About the project

Our world seems to be in need of new ways of thinking and doing things. Different types of organizations are facing changes both internally and externally. Innovation is the cry of the day. On this background I study how (or if!?) leaders can prepare or facilitate social innovation in organizations. In other words, does the values and practices of leaders influence the ability of organizations and its members to think and act in new ways that work better that the old ways?

To be precise I seek to answer the question: How do institutional work carried out by leaders influence social innovation in faith-based organizations?

I will try to answer that question by looking at two complex cases with innovative practices of leading and organizing for voluntary work. The organizations have international scopes and are in contexts that are undergoing change. This way I will see how institutional work and value-work in voluntary organizations are affected by, and respond to changing contexts with increasing cultural diversity. Institutional change occurring in the global multi-national context provides fertile ground for new research according to several researchers within the field.

I will argue that this research is relevant for both civil-society organizations, businesses and government agencies that face complex changes.

My motivation for conducting this study is to contribute in some degree to this field of organizational studies, and hopefully, generate insights relevant for practice and teaching.

Background

Master in Theology focusing on leadership. In addition to theology, I also have studied social anthropology and organizational psychology.

Research

LIVAP: Leadership and Institutional Values-work in Practice