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Rasmus Johnsen

Associate Professor

Subjects
Leadership Management Learning Climate Crises Philosophy Future

Primary research areas

Adaptive Leadership and Complexity

I study leadership as a relational practice in conditions of uncertainty, drawing on adaptive and complexity leadership theories. My work explores how leaders mobilize collective capacity, navigate value conflicts, and enable emergent solutions rather than impose top-down control.

Time, Boredom, and the Good Life

My research investigates cultural, historical, and organizational experiences of time, including boredom, acceleration, and the search for “good time.” I explore how temporal structures shape well-being, meaning, and social organization.

Slow Organizing in the Anthropocene

I develop the concept of slow organizing as an alternative to acceleration logics in the green transition. My research brings together craft theory, affect studies, and posthumanist thought to explore how making, materiality, and emotions shape organizational life and can open new ways of imagining responsibility in the Anthropocene.

Lifelong Learning and Executive Education

I contribute to rethinking the role of universities in lifelong learning and leadership development. My work bridges research and practice to design transformative executive education that enables leaders to navigate complexity, climate change, and personal transformation

Leadership and slow organizing in the Anthropocene

My research is rooted in philosophical anthropology and examines how leadership and slow organizing can help society navigate the challenges of the Anthropocene. I explore how adaptive leadership fosters resilience and personal insight, enabling individuals and organizations to respond creatively to environmental and social challenges.  

A central strand of my work develops the concept of slow organizing as an alternative to acceleration logics in the green transition. I investigate how participatory and democratic approaches can open more just and sustainable pathways for transformation. 

I also study our experiences of time—especially boredom—and their role in shaping meaning, identity, and engagement with life. This connects to broader organizational and cultural challenges and how they intersect with emotional experience. 

In addition, I am developing new approaches to lifelong learning and its role in creating a vibrant learning society. Across these areas, my ambition is to foster adaptive capacity and reimagine responsibility in a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty. 

Recent research projects

Horizon Europe Project Hephaestus

HEPHAESTUS aims to fuse cutting-edge technologies with craftsmanship, co-creating sustainable solutions in tools, methodologies, and business models for the future of European craft ecosystems.
Hephaestus