Prof. Dr. Elke Schüßler

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 6.113a
Fon +49.4131.677-2131, elke.schuessler@leuphana.de
Professor, Professorship of Business Administration, in particular Entrepreneurship and Organization Studies
Associated member, Leuphana Center for Organization & Social Transformation

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Vita

Prof. Dr. Elke Schüßler is Professor of Business Administration, in particular Entrepreneurship and Organization Studies at Leuphana University Lüneburg. Since 2026 she also holds a Chair of Transformative Change at Johannes Kepler University, Linz. From 2016 to 2023 she was Professor of Business Administration and Head of the Institute of Organization Science at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. Before that, she was Assistant Professor of Organization Theory at Freie Universität Berlin, where she also completed her dissertation at the Pfadkolleg Research Center.

Prof. Schüßler studies dynamics of organizational and institutional change with a focus on the development of sustainable forms of work and organizing and the role of creativity and entrepreneurship in these processes. With a background in Psychology (BSc, University of Sussex) and Industrial Relations (MSc, London School of Economics) she takes an interdisciplinary approach to her research and frequently collaborates with colleagues from other disciplines, e.g. in the context of the Global Garment Supply Chain Governance Project funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, the DFG Research Unit Organized Creativity or the DFG Scientific Network Field Configuring Events.

Her research has been published in leading social science journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Perspectives, Creativity and Innovation Management, Development and Change, Human Relations, Industrial and Corporate Change, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Industry and Innovation, Organization Science, Organization Studies, Regional Studies or Socio-Economic Review. She has received several awards, including the Academy of Management Journal Best Reviewer Award (2023), the Labor and Employment Relations Association Best International/Comparative IR Paper Award (2021), the Ideas Worth Teaching Award (2020), the Academy of Management Journal Best Article Award (2015) or the VHB Best Paper Award (2014).

Prof. Schüßler serves the national and international scientific community in various ways. She serves on the editorial/review board of Organization Studies, Socio-Economic Review, the Weizenbaum Journal of Digital Society and the Academy of Management Journal. She is a member of the advisory board of the Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin and the Momentum Institute in Vienna. Between 2022 and 2024 she chaired the Wissenschaftliche Kommission Organisation in the German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB). From 2020 to 2026 she was a member of the Executive Board of the European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS).

Projects

  1. Corporate Sustainability Communication in an Age of Polarization (CS-CAP): Why Firms Either Engage in Stakeholder Dialogue or Retract to Strategic Silence
    Hanna Pauline Börries (Project manager, academic) , Elke Schüßler (Partner) , Dennis Schöneborn (Partner)

    Project: Dissertation project

  2. Corporate Sustainability Communication
    Elke Schüßler (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Research

  3. Research Consortium ‘Sustainability governance of global value chains’
    Jens Newig (Project manager, academic) , (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Franca Bülow (Coordination) , Barbara Ehbauer (Project staff) , Jelto Makris (Project staff) , Jelena Bäumler (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Elke Schüßler (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Stefan Schaltegger (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Patrick Velte (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Alexander Schall (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project staff) , Kathleen Evers (Project staff) , Nora Große (Project staff) , Finn Jonas Bongert (Project staff) , (Project staff) , (Project staff) , (Project staff) , (Project staff) , (Project staff) , (Project staff) , Saumya Satishbhai Raval (Project staff)
    →

    Project: Research

  4. Entrainment: Temporal Structuring of Creative Projects
    Elke Schüßler (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , (Project manager, academic) , Marie Hoop (Project staff)
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    Project: Research

  5. Digitalization and Work Organization. Narratives, Practices, and Design Implications
    Elke Schüßler (Project manager, academic)
    →

    Project: Research

View all projects

Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. Organizing Creativity in the Innovation Journey
    Elke Schüßler (Editor) , Patrick S. Cohendet (Editor) , Silviya Svejenova (Editor) , 2021 , 296 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Research

  2. Managing Interorganizational Relations: Debates and Cases
    Jörg Sydow (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , Gordon Müller-Seitz (Author) , 2015 , 368 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Monographs › Research

  3. Akustisches Kapital: Wertschöpfung in der Musikwirtschaft
    Bastian Lange (Editor) , Hans-Joachim Bürkner (Editor) , Elke Schüßler (Editor) , 2013 Bielefeld , 360 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Collected editions and anthologies › Research

  4. Strategische Prozesse und Persistenzen: Pfadabhängige Organisation und Wertschöpfung in der deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie
    Elke Schüßler (Author) , 2009 , 197 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Monographs › Research

View all publications

Journal contributions

  1. Digital platforms and democratic publics: How social media platforms selectively appropriate and strategically subvert institutional logics
    Elke Schüßler (Author) , Sara Maric (Author) , Leonhard Dobusch (Author) , 01.03.2026 , in: Information and Organization, 36, 1 , 15 p.

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

  2. Kafka and Organization Studies
    Nora Lohmeyer (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , 01.02.2026 , in: Organization Studies, 47, 2 , p. 331-345 , 15 p.

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

  3. The Mission (Im)possible of Climate Action through Quixotic Institutional Work
    Giuseppe Delmestri (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , 01.12.2025 , in: Journal of Management Studies, 62, 8 , p. 3638-3658 , 21 p.

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

  4. The Past, Present and Future of the Corporate Actor: Ontological, Epistemological and Theoretical Considerations
    Michaela Haase (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , Ute Schmiel (Author) , Günther Ortmann (Author) , Andreas Suchanek (Author) , Dennis Schöneborn (Author) , 01.12.2025 , in: Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, 77, 4 , p. 643-680 , 38 p.

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

  5. Digital Responsibility: Building Bridges between Organization Theory and Information Systems
    Hannah Trittin-Ulbrich (Author) , Markus Philipp Zimmer (Author) , Stefanie Habersang (Author) , Leonhard Dobusch (Author) , Maren Gierlich-Joas (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , Benjamin Mueller (Author) , Christina Mihale-Wilson (Author) , Julia Zeller-Lanzl (Author) , Stephan Bohn (Author) , Marc-Fabian Körner (Author) , Georg von Richthofen (Author) , Ali Aslan Gümüsay (Author) , 01.12.2025 , in: Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research (SBuR), 77, 4 , p. 597-642 , 46 p.

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

View all publications

Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. (Gegen-)Bewegungen der Digitalisierung: Feldtheoretische Perspektiven auf Plattformen und Arbeit 4.0
    Uli Meyer (Author) , Susanne Pernicka (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , 10.04.2024 1 ed. Weinheim , p. 248 - 260 , 13 p.

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

  2. Cloud-Arbeit in Österreich: Narrative, Praxis und Gestaltungsoptionen
    Sara Maric (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , 01.01.2023 Wien , p. 37-40 , 4 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Article in conference proceedings › Research

  3. How do workers gain voice on digital work platforms? Hotspots and blind spots in research on platform worker voice
    Laura Thäter (Author) , Thomas Gegenhuber (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , Markus Ellmer (Author) , 11.10.2022 Cheltenham , p. 71-107 , 36 p.

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

  4. Building collective institutional infrastructures for decent platform work: The development of a crowdwork agreement in Germany
    Thomas Gegenhuber (Author) , Elke Schüßler (Author) , Georg Reischauer (Author) , Laura Thäter (Author) , 29.03.2022 Bingley , p. 43-68 , 26 p.

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

  5. Managing Global Production Networks: Towards Social Responsibility via Inter-organizational Reliability?
    Elke Schüßler (Author) , Jörg Sydow (Author) , Markus Helfen (Author) , 03.02.2022 Cham , p. 133-158 , 26 p.

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

View all publications

Impact

Activities

  1. Keynote speaker at PDW on Desirable Futures
    Elke Schüßler (Keynote Speaker)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  2. I am behind the screen: Understanding the invisible work of content moderators on digital platforms
    Elke Schüßler (Speaker) , Sara Maric (Coauthor)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  3. What if Society Collapses? Re-envisioning Strategy and Organization Scholarship through Radical Hope
    Elke Schüßler (Speaker) , Stefanie Habersang (Coauthor) , Pilar Acosta (Coauthor) , Joel Bothello (Coauthor) , Giuseppe Delmestri (Coauthor) , Helen Etchanchu (Coauthor)
    →

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  4. Exploring Corporate Sustainability (CS) Communication in Polarized Contexts: A Qualitative Meta Synthesis
    Elke Schüßler (Speaker) , Hanna Pauline Börries (Coauthor)
    →

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  5. Towards more radical forms of collective action in global supply chain governance? Pragmatic cooperation for sustainability and human rights in times of regulatory backlash
    Elke Schüßler (Speaker) , Nora Große (Coauthor)
    →

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

View all activities

Press / Media

  1. „Kafkaesk“ heute: KI ohne Aufsicht
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. From entrepreneurs of chaos into the Leuphana Transformation Lab.
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  3. Entrepreneurship in times of social crisis.
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  4. Tut sich da noch was… bei den Arbeitsbedingungen in der Bekleidungsindustrie in Bangladesch?
    1 discussion

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  5. Entrepreneurs of chaos? From disruptive innovation to negentropic entrepreneurship.
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

View all press/media coverage

Prizes

  1. David Marsden Best Paper Prize 2024
    Elke Schüßler (Recipient) ,

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

  2. Academy of Management Journal Best Reviewer Award
    Elke Schüßler (Recipient) ,

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

  3. LERA 2021 James G. Scoville Best International/Comparative IR Paper Award
    Elke Schüßler (Recipient) ,

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

  4. Aspen Award - Ideas Worth Teaching Award
    Elke Schüßler (Recipient) ,

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

  5. Academy of Management Perspectives Special Mention Award
    Elke Schüßler (Recipient) ,

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

View all prizes

Courses

1st Phase WiSe 26/27: Schüßler - Organization & Entrepreneurship
Laura Fey, Elke Schüßler
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The Professorship for Entrepreneurship and Organization Studies supervises Bachelor and Master theses in the areas of entrepreneurship, organization studies and management more broadly, mostly with a conceptual or qualitative orientation. You can either come with a fixed topic idea or you can specify a broad area of interest out of which a research question will be developed in the course of the supervision.
Next appointment:
Lectures for this semester ended.
Entrepreneurship - 5 CP
Michael Gielnik, Elke Schüßler
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The students learn theories, methods, and practical skills to successfully accomplish the entrepreneurial process based on the action theory process model of entrepreneurship. Specifically, the students learn concepts and methods to (1) identify business opportunities, (2) evaluate business opportunities, and (3) exploit business opportunities to create a new venture.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-05-05 at 10:15
Room: C HS 2
Perspectives on Entrepreneurship
Michael Gielnik, Elke Schüßler
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The course covers theories and methods to understand the entrepreneurial process from psychological, organizational, and societal perspectives. Entrepreneurship is a process encompassing opportunity identification, development, and exploitation. The psychological perspective provides insights into individual entrepreneurial success factors. It covers psychological concepts like personal initiative, human capital (prior knowledge and creativity), bricolage, effectuation, action planning, and financial bootstrapping to understand successful action along the entrepreneurial process.
The organizational perspective introduces organizational contexts relevant for entrepreneurship such as entrepreneurial ecosystems and networks, as well as various organized spaces and events that foster entrepreneurial activities. An organizational perspective allows discussing the social structures and practices that shape entrepreneurial activities. In addition, it elaborates on the role of intrapreneurship as a driver of change in established organizational settings.
The societal perspective introduces different forms of entrepreneurship such as social, institutional or cultural entrepreneurship to shed light on how societal norms and values shape entrepreneurial activities, and how entrepreneurship in turn can address various social challenges. It hereby also sheds light on the political economy and geography of entrepreneurship, which varies across countries and regions.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-05-05 at 10:15
Room: C HS 2
Qualitative Methods
Elke Schüßler
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Qualitative research is a research strategy that emphasizes large bodies of unstructured data (textual, graphical, audio, and video data) that cannot be meaningfully analyzed by formal, statistical approaches. Despite differences, qualitative research approaches share at least the following two assumptions: (1) by systematically generating and analyzing data new theory can be discovered (inductive view), and (2) this theory stresses the understanding of the socio-economic world through an examination of interpretation of that world by its participants. Since each particular research method is informed by different philosophical traditions, this course will first introduce different perspectives on the socio-economic research process like positivism, interpretativism, realism, and postmodernism. Students will then learn how to set up a qualitative research project using different research design perspective, e.g. a case study approach, an ethnographic study, grounded theory, or a discourse analysis approach.
In addition, the course will tackle different qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, including a reflection about practical and ethical considerations.
The course is designed for doctoral students and advanced master's students with a strong interest in research. Throughout the course, initiative, creativity, and critical thinking on part of the students will be appreciated and encouraged. The course aims to facilitate students' progress in their thesis project.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-05-18 at 10:15
Room: C 40.501 Seminarraum
Qualitative Methods (PhD Course open for Complementary Studies)
Elke Schüßler
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Qualitative research is a research strategy that emphasizes large bodies of unstructured data (textual, graphical, audio, and video data) that cannot be meaningfully analyzed by formal, statistical approaches. Despite differences, qualitative research approaches share at least the following two assumptions: (1) by systematically generating and analyzing data new theory can be discovered (inductive view), and (2) this theory stresses the understanding of the socio-economic world through an examination of interpretation of that world by its participants. Since each particular research method is informed by different philosophical traditions, this course will first introduce different perspectives on the socio-economic research process like positivism, interpretativism, realism, and postmodernism. Students will then learn how to set up a qualitative research project using different research design perspective, e.g. a case study approach, an ethnographic study, grounded theory, or a discourse analysis approach.
In addition, the course will tackle different qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, including a reflection about practical and ethical considerations.
The course is designed for doctoral students and advanced master's students with a strong interest in research. Throughout the course, initiative, creativity, and critical thinking on part of the students will be appreciated and encouraged. The course aims to facilitate students' progress in their thesis project.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-05-18 at 10:15
Room: C 40.164 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