Doctoral Research Group Entrepreneurship, Management & Innovation

Our research projects aim at enhancing our theoretical understanding of entrepreneurship, management and innovation in order to support entrepreneurs and managers in their entrepreneurial and organizational undertakings. We conduct research projects from psychological, organizational, and strategic perspectives. We believe that only an integration of the different perspectives leads to a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena of entrepreneurship, management, and innovation. Our research projects cover various areas, such as corporate and professional entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship training, international business and HR management, negotiations in the context of entrepreneurship and management, the aging workforce and demographic change, knowledge management, occupational health psychology, strategy as process and practice, organizational paradoxes, power, creativity, time and temporality, space, new technologies, and organizational communication.

Depending on the subject and method of the dissertation, the respective faculty confers the following doctoral degrees:

• Dr. phil.
• Dr. rer. pol.

• Elena Eckert: Assessing Sustainability and Resilience in Tourism Destinations
• Sebastian Johannes Norman Franzke: Kompetenzentwicklung in kleinen und mittleren Produktionsunternehmen - Forschungsgeleitete Entwicklung einer Vorgehensweise zur Erstellung eines strategischen Kompetenzmodells
• Katrin Kizilkan: Understanding User Behavior and Communication Strategies for Successful Crowdfunding Campaigns - Insights from Platform Dynamics and Social Media Engagement
• Arne Kuder: Offene Innovation in kleinen, familiengeführten Hotelunternehmen - Ein integratives Modell unter Berücksichtigung des Promotorenmodells, Dienstleistungsdominanter Logik, Unternehmerischer Orientierung und Organisatorischen Verhaltens
• Verena Meyer: Critical Perspectives on Entrepreneurship - Challenging the Agent, the Discourse(s) and Dominant Assumptions
• Hannes Marwin Petrowsky: First-Offer Effects in Negotiations-A Meta-Analytical Synthesis of Experimental Research & Investigation of 26 Million Real-World-Negotiations
• Aileen Schlömer-Jarvis: Unused Potential? The Implementation (Gap) of Inclusion-Promoting Practices for People With Disabilities - An Empirical Analysis
• Lennart Seitz: Social Actor or Technology? Experimental Studies on the Perception of Chatbots Versus Humans and Their Implications for Anthropomorphic Chatbot Design
• Berenike Wiener: Nachhaltige Geldanlage in Stiftungen, Eine Mehrebenenbetrachtung von Faktoren der Veränderungsbereitschaft

As a doctoral candidate at Leuphana, you not only write your dissertation, but also participate in the interdisciplinary doctoral courses to the extent of 30 credit points, which include (inter)disciplinary colloquia (Research Forum I and Research Forum II) and furthermore comprises four interdisciplinary modules on research ethics, research methods, scientific practice and current perspectives on science. Please find more information about Leuphana's doctoral courses here.

The EMI group invites applications for PhD super­vision places in the areas of psychology or management and organization. The best applicants with out­standing qualifications will be offered a PhD scholar­ship, either in the area of management and organization or in psychology. The dead­line for applications is May 15, 2025.

Read more here: 

• PhD scholar­ship in psychology
• PhD scholar­ship in management and organization

Here you will find current open positions in research and teaching at Leuphana.

If you wish to pursue your doctorate at Leuphana, you must be enrolled as doctoral student. Information about admission to the doctorate at Leuphana and the application procedure can be found here.

Leuphana Graduate School offers advice and coaching to academics in the qualification phase. The Graduate School's advisor will be happy to support you in questions of decision-making, challenges in the course of your doctorate, and career planning and development. You can find more information about the counselling and coaching services here.

Leuphana University Lüneburg has awarded the Leuphana Dissertation Award to Dr. Hannes M. Petrowsky for his dissertation entitled ‘First-Offer Effects in Negotiations - A Meta-Analytical Synthesis of Experimental Research & Investigation of 26 Million Real-World Negotiations’.

In his dissertation, Hannes Petrowsky examines the economic and psychological effects of opening bids in negotiations. The thesis breaks new ground in science by synthesising the research literature, establishing previously unknown phenomena and, last but not least, empirically testing competing hypotheses. Furthermore, Mr. Petrowsky pre-registered his excellent methodological and analytical approach on Open Science Framework (OSF) and makes materials, (original) data and analysis scripts publicly available.

What motivated you to pursue a doctorate and why did you choose Leuphana?

My enthusiasm for research and work in academia was awakened during my master's degree at Leuphana. As I was able to gain a very positive impression of the quality of teaching and research during my studies, I was very taken with the idea of doing my doctorate at Leuphana. Before applying for the doctoral position, I was unsure whether I would meet the requirements of an academic career—but with support from my social environment, I finally dared it and have not regretted it since. At Leuphana, I particularly appreciate the close contact with colleagues and students, as well as the innovative and interdisciplinary approaches in research and teaching.

What special memories do you associate with your doctoral studies?

The opportunity to engage in-depth with a research topic over several years and to help shape the scientific discourse will remain in my memory as a privilege and something very special. I experienced the doctoral period as a challenging but also very fulfilling time with great learning effects and a lot of freedom. Above all, I remember the many great colleagues and co-authors, as well as stays abroad and conference visits, which made this process such an instructive and valuable time. Special thanks go to Prof. David Loschelder and the entire team.

What challenges did you face during your doctorate and how did you deal with them?

The start of my doctorate coincided almost exactly with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Social interaction with colleagues and other researchers was made more difficult as a result. However, regular digital meetings with our team and a supportive personal environment made this time much easier. In addition, my research papers were rejected by renowned journals – in such cases, I tried to see negative feedback as an opportunity to improve and ultimately convince other journals of the improved manuscripts.

What advice or tips would you give to new doctoral students?

Find a doctoral topic that really interests you. There will be ups and downs in every doctoral process, and intrinsic motivation is, in my view, a crucial factor for resilience and success. Regularly seek feedback from colleagues to improve your own research – it's worth it. Also, find a balance alongside academia – supposedly big challenges and problems often look much smaller after a round of sports or dinner with friends.