer of courses here.
Founder to Leader
Based on the Leadership for the Future report, CBS Executive Foundation has launched an exclusive programme tailored for founders to equip them for an increasingly complex world.
The programme develops core leadership competencies, focusing on purpose, courage, and continuity. Led by CBS researchers and members of the CBS Leadership Think Tank, it draws on insights from private, public, and NGO sectors.
Grounded in leadership theory and organisational psychology, Founder to Leader starts from real startup challenges. It combines research-based tools with founder dilemmas, experiential learning, group sessions, and individual coaching.
Individual courses
Project Management
Ethics and Philosophy
Industry-Specific Leadership
Public Leadership
- MPG Intro- og udviklingsforløb (MUF)
- Ledelsesudviklingsforløb (LUF)
- Resultatorienteret lederskab
- Kommunikation og ledelse
- Ledelsesretorik
- Personligt lederskab, transformative dialoger og protreptik
- Eksistens og ledelse
- Strategisk kriseledelse: samarbejde og sikkerhed i usikre tider
- Ledelsesinformation, incitamenter og motivation
- Digitalisering, organisering og ledelse
- Filosofi og beslutning
- Polyfoni og politisk kommunikation
- Den grønne omstilling, organisatorisk kapacitet og ledelse
- Ledelse i den eksperimenterende organisation
- Resultatorienteret lederskab
- Ledelse af videndeling: Perspektiver, udfordringer og muligheder
- Ledelse opad i offentlige hierarkier
- Ledelse af diversitet og inklusion
- Forandringsledelse
- Strategisk ledelse
- Ledelse af hybridarbejde
- Gentænk de kommunale velfærdsstrategier
- Klimaledelse
- Medledelse
- Kulturledelse
- Tillidsbaseret ledelse
- Ledelse af fagprofessionelle på tværs af siloer
- Narrativ ledelse af tværgående samarbejde
Knowledge (Panel content)
Leadership Columns in Børsen
2026 (Panel content)
February 2026: When Hierarchy Is Too Slow – Rethinking Leadership and Power
We may not feel directly in crisis – yet leadership today increasingly calls for civic responsibility, dialogue, and moral courage. Especially in uncertain geopolitical times.
Original: Hierarkiet er for langsomt: derfor spreder virksomheder magten (in Danish)
English: The hierarchy is too slow: why companies are distributing power
Written by Professors Michael Pedersen (CBS), Helge Hvid (RUC) and Tobias Berggren Jensen (CBS)
January 2026: Patriotism, Leadership, and Responsibility in a Time of Crisis
Traditional hierarchies create clarity and coordination – but they can also slow organisations down. In times of rapid change, companies are experimenting with new forms of leadership that decentralise power while strengthening responsibility and structure.
Original: "Krisernes tid er pligtens tid – og du skal blande dig!" (in Danish)
Written by Professor Bent Meier Sørensen
2025 (Panel content)
December 2025: Three Ways Leaders Can Strengthen Innovation Without Waiting For AI
We should be living in a Golden Age of discovery – but we are not. In fact, breakthroughs are becoming rarer – despite rising innovation investments. And despite AI.
Original: Virksomheders innovation er gået i stå – og AI risikerer at forværre udviklingen (in Danish)
English: Corporate innovation has stalled – and AI risks deepening the challenge
Written by Professor Giacomo Marchesini
November 2025: Political leadership is led by the power of words – not with swords
In Denmark, over 2,500 new local politicians have just been elected, and next year a new Parliament awaits with potentially hundreds of untested political leaders. But how do you exercise leadership in a democratic society?
Original: Politisk lederskab bedrives med ordet og ikke med sværdet (in Danish)
Written by Professor Emil Husted
October 2025: Entrepreneurship Fever in Leadership
We’re living in the age of the entrepreneurial spirit - a mindset that treats agility and disruption as universal virtues.
Original: Når iværksætterånd forfører ledelse (in Danish)
English: Has leadership fallen for the entrepreneurial hype?
Written by Professor Christina Lubinski
September 2025: Unlocking AI’s Potential From the Ground Up
Why do so many large AI projects miss the mark?
Original: AI skaber værdi, når medarbejderne driver udviklingen (in Danish)
English: Why Top-Down AI strategies fail – and how employees deliver results
Written by Professor Christian Hendriksen
June 2025: Leadership in Uncertain Times
When control is loosened, leaders may actually improve performance in uncertain times.
Original: Drop kontrollen — og led bedre i usikre tider (in Danish)
English: Leadership in Uncertain Times
Written by Professor Torben Juul Andersen
April 2025: Three Phases of Leadership in Times of AI
To create real value from AI, leaders must guide their organisations through three phases: curiosity, usefulness, and normalisation.
Original: Ledelse i AI-tidens tre faser: Nysgerrighed, nytteværdi og normalitet (in Danish)
English: Leadership in the Age of AI: The 3 Phases — Curiosity, Usefulness & Normalisation
Written by Assistant Professor Carsten Lund Pedersen and Professor Thomas Ritter
March 2025: Responsible Leadership
When the stakes are high, responsibility is a necessity, not an option. This is how you find solutions within the Circle of Wicked Risks.
Original: Ansvarlig ledelse består ikketesten – igen (in Danish)
English: Responsible Leadership Fails the Test – Again
Written by CBS President Peter Møllgaard and CBS Deputy President Inger Askehave
February 2025: Leading with Nature: How?
Businesses face a new agenda: how to integrate nature into strategy and leadership.
Original: At lede i naturen: Hvordan? (in Danish)
English: Leading with Nature: How?
Written by Postdoc Jonathan Feddersen and Professor Majken Schultz
January 2025: AI Success Begins with Leadership's Mindset
Technology investments only pay off when leaders’ strategic mindset aligns with market preferences.
Original: AI-succes starter med ledelsens mindset (in Danish)
English: AI Success Begins with Leadership’s Mindset
Written by Professor Torsten Ringberg
2024 (Panel content)
October 2024: Future Leadership
What does the leadership of the future look like? The CBS Leadership Think Tank provides a suggestion with four key sets of competencies that can create robust and sustainable organisations capable of offering solutions to future challenges.
Original: CBS-tænketank giver sit bud på fremtidens ledelse (in Danish)
English: Future Leadership is Calling for These Competencies
Written by Professor Louise Mors, Professor Silviya Svejenova, and Centre Director Eva Fog Bruun
September 2024: Overlooked Potentials in B2B Software Start-ups
The collaboration between founders, authorities, and companies in Danish industrial clusters is crucial for promoting successful software start-ups.
Original: Sådan udnyttes overset potentiale i B2B-software-startups (in Danish)
English: How to Harness the Overlooked Potential in B2B Software Start-ups
Written by Associate Professor Mercedes Delgado
August 2024: Sustainability
How can companies continue to maintain solutions that work in the short term while developing long-term strategies for a sustainable future?
Original: Fire fællestræk hos virksomheder til en bæredygtig fremtid (in Danish)*
English: Four Common Features of Sustainability-driven Companies
Written by Postdoc Jonathan Feddersen, Assistant Professor Miriam Feuls, Professor Tor Hernes, Postdoc Sunny Mosangzi Xu, Professor Majken Schultz, and Kasper Thy Søndberg
May 2024: Supply Chain
We should stop thinking solely in terms of individual companies and instead focus on supply chains.
Original: Fremtidens ledere er velbevandrede i forsyningskæder (in Danish)
English: The Leaders of the Future are Supply Chain Savvy
Written by Associate Professor Andreas Wieland and Assistant Professor Philip Beske-Janssen
April 2024: Researchers and Innovation
Working with researchers can be demanding, but they possess a range of qualities that are valuable and attractive in a complex and uncertain business environment: persistence, collaboration, and the ability to manage uncertainty.
Original: Byd forskerånden velkommen (in Danish)
English: Embrace the Researcher’s Mindset
Written by Professor Signe Vikkelsø, Professor Alan Irwin, and Postdoc Sunny Mosangzi Xu
April 2024: Power Struggles and Ethical Boundaries
In this episode of Lederens dilemma, Frans Bevort (CBS) joins a discussion about customer retention, stress denial, and ethical dilemmas when CEOs show questionable behaviour.
Original: Dilemma: Direktøren er brændt varm på en af mine ansatte (in Danish)
March 2024: Undermined by Employee, Career Transitions, and Insecure Teams
In this episode of Lederens dilemma, Camilla Sløk (CBS) joins a discussion about authority, insecurity after mergers, and moving from managing employees to managing managers.
Original: Underløbes af medarbejder, et skridt op ad karrierestigen og utrygge (in Danish)
March 2024: The Price of Meetings, Self-Leadership, and Work-Life Boundaries
In this episode of Lederens dilemma, Peter Holdt Christensen (CBS) contributes perspectives on blurred boundaries between private and work life, and how leaders can handle stress and employee concerns.
Original: Prissæt møder i kroner og ører, selvledelse og bøvl i privatlivet (in Danish)
February 2024: Women in Leadership
How does the presence of women on boards influence board dynamics and firm outcomes?
Original: Women improve decision-making on boards (in Danish)
English: Women Directors Elevate Board Work
Written by Professor Marie Louise Mors, Department of Strategy and Innovation, CBS, and Professor Margarethe F. Wiersema, University of California, Irvine
February 2024: Trouble with Another Manager, Dating Advice and Prioritising Time
In this episode of Lederens dilemma, Pernille Steen Pedersen (CBS) discusses dilemmas about employees seeking personal advice and how leaders balance operations and development.
Original: Bøvl med chefkollega, kæresteråd og prioritering af tid (in Danish)
January 2024: Leading for Diversity
We often overestimate the level of inclusion in organisations. Real inclusion demands more than intentions — it requires structural and cultural change.
Original: Vi er ikke så inkluderende, som vi tror... Men vi kan blive det (in Danish)
English: We Are Not as Inclusive as We Think… But We Can Be
Written by Professor Sara Louise Muhr and Associate Professor Poornima Luthra, Department of Organization, CBS
Leadership Paper Series
The Leadership Paper Series gathers faculty across CBS and research partners from fellow universities and research institutions. The aim is to stimulate the sharing of knowledge about leadership and to strengthen the translation of research to practitioners who exercise leadership in their daily work.
CBS Leadership Centre seeks to bring researchers together across CBS to inspire and nurture cross-disciplinary thinking on leadership. The Leadership Paper Series is a forum for exactly this. Junior and senior colleagues, as well as visiting and guest scholars, are invited to present and discuss leadership research in progress from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and theoretical traditions.
Presenters receive constructive feedback from discussants and attendees with the goal of developing their papers and arguments for eventual publication.
Contact
If you would like to learn more, or if you are interested in presenting or participating in one of the upcoming events, please contact:
- Professor Dan Kärreman (dk.msc@cbs.dk)
- Postdoc Natalie Shefer (nas.egb@cbs.dk)
Previously at the Leadership Paper Series
January 2026 – When Leadership Matters Most: Transitions, Power, and Social Inequality
Paper 1. Confronting Leadership Death: An Existential-Psychoanalytic Perspective on Succession
Presenter: Florence Villesèche, Associate Professor, Department of Business Humanities and Law
Discussant: Frank Meier, Associate Professor of Leadership & Organization, Department of Organization
Paper 2. Managers’ Work Experience in Business Associations and Refugee Wage Inequality
Presenter: Vera Rocha, Professor, Department of Strategy and Innovation
Discussant: Lasse Folke Henriksen, Associate Professor, Department of Organization
November 2025 – Responsible Leadership in Turbulent Times
Keynote Speaker. Publishing Leadership Research: A Tale of Two Papers
Presenter: Laura Empson, Professor of Leadership & Organization, Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School; Professor of the Management of Professional Service Firms, Bayes Business School (City, University of London)
Paper 1. Voices of accountability: The relational constitution of responsible leadership
Presenters: Frank Meier, Associate Professor of Leadership & Organization, Department of Organization, & Lars Thøger Christensen, Professor of Communication & Organization, Department of Management, Society and Communication
Paper 2. Theorizing leadership development as a cultural product: implications for research and practice
Presenter: Eric Guthey, Associate Professor, Department of Management, Society and Communication
September 2025 – The Second Life of Innovation: Leadership at the Edge of Failure
Paper 1. Revival of Innovation Failures in R&D-Intensive Environments—A Case Study From a Japanese Chemical Company
Presenter: Peter Popovics, Assistant Professor, Department of International Economics, Government and Business
Discussant: Giacomo Marchesini, Assistant Professor, Department of Strategy and Innovation
Paper 2. Adaptive Leadership: A Critical Interdisciplinary Review and Constructive Redirection for Future Research
Presenter: Kevin Lowe, affiliated to the University of Sydney
Discussant: Nicole Ferry, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Society and Communication
April 2025 – Haunted Leadership and Geopolitics: The Invisible Forces Shaping Influence and Risk
Paper 1. Foreign policy connections and foreign investment amid geopolitical risk
Presenter: Flladina Zilja, Assistant Professor, Department of International Economics, Government and Business
Discussant: Grazia Santangelo, Professor, Department of Strategy and Innovation
Paper 2. Ghostly Talk: How Leadership Communication is Haunted by Disembodied Others
Presenters: Frank Meier, Associate Professor, Department of Organization and Lars Thøger Christensen, Professor, Department of Management, Society & Communication
Discussant: Morten Knudsen, Associate Professor, Department of Organization
January 2025 – Caring for Followers: Leadership and Care
Paper 1. An Organizational Ethics of Care Approach to Mitigating Employee Invention Withholding in Commercial Organizations
By Sarit Erez, Visiting Scholar at the Technische Universität Berlin, School of Economics and Management, Institute of Technology and Management
Paper 2. Keeping up appearances. Public leaders' work environment
By Camilla Sløk, Department of Organization, CBS
September 2024 – Navigating Power and Success in the Corporate Upper Echelons
Paper 1. Hanging By A Thread While At The Zenith? The Effect Of Career Choices And Social Capital On Directors' Career Success
By Ilaria Orlandi (CBS)
Paper 2. Elite corporate networks and CEO compensation: The causes and consequences of CEO pay premiums
By Thomas Poulsen (CBS), Lasse Folke Henriksen (CBS), & Dusten Avent-Holt (Augusta University)
May 2024 – Craft, Imagination and Experimentation
Paper 1. The Craft Imaginary in Leadership Studies – towards slow leadership
By Marta Gasparin (CBS) & Steven Brown (NTU)
Paper 2. Realists of a larger reality?: Science fiction, the utopian imagination and the speculative experimentations with future better worlds in robotics
By Ana Alacovska (CBS)
March 2024 – Digital Technologies Meet Influence and Leadership
Paper 1. The Unseen Divide: Individual Adoption of Generative AI Tools in the Workplace
By Christian Hendriksen (CBS)
Paper 2. Balancing digital person-branding in multi-stakeholder management processes
By Anna-Bertha Heeris Christensen, Antonia Erz & Sylvia von Wallpach (CBS)
December 2023 – Developing and Selecting Leaders
Paper 1. Shaping Organizational Performance via Bottom-up Voice and Top-down Vetting in Managerial Selection: Evidence from the Educational Sector
By Thomaz Teodorovicz (CBS), Samina Karim (Northeastern University) & Monica Higgins (Harvard University)
Paper 2. Elevating managers – Examining the anthropotechniques of a business simulation
By Esben Langager Olsen (Novo Nordisk) & Johan Simonsen Abildgaard (CBS)
June 2023 – The Implications of Human Capital
Paper 1. Cognitive ability, non-cognitive ability, and employee mobility: Evidence from Swedish microdata
By Ali Mohammadi, Pooyan Khashabi, Tobias Kretschmer, & Joseph Raffiee
Paper 2. Not just a woman or a man: How board faultlines and overlap between CEO and female directors’ characteristics affect firm performance
By Sabina Nielsen & Morten Huse
November 2022 – Authenticity and Trust
Paper 1. The Ethics of Authentic Leadership: A Heideggerian Perspective
By Florence Villesèche & Sverre Spoelstra
Paper 2. Faces of Trust in Public Management and Governance
By Steen Vallentin & Elisabet Skov Nielsen
September 2022 – Interaction and Networks
Paper 1. Influence in interaction: The realization of moments of leadership?
By Magnus Larsson, Christian Dyrlund Wåhlin-Jacobsen, Liv Otto Hassert & Lars Thøger Christensen
Paper 2. How much for a female CEO – and who pays the price? Investigating the practices and processes of pricing women leaders in professional executive recruitment
By Sara Louise Muhr, Kai Inga Liehr Storm & Minna Paunova
May 2022 – Leadership and AI: Futures, Faith, and Hope
Paper 1. Is the future of leadership a Mechanical Turk reversed?
By Sverre Spoelstra & Anoush Margaryan
Paper 2. Extending hope: Exploring the leadership practices of promissory technology projects
By Frank Meier & Dan Kärreman
The main takeaways can be downloaded here
March 2022 – Reflection and Action in Leadership
Paper 1. The play’s the thing – Hamlet and the question of leadership
By Robin Holt & Eric Guthey
Paper 2. So, I just sit there and laugh at jokes that aren’t funny: Dealing with tension and gender in the Danish Workplace
By Edmonia Baker & Signe Vikkelsø
News (Panel content)
Our latest activities
Apply for DKK 100,000 Leadership Travel Grant
Mid-career leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors can now apply for a DKK 100,000 travel grant from Director Ib Henriksen’s Foundation to attend a leading international executive programme. Recommended programmes include Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Apply by 1 April 2026.
February Leadership Column
Once a month, CBS researchers publish a column in Børsen Ledelse, bringing research-based perspectives on current challenges for managers.
Leadership Paper Series Session
At our latest Leadership Paper Series session, scholars explored leadership succession, power transitions, and how firms shape fair labor-market outcomes in uncertain times.
Leadership Workshop
On November 26, we hosted a full-day workshop on "Responsible Leadership in Turbulent Times".
Green Business Forum 2025
At the Green Business Forum 2025, CBS Leadership Centre hosted a session on Green Leadership.
Startup Leadership Summit 2025
At the Startup Leadership Summit 2025 on November 4th, we zoomed in on co-founder relationships!
Herminia Ibarra at CBS
London Business School’s Herminia Ibarra and CBS leaders came together for an inspiring conversation on leadership growth and transitions.
Developing Tomorrow’s Leadership Competencies at CBS
On September 5, global business school leaders, researchers, and executives met at CBS to debate the skills and education needed for the leaders of the future.
New Executive Program
Watch the video on the new executive program.
Leadership for the Future Report
The CBS Leadership Think Tank introduces a new vocabulary for leadership to navigate complexity, accelerate change, and build collaborative futures.