Prof. Dr. Boukje Cnossen

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C6.104
Fon +49.4131.677-1661, boukje.cnossen@leuphana.de
Professor, Professorship of business administration, in particular Entrepreneurship, Organization, and Culture
Associated member, Leuphana Center for Organization & Social Transformation

Table of contents for this page

Vita

Boukje Cnossen is Professor of Business Administration, especially Entrepreneurship, Organisation and Culture at Leuphana University Lüneburg. Her research focuses on 'organising practices' in the cultural and creative industries, particularly examining the influence of space on creative practices. In current and previous research projects, she has investigated coworking spaces, creative hubs and artist collectives. With an increased interest in the organisational processes of artistic and creative practices, Prof. Cnossen's research draws on the communication-constitutes-organization (CCO) approach as well as insights from actor-network theory. As an active member of the CCO community as well as the Entrepreneurship-as-Practice (EaP) community, her collaboration and research extend across national and academic boundaries.

As an art critic and arts journalist for several national newspapers and international arts magazines, Boukje Cnossen has gained first-hand experience in the cultural sector, which continues to influence her current teaching and research. She completed her PhD at the Tilburg School of Economics and Management at Tilburg University (NL) and her MRes (Master of Research) in Humanities and Cultural Studies from the London Consortium; a graduate programme established in collaboration between Birkbeck College and some of the UK's major cultural institutions (including the Tate). Prof. Cnossen’s academic research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals such as Organization Studies, Human Relations, Creativity and Innovation Management, and the Journal of Organizational Ethnography.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • since June 2023 associate editor of the journal Scandinavian Journal of Management
  • 2021 – present: Tenured University Professor of Business Administration, especially Entrepreneurship, Organization, and Culture. Institute of Management and Organization (IMO), Leuphana
  • since 2019 external member of the Institute for Sociology and Cultural Organization (ISKO), Leuphana
  • 2019 – 2021: Assistant professor (Juniorprofessorin) in Business Administration with 
    focus on Cultural Entrepreneurship, Leuphana
  • 2018 – 2019: Post-doctoral researcher at the Professorship for Sociology of Organization and Culture (Prof Dr Timon Beyes), Leuphana
  • 2013 – 2018: Doctoral researcher at Tilburg School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University
  • 2012 – 2014: Researcher at the Creative Industries Research Centre Amsterdam, Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam

EDUCATION

  • 2013 – 2018: PhD from the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM), Tilburg University
  • 2010 – 2011: MRes (Master of Research) in Humanities & Cultural Studies. The London Consortium (Birkbeck College, the Tate, the Science Museum, the Architectural Association, and the Institute of Contemporary Arts), University of London, United Kingdom.
  • 2005 – 2009: BA Religious Studies. Honour’s certificate in Art & Research, University of Amsterdam

SELECTED AWARDS

  • 2023: Erasmus Mundus Design Measure for the development of an Erasmus Mundus Master Programme “Thinking in Action: Creative Transformation of Intercultural Common Space (TACTICS)” (together with Prof. Dr. Volker Kirchberg and Prof. Dr. Timon Beyes). Lead by Université Rennes II.
  • 2023: Convenors’ nomination for the EGOS Best Student Paper Award for ‘The future starts now: On the performative effects of manifestos in organizations’ (presented together with first author and PhD student Stephanie Heitmann); (39th EGOS Colloquium)
  • WS2023/24: Faculty fellowship of the Leuphana Institute of Advanced Studies (LIAS). International fellowship programme promoting outstanding research in the humanities and social sciences to strengthen internationalisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, university involvement, and co-creation, whilst embracing the values of academic freedom, sustainability, and diversity; (LIAS)
  • 2022: Shared research (7,500,000 EUR) funding for the 5-year project “Transformation through Innovation and Cooperation in Communities” (TrICO), funded within the framework of the “Innovative Universities” programme; (BMBF)
  • 2022: Shared funding (100,000 EUR) for the one-year project “Transformational Spaces for Future-Oriented Learning in Germany”, funded within the framework of the funding initiative “Spatial Laboratories: Experimental spaces for future-oriented learning architectures”; (Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities and Dieter Schwarz Foundation)
  • 2022: Award for the 2022 ICA Organizational Communication Division Best of the B.E.S.T. (‘Brief Entertaining Scholarly Talks’), ICA Organizational Communication Division
  • 2021: Nomination for the 5th Boekman Dissertation Prize, Boekman Foundation, Netherlands

Research Interests

My research focuses on how new organisations emerge and persist in time. I study this question in the empirical setting provided by 'fluid' organisations in the in the creative industries, such as creative hubs, artist collectives, and co-working spaces. I am interested in what makes a shared sense of identity and purpose emerge and last in these settings, and pay specific attention to discursive and material practices. More broadly, I am interested in the use of qualitative and ethnographic methods in organization studies, and enjoy working at the intersection of the humanities and organization studies. My professional experience in journalism and the arts inform my research and teaching. For more information see www.boukjecnossen.nl

Projects

  1. TrICo Subproject: Community Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
    Robert Hoyer (Project staff) , Matthias Wenzel (Project manager, academic) , Markus Reihlen (Project manager, academic) , Steffen Farny (Project manager, academic) , Boukje Cnossen (Project manager, academic) , Jacob Hörisch (Project manager, academic) , Ursula Weisenfeld (Project manager, academic) , Frederic Penz (Project staff) , Lillan Lommel (Project staff) , Charlotte Wulffen (Project staff)
    →

    Project: Transfer (Scientific Services)

  2. TrICo Subprojekt - Community Art and Culture
    Timon Beyes (Project manager, academic) , Boukje Cnossen (Project manager, academic) , Robin Kuchar (Project staff) , Lana Bartusch (Project manager, academic) , (Project staff) , (Project staff)
    →

    Project: Transfer (R&D project)

  3. Transformations:Räume für zukunftsorientiertes Lernen
    Andrea Japsen (Coordination) , Nicolas Meier (Coordination) , Matthias Wenzel (Project manager, academic) , Steffen Farny (Project manager, academic) , Torben Schmidt (Project manager, academic) , Boukje Cnossen (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Other

  4. Erasmus Mundus Design Measure: Thinking in Action: Creative Transformation of Intercultural Common Space
    Volker Kirchberg (Project manager, academic) , Timon Beyes (Project manager, academic) , Boukje Cnossen (Project manager, academic)
    →

    Project: Other

  5. Accelerating regional development and innovation: a co-creative approach
    Matthias Wenzel (Coordination) , Boukje Cnossen (Coordination) , Sarah Stanske (Project staff)
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    Project: Transfer (R&D project)

View all projects

Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. The Volkskrant building: Manufacturing Difference in Amsterdam's Creative City
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Sebastian Olma (Author) , 2014 Amsterdam , 81 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Monographs › Research

View all publications

Journal contributions

  1. Composing with the terra fluida of interaction: new paths for CCO research as relational practice
    Simon Mallette (Author) , Ellen Nathues (Author) , Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Boris H.J.M. Brummans (Author) , 01.08.2025 , in: Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, 20, 2 , p. 194–212 , 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Education › peer-review

  2. Inequality Regimes in Coworking Spaces: How New Forms of Organising (Re)produce Inequalities
    Lena Knappert (Author) , Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Renate Ortlieb (Author) , 01.04.2025 , in: Work, Employment and Society, 39, 1 , p. 43-63 , 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  3. Reflections from five associate editors on their role in the journal and on its future directions
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Chiara Crovini (Author) , Sara R.S.T.A. Elias (Author) , Barbara Müller-Christensen (Author) , Elena Raviola (Author) , 01.09.2024 , in: Scandinavian Journal of Management, 40, 3 , 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research

  4. Artful Legitimacy: The Role of Materiality in Practices of Legitimation
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Nicolas Bencherki (Author) , 01.06.2023 , in: Organization Studies, 44, 6 , p. 919-938 , 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  5. De Publieksbijdrage: Kunst buiten de institutionele cocon
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Nicolas Bencherki (Author) , 01.01.2023 , in: Tijdschrift Boekman, 35, 137 , p. 35-37 , 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

View all publications

Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. Entrepreneuring as Multispecies Composting
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Orla Byrne (Author) , Paul Lassalle (Author) , Neil Thompson (Author) , Karen Verduijn (Author) , Huriye Yeröz (Author) , 05.04.2024 , p. 53-75 , 22 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  2. Positionings: Toward a Relational Understanding of Representation and Writing in Organizational Communication Research
    Oana Brindusa Albu (Author) , Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Chahrazad Abdallah (Author) , 01.01.2024 London , p. 569-588 , 20 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  3. Tuning into Things: Sensing the Role of Place in an Emerging Alternative Urban Community
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , 26.01.2023 Oxford , p. 508-521 , 14 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research › peer-review

  4. 'You are angels': understanding the entanglement of family and enterprise in an early-stage family-run coworking space
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , Julian Dominik Winter (Author) , 04.07.2022 Cheltenham , p. 314-327 , 14 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research

  5. Where Are the Organizations? Accounting for the Fluidity and Ambiguity of Organizing in the Arts
    Boukje Cnossen (Author) , 07.04.2022 New York , p. 453-465 , 13 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

View all publications

Activities

  1. Addressing the Spatial Turn in Entrepreneurship Research: New Dimensions and Emerging Issues
    Boukje Cnossen (Speaker)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  2. Organizing space and spatializing organization: Charting new territories of inquiry
    Boukje Cnossen (Speaker)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  3. Inside the Writers’ Room: Theorizing Relationality in Creative Collaboration
    Boukje Cnossen (Speaker)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  4. PhD seminar
    Boukje Cnossen (Lecturer)

    Activity: Guest lectures › Education

  5. Organising Artistic Practice: Understanding the Materialised Legitimation of Site-Specific Performances
    Boukje Cnossen (Keynote Speaker)

    Activity: talk or presentation in privat or public events › Research

View all activities

Press / Media

  1. Fremd sein und dazugehören
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. the success of temporary hotspots in Amsterdam
    Interviewed once

    Press/Media: Press/Media

View all press/media coverage

Prizes

  1. Transfer- und Impact Award der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg
    Lillan Lommel (Recipient) Frederic Penz (Recipient) Robert Hoyer (Recipient) Charlotte Wulffen (Recipient) Matthias Wenzel (Recipient) Boukje Cnossen (Recipient) Steffen Farny (Recipient) Markus Reihlen (Recipient) Ursula Weisenfeld (Recipient) ,

    Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointments › Transfer

  2. Faculty fellowship of the Leuphana Institute of Advanced Studies
    Boukje Cnossen (Recipient) ,

    Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  3. ICA Organizational Communication Division Best of the B.E.S.T.
    Boukje Cnossen (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

  4. Boekmanstichting nomination
    Boukje Cnossen (Recipient) ,

    Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research

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Courses

Advanced Perspectives on M&E: Organization in the Cultural and Creative Industries
Boukje Cnossen
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Set-up of course
This course familiarises students with various topics regarding the organization of the cultural and creative industries. Students will be provided with reading materials which they are required to read in preparation for each week's session.

Content of the course
Relying mainly on empirical studies conducted in the areas of organisation studies, (cultural) sociology, and entrepreneurship research, the course takes as its guiding question: how is organising in the cultural and creative industries accomplished? We will focus on the different 'sites' where such organising takes place, and will look at (for instance) the role of cultural institutions, informal networks, art markets, and creative spaces.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-05-12 at 14:15
Room: C 7.013 Seminarraum
New Qualitative Methods in Social Scientific Research
Boukje Cnossen
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In this seminar, students will be introduced to a variety of methods and methodological insights that push the envelope of qualitative research in the social sciences. Drawing on recent discussions on qualitative methods across the social sciences, including creative and participatory methods, students will gain an understanding of how each method allows them to focus on specific analytical dimension. They will learn to make connections between conceptual focal points and methodological approaches, thus helping them to build an understanding of how certain methods can help answer specific research questions. At the centre of each session will be hands-on experience testing out different methods, based on key texts introducing different methods. Across the seminar sessions, we will also discuss how certain methods challenge the conventions of qualitative research across the social sciences. Throughout the seminar, and using concrete examples, we will touch upon questions about the nature of knowledge production in social scientific research, and how reliable knowledge can be gained.
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-05-13 at 10:15
Room: C 12.111 Seminarraum
PoE: Doing Entrepreneurship Differently: Values-based Entrepreneurship, Difference, and Inequalities
Boukje Cnossen
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In this seminar, students will become acquainted with research on entrepreneurial phenomena that fall outside of mainstream or idealised views of entrepreneurship. On the one hand, this research includes studies on entrepreneurship in marginalised groups, such as minorities, migrants, and people of colour. On the other hand, this research includes research streams within entrepreneurship studies that conceptually highlight understudied and under-theorised aspects of entrepreneurship, such as the role of non-human actors in entrepreneurial processes, the role of the material and built environment, the role of affects, and the role of everyday social practices in the accomplishment of entrepreneurship.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-05-12 at 12:15
Room: C 40.220 Seminarraum
Quality Circle Major International Business Administration and Entrepreneurship
Boukje Cnossen, Stefanie Habersang, Sünje von Helldorff, Saskia Poth, Matthias Wenzel
Next appointment:
Wednesday, 2026-06-17 at 14:15
Room: C 5.325 Seminarraum
Research Forum EMI
Boukje Cnossen, Steffen Farny, Stefanie Habersang, Elke Schüßler
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Please refer to the Syllabus under "Materials" for further details. Note that the syllabus also contains an extended session plan.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-05-12 at 14:00
Room: C 25.021 Seminarraum