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Jo­han Si­mon­sen Abildgaard

Associate Professor

Subjects
Change management Organisation Working environment Evaluation Psychology Well-being

I develop and study new ways to improve workplaces and work environments

My research is rooted in the field of work and organizational psychology and revolves around how the topic of how changes in organizations affect both employees and the organization. 
One major line of research I have followed is the continuous advancement of workplace intervention studies. I collaborate with organization on the design and implementation of the intervention program and conduct analyses of outcomes and processes using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches. The content of the interventions I have been involved in spans management training, participatory processes in work teams and organizational development. 
On the topic of change events (such as restructuring and downsizing) I study how organizational change affects employee wellbeing and in particular how change management initiatives can affect the perception and impact of change processes. 
I have done work on applying organization theory (such as sensemaking and actor-network theory) to work and organizational psychology topics. 
I am currently the deputy editor in chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 

Recent research projects

“New Onboarding programs and New Career Paths for Welfare Employees In Herlev Municipality”

We evaluate an intervention conducted by Herlev Municipality and Implement consulting group targeting core competencies, new onboarding programs and career path. The project is supported by a grant from The Ministry of Employment.
Project page on the homepage of Herlev Municipality (in Danish)

Outside activities

Kemp&Lauritzen, CBS executive, 2025–present

Talk for managers

FAK (Forsvarsakademiet)

Assessment Committee member Assessment of candidates for one ass.prof. position

Senior researcher at the national research centre for the working environment, 2021–present

Holds a 10% position as senior researcher.

Necto Academic reviewer , 2024–2024

Municipality of Copenhagen Workshop facilitator , 2023–2023

3 workshops

TEKSAM (Co-industri & Dansk Industri) Workshop facilitator , 2023–2023

3 workshops

Assessment Committee member, 2023–2023

Assessment of candidates for one ass.prof. Position at Aarhus University

Socialpædagogerne - Workshop facilitator , 2022–2022

2 workshops in spring