Department of Organization
The Department of Organization explores organizational processes and challenges from a problem-oriented, interdisciplinary social science perspective, focusing on the role of transforming business with society through research, teaching and outreach.
About the department (Panel content)
Who we are
At the Department of Organization, we engage with business and society through our research and teaching to address pressing challenges and contribute to public problem solving. We communicate actively about our research findings and strive to be innovative in our teaching of students. Organizing for a responsible society is a prime driver, and we invite you to a dialogue about common challenges
80 researchers
13 administrative staff
125 external lectures
Insights, News and Articles
Events at IOA
Societal impact
We focus on how interdisciplinary approaches to organizing can help address important and grand challenges. In a nutshell, we employ our research-based knowledge on organizations and organizing practices in a political-economic context to explore and analyze problems and issues that matters for life in organizations in society
We have a Research Communication prototype that focuses on exploring, engaging and empower
Our research spans private companies, public institutions, and NGOs, contributing to more inclusive, transparent, and resilient organizational practices.
About us
Strategy
There are five interconnected areas upon which IOA will focus on strategically in the coming years:
(1) We explore important societal challenges and address them from the vantage point of the department’s research areas,
(2) We seek external funding in relevant places that will enhance our research agenda
(3) We communicate about our research to relevant stakeholders in organizations.
(4) We teach in original ways and in areas of importance to CBS and we keep exploring the masters (kandidat) reform and the changes it brings,
(5) We take care of each other and foster a safe and healthy work environment
Head of Department
“At the Department of Organization, we engage with business and society through our research and teaching to address pressing challenges and contribute to public problem solving. We communicate actively about our research findings and strive to be innovative in our teaching of students. Organizing for a responsible society is a prime driver, and we invite you to a dialogue about common challenges”
Carsten Greve, Head of Department
History
Since its establishment in 1953, the department has been a leading international research environment for organization theory and organization studies. Since then, the department has expanded its focus to integrate research on organizing as it relates to political economy, as connecting organizations to how societies are governed and replicated is important. We strive to maintain and extend this heritage by prioritizing ambitious collaborative research projects, recruiting and developing talent, and collaborating with international research institutions, public and private organizations and industries, as well as with our students.
The department was established by Torben Agersnap and colleagues in 1953 as Department of Organization and Work Sociology – IOA (the A stands for’arbejdssociologi’ in Danish). In 2007, the name was shortened to Department of Organization, but kept the abbreviation ’IOA’.
Collaboration and outreach
At IOA, we collaborate with private and public sector partners and academia to address societal challenges. Through research, teaching, and outreach, we share knowledge, foster dialogue, and work toward organizing for a more responsible and sustainable society.
Please find a list of our latest media contributions
Organising Green Transition
Sustainability is a core principle at the Department of Organization (IOA), shaping our research, teaching, and daily practices. We aim to contribute to society by exploring how organizations can be governed responsibly in response to global challenges. IOA supports CBS’s Green Transition Initiative and seeks new ways to drive sustainable change. In 2023, faculty initiated a mapping of sustainability-related research, which was funded and expanded in 2024. This grassroots project highlights IOA’s proactive role in advancing the sustainability agenda—within CBS and beyond.
Our mission is to sustain and grow IOA’s momentum in sustainability. We aim to keep CBS and IOA’s community engaged and aware of our department’s transformative potential. Through seminars, teaching cases, master classes, and collaborative research, we explore how sustainability can be embedded in organizational life. This growing portfolio of activities invites students, researchers, and professionals to take part in shaping a more responsible future. On this site, you’ll find a curated overview of IOA’s sustainability efforts—demonstrating how academic research can support the green transition.
Organising Green Transitioning
Everyday practises
IOA is an international department with high activity and travel. To reduce its climate impact, IOA follows a strict sustainability policy: minimize air travel, prioritize eco-friendly transport and vegetarian catering, and support remote participation
Green news
IOA researchers contribute to the green transition through publications, panels, workshops, and teaching. Recent highlights include articles on sustainability, climate leadership masterclasses, and international debates on green governance and post-growth futures. You can read more here:... Indsæt link
Sustainability mapping
In 2023, IOA mapped it’s sustainability-related research and teaching. Results showed that 12.6% of IOA courses relate to green transition, and 34 staff contributed to 83 green publications from 2018–2022. The mapping highlights IOA’s growing role in sustainability and climate-focused education and research. Indsæt lin
Organisation and the ecological crisis - a lecture series
This is a series of public lectures in which connoted scholars present research addressing the ecological crisis and organization. Speakers focus on their research’s concrete suggestions for how we can better organize and / or on the impact of their work for new and more productive forms of scholarly societal engagement today. The lecture series serves as a platform for discussion, networking, and collaboration among scholars, educators, students, and experts.
March 18 2026, 15-17
Title: Can we all be Climate Killjoys? On Critique, Complicity, and Collective Action
Speaker: Laura Horn is Associate Professor in Political Economy at RUC, and an activist with Scientist Rebellion.
What are the tensions, trade-offs, and possibilities for solidarity in being both scholar and activist? In this talk and discussion, I will reflect on experiences and examples of climate-related civil disobedience actions in Denmark, as well as my own positioning as scholar activist. As TR/shop steward, I am closely familiar with forms of collective action and solidarity within Danish institutions, but also aware of their limits. Where does this leave me, and us, in this time when the world is burning and the university as critical institution is under attack?
April 13 2026, 15-17
Title: Individual Climate Action with Impact: Five Climate Superpowers to SHIFT the System
Speaker: Kimberly Nicholas, Professor of Sustainability Science, Lund University Centre for Sustainability studies.
Most people know climate change is a problem and want to help solve it. But too few are taking high-impact climate action, using their limited time and resources effectively to really make a difference. In this hands-on talk, Kimberly Nicholas shares her new personalized climate action guide, focusing on a handful of key actions within five “climate superpowers”: Citizen, Professional, Investor, Consumer, and Role Model, to bridge between individual and system change. Developed in partnership with Project Drawdown, The Super High-Impact Initiative for Fixing Tomorrow (SHIFT, https://jointheshift.earth/) helps people understand the power in their context – what roles they play, what resources they have – and then prioritize actions that punch above their weight. The lecture will include insights on some of the most high-impact individual climate actions and get the audience started on their own climate action journey using hands-on exercises.
Podcasts at IOA
In this podcast we explore the development of organizational theory – from classical to more recent perspectives on learning, decision-making, and entrepreneurship.
This podcast series explores the green transition across sectors like food, energy, and public services. Researchers share insights on turning climate goals into action, offering guidance and inspiration for businesses, institutions, and public leaders.
“Research communication is a natural extension for us from doing research and teaching students. Our department has a tradition for collaborating and working with practice to addressing society’s problems. Engaging, exploring and empowering are our keywords.” Carsten Greve
Head of Department
Centres and research groups in the department
We have 2 centres and 4 research groups
Centre for Organization and Time (COT)
The Centre for Organization and Time (COT) explores how organizational actors experience…
Centre for Organizational Research on Impact (CORI)
CORI investigates the translation between academic knowledge and organizational practices…
Organizations, Markets and Governance (OMG)
OMG explores how markets are constructed and governed by combining insights from sociology, politic…
People and Organizing (PnO)
PnO explores how people shape and experience organisational life. The group produces research that bridges…
Research, Innovation and Organization (RIO) Group
The Research, Innovation and Organization (RIO) group is a collective of scholars at the Depart…
WETO – Work, Expertise, Technology and Organization
Work, Expertise, Technology and Organization (WETO) examines how contemporary work prac…
Research and publications (Panel content)
Our research
At the Department of Organization (IOA), our research focuses on the processes of organizing and their societal consequences. We adopt a problem-oriented, business-in-society approach to explore how organizations function, evolve, and influence broader institutional and market dynamics.
Our primary research areas include:
- Organization and time
- Organization and impact
- Organization, markets and governance
- Organization, research and innovation
- Organization and people
- Organization, work, expertise and technology
Through empirical curiosity, methodological rigor, and critical thinking, we aim to generate value by producing actionable insights that help organizations navigate complexity, foster innovation, and respond to societal needs.
Impact in society
We contribute to solving societal challenges by:
- Investigating how organizations adapt to economic, technological, and political shifts
- Exploring the governance of markets and institutions
- Enhancing understanding of human relations and daily work practices
- Addressing issues of power, inequality, and sustainability
Our interdisciplinary team draws on traditions from sociology, political economy, anthropology, social psychology, philosophy, and science and technology studies, enabling us to set academic agendas and inform public debate both nationally and internationally.
Publications
See all publications30 April 2026
Det er farligt at stirre sig blind på enkeltsager
In: Politiken, 2026-4-30, p. 5-6
Contribution to newspaper - Feature article
Nanna Mik-Meyer, Professor
Anne Mette Møller, Associate Professor
Erika Ausker, Student Assistant
8 April 2026
How Real-Time Social Media Engagement Shapes Value Co-Creation and Co-Destruction in Hospitality
In: Current Issues in Tourism., 1368-3500, 15 p.
Journal article
Konstantinos N. Rigopoulos
Pernille Rydén
Efthymia Kottika
Ioannis G. Theodorakis
Vatroslav Skare
Konstantinos G. Kottikas
Alastair M. Morrison
Muhammad Ismail Hossain
4 April 2026
Kampen om formueskatten viser, hvad penge betyder i dansk politik
In: Politiken, 2026-4-4
Contribution to newspaper - Comment/debate
Our research groups
OMG brings together scholars in political economy, economic sociology, geography, and organization studies. The group explores how markets are shaped and governed across levels. Research includes national and transnational cases using qualitative and computational methods, as well as seminars. text
At PnO, we explore how people shape and are shaped by organisational life. Through practice-oriented, qualitative research, we address real-world challenges in collaboration with professionals. Our work bridges academic insight and societal impact, focusing on everyday experiences, dilemmas, and change
WETO explores how work, expertise, and technology shape and are shaped by organizational life. Using qualitative methods and social theory, we study how technologies and expert knowledge influence power, coordination, and authority across sectors like energy, agriculture, and healthcare
CORI was established in 2023 to support CBS’ impact agenda and to create synergy among several larger grants allocated to its core members. Members of CORI conduct organizational research on various relationships between academia and its societal stakeholders.
The Research, Innovation and Organization (RIO) group is a collective of scholars at the Department of Organization (CBS) studying the organisation of research and innovation across public and private spheres.
The Centre for Organization and Time (COT) explores how organizational actors experience and enact time — and how time, in turn, shapes organizations and society
Externally funded projects
4 months research stay Magellan Research
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Jesper Strandgaard
Start date: 01/09-25, End date: 31/12-25
AI Triage in Pregnancy and Postpartum
Innovationsfonden
Public National
PI: Professor Frans Bevort
Start date: 01/05-25, End date: 30/04-28
Algorithms, Data and Democracy (ADD)
Velux og Villum fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Leonard Seabrooke
Start date: 01/04-21, End date: 28/02-31
Build. Res. on Artificial Intelligence for Innov.
DFF - Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Public National
PI: Professor Megan Tobias Neely
Start date: 01/02-25, End date: 31/01-29
CAPACITOR
DFF - Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Public National
PI: Professor Susana Borrás Alomar
Start date: 01/05-21, End date: 31/03-25
Chair CBS Executive Anne Mette Møller
CBS Executive Fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Anne Mette Møller
CLONE
Velux Fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Christoph Houman Ellersgaard
Start date: 21/06-22, End date: 31/01-28
DERISK: How Firms Navigate De-Risking Regimes
Research Counsil of Norway
Public International
PI: Professor Johann Ole Willers
Start date: 01/09-25, End date: 31/08-29
De demokratiske deltagelsesformer
Fonden Roskilde Festival
Private National
PI: Professor Christoph Houman Ellersgaard
Start date: 01/10-20, End date: 31/12-23
DiNoBord
Svenska litteratursällskapet i Findland
Private International
PI: Professor Ursula Plesner
Start date: 01/05-22, End date: 30/04-26
Documenting Workplace Inequality
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Lasse Folke Kikkert Henriksen
Start date: 01/01-25, End date: 31/12-27
Dynamics of Problematization (GT-DYNPROB)
DFF - Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Public National
PI: Professor Trine Pallesen
Erhvervspostdoc Mathilde Hjerrild Carlsen
Innovationsfonden
Public National
PI: Professor Anne Reff Pedersen
Start date: 01/01-23, End date: 31/12-25
Forening af en økosystembaseret (EcoCorp fase 2)
Velux Fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Lise Nederland Justesen
Start date: 01/11-25, End date: 30/10-29
Forskningsophold NOVA, David
Otto Mønsted Fond
Private National
PI: David Cochat Pereira de Castro
Start date: 01/09-25, End date: 31/12-25
Governing Green Transition
Danida Fellowship Centre
Public National
PI: Professor Peter Byrjalsen Gammeltoft
Gæsteforskerophold på SCANCOR - Weatherhead center
Otto Mønsted Fond
Private National
PI: Professor Lise Nederland Justesen
Start date: 28/08-25, End date: 07/12-29
Gæsteprofessorat - Robert A. Phillips
Otto Mønsted Fond
Private National
PI: Professor Annika Dilling
KNOWREL: Network for research on international
Nordforsk
Public international
PI: Professor Stine Haakonsson
Magellan Research Center
Otto Mønsted Fond
Private National
PI: Professor Jesper Strandgaard
Start date: 01/09-25, End date: 31/12-25
Magtudredningen 2.0
Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen
Public National
PI: Professor Nanna Mik-Meyer
Start date: 01/01-23, End date: 31/12-28
Making distant future actionable
Novo Nordisk Fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Majken Schultz
Start date: 01/01-21, End date: 30/06-25
Mapping Alternative Knowledge (MAKRO)
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Oddný Helgadóttir
Start date: 01/04-24, End date: 31/03-27
NAVIGATOR
Horizon Europe (HE)
EU
PI: Professor Eleni Tsingou
Start date: 01/03-23, End date: 28/02-27
Nye introduktionsforløb og borgernære karriereveje
Arbejdstilsynet
Public National
PI: Professor Johan Simonsen Abildgaard
Start date: 01/02-25, End date: 31/01-27
Når teknologier flytter ind
Kræftens bekæmpelse
PI: Professor Vibeke Kristine Scheller
Start date: 15/08-21, End date: 15/08-23
OMF gæsteprof. 2024 Ulla Eriksson-Zettequist
Otto Mønsted Fond
Private National
PI: Professor Signe Lise Vikkelsø
Start date: 01/04-21, End date: 28/02-31
OMTEngage AOM 2025
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Silviya Svejenova Velikova
Start date: 01/07-25, End date: 31/07-25
Org af somatiske behandlingsforløb
Carelink Fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Kirstine Zinck Pedersen
Start date: 04/03-25, End date: 30/10-27
Organisering af psykisk sygdom og kræftbehandling
Kræftens bekæmpelse
Private National
PI: Professor Kirstine Zinck Pedersen
Start date: 01/01-26, End date: 31/12-28
Ph.D., International Relations - DDMF
Den Danske Maritime Fond
PI: Marianne Reisby Aarø-Hansen
Start date: 01/01-19, End date: 31/12-25
Ph.d., International Relations - DM
Danske Maritime
PI: Marianne Reisby Aarø-Hansen
Start date: 02/01-19, End date: 31/12-25
Phd International research
SDC Danmark
Public National
PI: Professor George Alan Irwin
Start date: 01/09-23, End date: 31/08-26
Plasten I det cirkulära samhället
FORMAS
Public International
PI: Professor Jacob Adam Hasselbalch
Start date: 01/12-21, End date: 30/11-26
Politiets håndtering af ofre for partnervold
Rådet for Offerfonden
Public International
PI: Professor Elisabeth Naima Mikkelsen
Start date: 01/12-23, End date: 30/11-26
Post Growth Bureaucracies
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Jacob Adam Hasselbalch
Post-pandemic Poverty
DFF - Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Public National
PI: Professor José Gustavo Ossandón Valdés
Start date: 01/01-23, End date: 31/12-25
Record Keeping in frontline work (RECORD)
Danmarks Frie Forskningsråd - DFF
Public National
PI: Anne Mette Møller
Start date: 01/08-24, End date: 31/01-27
Research stay - University of Edinburgh
Otto Mønsted Fond
Private National
PI: Professor Vera Cathrin Simoneit
Start date: 01/09-25, End date: 30/11-25
Research Stay at Harvard University, Fall 2025
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Lise Nederland Justesen
Start date: 01/08-25, End date: 30/11-25
Research Stay Stanford
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Jane Bjørn Vedel
Start date: 01/01-25, End date: 30/06-25
Straid Sexual Transgression in Aid Humanitarian
Danmarks Frie Forskningsråd - DFF
Public National
PI: Professor Morten Thanning Vendelø
Start date: 01/09-23, End date: 21/12-26
Svängdörrar till näringslivet?
Vetenskapsråden (Sweden)
Public International
PI: Professor Christoph Houman Ellersgaard
Start date: 01/01-22, End date: 31/12-25
TAXLAW
Research Counsil of Norway
Public International
PI: Professor Leonard Seabrooke
Start date: 01/04-21, End date: 30/03-25
The impact of big funding
Novo Nordisk Fonden
Public National
PI: Professor Jane Bjørn Vedel
Start date: 01/04-23, End date: 31/12-29
The implications of large-scale grants
Carlsberg Fondet
Private National
PI: Professor Jane Bjørn Vedel
Start date: 01/09-2, End date: 31/08-26
The Politics of Time
DFF- Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Public National
PI: Professor Miriam Feuls
Start date: 01/12-25, End date: 31/11-28
Tilblivelsen af forestillinger om partnervold
Rådet for Offerfonden
Public International
PI: Professor Elisabeth Naima Mikkelsen
Start date: 01/06-23, End date: 31/05-23
Time Mirror
DFF - Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond
Public National
PI: Professor Leonard Seabrooke
TITAN
Velux Fonden
Private National
PI: Professor Eva Boxenbaum
Start date: 14/09-25, End date: 30/08-26
Wealth and Value in the Lithium Ion Battery Chain
Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet
Public National
PI: Professor Duncan Edward Wigan
Start date: 01/01-24, End date: 27/06-25
Weaving the fabric of elite bonds (WEB)
Norsk Forskningsråd
Private International
PI: Professor Christoph Houman Ellersgaard
Start date: 01/12-21, End date: 30/11-24
World class science infrastructure - SDC
SDC Sino-Danish Center
Public National
PI: Professor Stine Haakonsson
Start date: 01/10-22, End date: 31/12-25
Education (Panel content)
Our programmes
IOA offers research-based teaching and supervision at all educational levels. Bachelor, Master, PhD and Executive Degrees are considered to be equally important.
Our teaching fosters change agents through research-based, action-oriented pedagogy. We integrate external lecturers via a DVIP strategy and ground teaching in current departmental research. Key areas include organization theory, HRM, leadership, and methodologies.
We aim to develop analytical, critical, and responsible practitioners. Teaching is coordinated by Associate Professor Emil Husted. Quality is ensured through CBS’ Assistant Professor Programme. Our approach blends theory, reflexivity, and practical relevance.
Bachelor Programmes
IOA is offering the following research based Bachelor programmes:
HA i projektledelse
HA PRO giver dig en bred forståelse for virksomheders arbejde med projekter. Du møder forskel…
HA(psyk.) - erhvervsøkonomi og psykologi
På HA(psyk.) lærer du både at forstå, hvordan en virksomhed fungerer og om en af virksomhedens vigtig…
BSc in International Business and Politics
The BSc IBP teaches you how economic and political forces shape a globalising world - and how companies adjust…
BSc in European Business
Department of Organization also provides comprehensive teaching materials that support and enrich the European Business program, ensuring students have access to relevant resources throughout their studies.
European Business is a business economics program with a specialization in European affairs. We take Europe as our starting point because solutions to the challenges faced by Danish companies require knowledge of European economics, an understanding of the importance of cultural diversity in Europe, as well as familiarity with political institutions and processes at both the EU and member state level
Master Programmes
IOA is offering the following research based Master Programmes:
MSc in Economics and Business Administration in Strategy, Organisation and Leadership
The MSc EBA SOL programme is about how strategy, organisation and leadership shape businesses and society. You’ll…
Cand.soc. i Human Resource Management
Cand.soc HRM handler om samspillet mellem mennesker, virksomheder og de krav omverdenen stil…
Cand.merc.(psyk.) - erhvervsøkonomi og psykologi
På cand.merc.(psyk.) lærer du at forstå samspillet mellem mennesker og organisationer. Du læ…
MSc in International Business and Politics
In the MSc IBP programme, you will explore how companies and governments influence each other. You will build sol…
MSSc in Public Management and Social Development
Study in Beijing and explore how public organisations and communities create sustainable solutions to…
Cand.merc. - People and Business Development
Department of Organization also provides comprehensive teaching materials that support and enrich the Cand.merc. People and Business Development program, ensuring students have access to relevant resources throughout their studies.
People and Business Development gives the candidates the keys to understand why and how the organization’s people and human capital becomes the key drivers of business development and transformation in modern organizations.
The people strategies and human capital tools including talent management, people analytics, competence advancement, rewards and compensation are core elements in coping with today’s business challenges like agility, digital transformation and sustainability.
The People and Business Development aims to develop candidates who equipped to do data- and theory based analysis of the highest level and aiming at three specific areas of interest. The concentration is based on the analysis that modern people strategies and human capital, needs to focus on context, value and change in order to make the management and staff working with human capital able fulfil their potential as business partners and change agents.
Executive education
IOA supplies MPG with course material.
IOA supplies MMD with course material.
IOA supplies HD2 - organisation og ledelse with course material.
Our PhD programmes
Strong academic community
At IOA, PhD students join a vibrant and supportive research environment. You become part of an international, interdisciplinary community with access to close supervision, peer feedback, and strong methodological training.
A culture of care and curiosity
We combine high academic standards with a collaborative culture. You’ll be encouraged to think critically, work independently, and engage in research that matters—across themes like organization, governance, sustainability, and technology.
Being a PhD student at IOA
Many IOA PhD graduates pursue careers in academia at universities and research institutions in Denmark and abroad. Alumni from the Department of Organization hold positions as researchers, lecturers, and professors, contributing to teaching and research within the field of organization studies.
Impact and career paths for our PhD students
Academic and international career paths
Many IOA PhD graduates pursue careers in academia—at leading institutions in Denmark and abroad. Alumni hold positions at, e.g.:
• King's College London
• IT University of Copenhagen
• Max Planck Institute, Cologne
• Freie Universität Berlin
They contribute cutting-edge research on organizations, governance, and societal challenges.
Bringing research into practice
Our industrial PhDs and other alumni often move into roles in public institutions, consultancies, and global companies:
• VIVE – The Danish Center for Social Science Research
• Novo Nordisk
• Sydbank (ESG)
• Genmab
They use their analytical, methodological, and strategic skills to drive research-based innovation in real-world settings.
PhD programmes within organisation
How to apply
All applications must be submitted through CBS’ online recruitment system. The specific requirements, such as project description, academic transcripts, and CV, are listed in each call. Carefully follow the instructions in the job posting.
Deadline
Each PhD call includes a fixed deadline, which is stated clearly in the job posting. Late applications are not considered. If no open calls are listed, you may wait for the next round or consider applying through externally funded projects.
The application
Your application should typically include:
• A project description (5 pages max)
• CV and academic transcripts
• List of publications (if relevant)
• Documentation of English proficiency
See detailed guidelines under each vacancy.
Programme structure
IOA’s PhD programme is typically a 3-year full-time scheme. It includes:
• Independent research
• PhD courses (30 ECTS)
• Teaching obligations
• International research stay
• Participation in department activities
More details via CBS PhD School.
