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’.