Prof. Dr. Steffen Farny
Vita
Steffen Farny is Professor for Business Administration, in particular Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship at the School of Management and Technology at the Leuphana University Luneburg. In his research, Steffen focuses connects sustainability and entrepreneurship theories to develop a better understanding of (1) entrepreneurship and disruptions (such as natural disasters, climate change and biodiversity loss), and (2) entrepreneurship and sustainability transformations. In his research he predominantly applies a variety of qualitative research methods to study practices, affect and institutional processes. In addition, Steffen is active in the development of challenge-based entrepreneurship education.
Vita:
> since 04/2024 Professor for Business Administration, in particulat Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship, School of Management and Technology, Leuphana University Luneburg
> 08-12/2024 Visiting Professor, Aalto School of Business, Finland
> 2020-2024 Assistant Professor for International Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Center for Sustainability Management, Leuphana University Luneburg.
> 2017-2020 Post-Doctoral Reserach Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Department of Management Studies, Aalto University, Finland.
> 04-05/2019 Visiting Researcher, Mendoza School of Business, University of Notre Dame, US.
> 2016 Project Researcher, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Vaasa, Finland.
> 2012-2016 Research Assistant in Entrepreneurship, Department of Management Studies, Aalto University, Finland.
Selected Publications:
Farny, S., Kibler, E. & Down, S. (2019). Collective Emotions in Institutional Creation Work, Academy of Management Journal, 62 (3), 765-799.
Farny, S, Kibler, E., Hai, S. & Landoni, P. (2019), Volunteer Retention in Prosocial Venturing: The Role of Emotional Connectivity, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 43 (6), 1094–1123.
Farny, S., Frederiksen, S.H., Hannibal, M. & Jones, S. (2016). A CULTure of Entrepreneurship Education, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 28 (7-8), 514-535.
Projects
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Holistic Impact Incubator 2.0 - hands on impact
Markus Reihlen (Project manager, academic) , Andrea Japsen (Coordination) , Steffen Farny (Co-Projectmanager, academic) , Ele Jansen (Project staff)
→Project: Transfer (R&D project)
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DATIpilot - Communities - MEHRCE - Communitymanagement für Innovative Mehrwegsysteme, TP3: CM-MEHRCE-C
Steffen Farny (Project manager, academic) , Katharina Hug (Project staff)
→Project: Research
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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)
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Social innovative transformation by including work spaces (SinTrA)
Steffen Farny (Project manager, academic) , Oliver Genschow (Project manager, academic) , David D. Loschelder (Project manager, academic) , Monika Imschloß (Project manager, academic) , Melissa Striethörster (Project staff) , Svenja Rehwinkel (Project staff) , Josephine Führer (Project staff)
→Project: Research
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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)
→Project: Other
Publications
Books and anthologies
- Wie genau die Welt retten?: Denkanstöße zum Club-of-Rome-Bericht "EARTH FOR ALL"
Ines Lietzke-Prinz (Editor) , Steffen Farny (Editor) , 2024 München , 228 p.Research output: Books and anthologies › Collected editions and anthologies › Research
Journal contributions
- Collectively Committing to 'What Is Interesting' in Qualitative Research: A methodological application of interactional sociolinguistics
Ewald Kibler (Author) , Virva Salmivaara (Author) , Eleanor Lutman-White (Author) , Steffen Farny (Author) , Jo Angouri (Author) , 26.01.2026 , in: Organization Studies , 33 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Resilience and regeneration for a world in crisis
Joern Fischer (Author) , Steffen Farny (Author) , Manuel Pacheco-Romero (Author) , Carl Folke (Author) , 01.01.2026 , in: Ambio, 55, 1 , p. 24-34 , 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- An attention-based perspective on how climate impact affects opportunity entrepreneurship
Mirko Hirschmann (Author) , Christian Fisch (Author) , Steffen Farny (Author) , 01.12.2025 , in: Small Business Economics, 65, 4 , p. 2217-2257 , 41 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Biodiversity loss and entrepreneurship: Empirical evidence on threat perceptions among primary-sector entrepreneurs in 28 European countries
Mirko Hirschmann (Author) , Christian Fisch (Author) , Steffen Farny (Author) , 01.06.2025 , in: Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 23 , 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Social identity and place-based dynamics in community resilience building for natural disasters: an integrative framework
Steffen Farny (Author) , Domenico Dentoni (Author) , 01.05.2025 , in: Ecology and Society, 30, 2 , 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Contributions to collected editions/anthologies
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education
Steffen Farny (Author) , Theres Konrad (Author) , 01.01.2025 UKResearch output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Articles for encyclopedia › Research
- Resource Allocation in Startup Teams: Exploring Entrepreneurial Coping with Radical Uncertainty during the Corona Pandemic
Yasmine Yahyaoui (Author) , Steffen Farny (Author) , Eva Jakob (Author) , Holger Steinmetz (Author) , 14.06.2022 , p. 331-334 , 3 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Article in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review
- Collective intentionality in entrepreneurship-as-practice
Steffen Farny (Author) , Ewald Kibler (Author) , 01.01.2022 Cheltenham , p. 127-140 , 14 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research › peer-review
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Steffen Farny (Author) , Julia Binder (Author) , 19.01.2021 2 ed. , p. 605-611 , 7 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Articles for encyclopedia › Research
- A CULTure of entrepreneurship education
Steffen Farny (Author) , Signe Hedeboe Frederiksen (Author) , Martin Hannibal (Author) , Sally Jones (Author) , 01.01.2018 London , p. 38-59 , 22 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research › peer-review
Impact
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Director of the Social Change Hub (SCHub) at Leuphana University
Steffen Farny
Impact: Educational Impact
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Working Group on Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Germany
Steffen Farny
Impact: Academic Impact, Educational Impact, Public Policy Impact
Press / Media
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Wie ‚Communicorns‘ die Unternehmenswelt neu denken
1 Media contributionPress/Media: Press/Media
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Biodiversité: les agriculteurs peu conscients de leur impact, selon une étude de l’Uni
1 Media contributionPress/Media: Press/Media
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Müsliproduzent stellt Ex-Junkies ein und will Vorbild sein
1 Media contributionPress/Media: Press/Media
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Financial Times listed top Business School Research with Social Impact
1 Media contributionPress/Media: Press/Media
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Ei syyttelyä - Kun yrittäjä lopettaa, hän keskittyy positiiviseen tai lupaa toimia jatkossa paremmin
1 Media contributionPress/Media: Press/Media
Prizes
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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
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Impactpreis der Fakultät Management und Technologie 2025
Josephine Führer (Recipient) Svenja Rehwinkel (Recipient) Melissa Striethörster (Recipient) Steffen Farny (Recipient) Oliver Genschow (Recipient) Monika Imschloß (Recipient) David D. Loschelder (Recipient) ,Prize: Leuphana internal Prize, Scholaships, distinctions, appointments › Transfer
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Aalto University Dissertation Award 2018
Steffen Farny (Recipient) ,Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research
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Doctoral Thesis Award For the Highest Quality Dissertation of the Year 2017 (HSE Foundation)
Steffen Farny (Recipient) ,Prize: external Prizes, scholarships, distinctions, appointments › Research
Courses
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• New practices and processes in sustainable entrepreneurship
• Alternative forms of organizing (e.g., community entrepreneurship)
• Holistic and net-positive sustainability orientations, especially regeneration and regenerative entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship and resilience in response to shocks and disruptions
• Outcomes, outputs, and impacts of entrepreneurial practices (e.g. impact measurement)
• The interrelationship between the natural environment and entrepreneurship (“organizing with nature”)
Exemplary theses supervised by Prof. Farny have investigated themes such as regenerative business models in rural communities, ethnographic studies of community-driven enterprises, and case studies exploring entrepreneurial responses to environmental crises. Theoretical approaches often draw from institutional theory, practice theory, systems thinking, and socio-ecological perspectives.
Methodological Approaches
The theses under Prof. Farny’s supervision are typically qualitative in nature, emphasizing interpretive and exploratory methodologies. Common approaches include:
• Grounded Theory for theory development based on empirical data
• Case Study Research to explore complex, real-life entrepreneurial contexts
• Ethnographic Designs to provide in-depth, contextual understanding of entrepreneurial practices
In some cases, conceptual work and theoretical essays may also be supervised, particularly when aiming to develop or critically interrogate frameworks within the domain of sustainable entrepreneurship.
Supervision Process
Prospective thesis students are expected to initiate contact via a short email outlining:
(a) the research phenomenon,
(b) the research question
(c) the intended research design.
This is followed by a brief (virtual) meeting to discuss the feasibility and alignment of the topic. Students then prepare a 3–5 page exposé, which serves as the foundation for the research project. Subsequent supervision meetings are arranged on a needs-based schedule, ensuring tailored support throughout the thesis process.
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The seminar employs a mix of academic literature and self-recorded podcasts with case examples to provide practical insights into community entrepreneurship. It encourages critical engagement and collaborative discussion. Students are expected to bring their insights, challenge ideas, and actively participate in shaping the learning experience.
Course Materials
• Required readings will be provided via the course portal.
• Self-recorded podcasts and case studies will be available for each session.
• Additional recommended readings and videos will be announced.
⌄
The seminar employs a mix of academic literature and self-recorded podcasts with case examples to provide practical insights into community entrepreneurship. It encourages critical engagement and collaborative discussion. Students are expected to bring their insights, challenge ideas, and actively participate in shaping the learning experience.
Course Materials
• Required readings will be provided via the course portal.
• Self-recorded podcasts and case studies will be available for each session.
• Additional recommended readings will be announced.