ABOUT
The Leuphana Center for Organization & Social Transformation (LOST) is an internationally recognized research center dedicated to understanding and shaping organizational phenomena and their impact on social change.
Born from an informal research community, LOST has grown rapidly into a dynamic hub for critical, interdisciplinary, and practice-engaged scholarship. Today, the center today is a space, where scholars, practitioners, and civil society actors co-create knowledge towards more just, sustainable, and creative futures.
Our work is positioned in the interdisciplinary field of organization studies and combines theoretical rigor with real-world relevance. We focus on qualitative and participatory research from societal polarization and crisis management to alternative forms of organizing, responsible leadership, entrepreneurship, and future-making.
We have strong local roots and a growing international network: At Leuphana, we work closely with the newly established Embracing Transformation program to jointly address pressing societal challenges, particularly in the research area of “Organizing in Times of Crisis.” We emphasize an open, collaborative research model and work together with leading institutions and scholars from around the world.
Our Strengths at a Glance
- International Profile: Regular guest lectures and collaborations with renowned scholars such as Joep Cornelissen, Raghu Garud, Paula Jarzabkowski, Timothy Kuhn, Ann Langley, Linda Putnam, and many others.
- Interdisciplinary & Critical Research: We integrate approaches from management and organization studies, sociology, and cultural studies.
- Participatory Research: Together with partners from companies, NGOs, civil society initiatives, and public institutions, we co-develop solutions for pressing societal challenges.
- Research with Impact: Our projects are not only academically rigorous but also aim at sustainable transformation — locally, nationally, and internationally.
