Governance, Culture & Learning Unit
At the Governance, Culture and Learning Unit, our research delves into challenges arising from culturally embedded human activity intersecting with organizational dynamics and business decisions, addressing broader societal impacts.
About Us
At the Governance, Culture and Learning Unit (GCL), our research delves into challenges arising from culturally embedded human activity intersecting with organizational dynamics and business decisions, addressing broader societal impacts.
We explore challenges at the crossroads of human activities, organizational dynamics, business strategy, and decision-making in the context of broader societal impacts. Our research informs a wide range of CBS programs, fostering analytical rigor, intellectual creativity, interpersonal skills, and collaboration in students—essential traits for today’s business world.
Research
Governance
Governance is concerned with the shaping and transformation of business and society. This concern is driven by two approaches. On one hand, how actors from different sectors are involved in power and legitimation struggles within and across economic, social, legal, and political fields. On the other hand, how economic, social, legal, and political fields and subjects become objects of governance and change.
Based on cross-disciplinary studies—including politics, law, economics, history, philosophy, sociology, and political science—we investigate structures and processes of governance on different levels of organizations and in society, and how societal challenges can be met through new governing solutions in business and collective actions.
Our empirical scope includes corporations of diverse sizes; civil society and public organizations; NGOs, local as well as global; analogue as well as digital communities; nation-states and transnational constitutions.
Culture
Responding to major economic, environmental, and social challenges calls for deep cultural transformations. Cultural markets and organizations are key components of the change process. Accordingly, we strive to understand culture in business and culture as a business—both globally and locally.
Identifying and developing research and education on cultural values, beliefs, and norms in the context of organizations is a lever for enabling organizations and whole sectors to remain competitive in times of rapid change.
Our research provides knowledge and know-how to understand culture at the intersections of business, civil society, and governance, and to develop capabilities to manage, lead, and change cultural markets and organizations.
Learning
We explore the complex dynamics of learning processes in organizations and businesses, focusing on their structure and potential for progress towards sustainability and inclusivity.
Our research approach combines methodologies from the human and social sciences, humanities, and liberal learning, with a steadfast commitment to analytical rigor and critical thinking.
Research on learning, ranging from life-long learning and decision-making to ethical considerations and design thinking, applies a humanistic lens. We actively pursue innovative pedagogies such as blended and play-based learning, reexamining the foundations of management education from the perspective of the Business Humanities.
We strive to interweave our unique perspective with other fields, using our knowledge and expertise in collaborative initiatives both within and outside our unit. We believe that business education, enriched by the depth and breadth of the humanities and liberal arts, equips students to become capable collaborators, empathetic leaders, innovative problem solvers, and active citizens in a living democracy.