Publication database

This thesis consists of three studies analyzing interactions among agents in different types of network. Chapter 1 focuses on the formation and consequences of social influence networks in organizations. Using agent-based simulations and formal game theoretical analysis, we develop a dynamic model of social influence and goal-updating to examine how employees form social influence networks, set norms, and commit to effort-levels in response to social comparisons processes prompted by the manager. By incorporating different contextual moderators, this chapter enriches the behavioral theory of the firm, showing when fueling comparisons (and the resulting conformity) is favorable or hostile to organizational performance.

In Chapter 2, I focus on firms' collaboration networks and revisit the “empirical content” of structural hole theory: how the benefits of a network position rich in structural holes for organizational performance vary under extreme, crisis conditions. Using longitudinal network data on investment banks—and exploiting the shocks of the dot.com market crash in 2000, as well as the housing crisis of 2008—we show that only monopolistic structural holes are advantageous for performance in crisis conditions. We provide further empirical tests of the mechanisms underlying this result and find that during the storm of crises, the key strategy for organizations which suffer from the crisis, is to compete for survival opportunities—new business partnerships and opportunities—and thus, they need exclusive, uncontested access to structural holes.

Finally, Chapter 3 looks at networks in competition and tests how status similarity results in conflicts among agents. Using data from the experiment by Charness et al. (2014), I empirically show that conflicts may arise among agents due to the ambiguity of who dominates the others, and highlight the moderation effect of gender norms in the relationship between status ambiguity and conflict.

The structure of the efficiency-driven industry model contributed to supply chain failures under the pandemic. Industry leaders must now pursue alternative strategies to create resilience, despite the risks.

This article provides a structured overview on the most important features of the new German legislation awarding tax breaks for R&D active companies.

The article deals with the potential that lies in the creation of a digital identity. More concretely, the article explores to what extent the customer experience can be improved by a digital/electronic identity system that allows customers to just use one single mobile app to pull data from various providers.

Eloïse has a problem. The company’s board has decided that her team will be moved to a new location – one that is in a shabby building, located far off the beaten track, and (adding insult to injury) with a horrible staff canteen. The kicker: The board tasked Eloïse with informing her team, who will be returning from their home offices to this new pandemic workplace reality. In her latest article for Forbes, Nora Grasselli, program director of ESMT Executive Education, tackles what these tough situations demand of Eloïse and other executives who are having to manage the economic fallout of the pandemic for themselves and their teams. Often, they are left to manage it alone, under conditions of extreme stress and cut loose from network support. What, asks Grasselli, can Eloïse do to handle leadership solitude and its consequences?

In the final decision-making process for an application, companies want to avoid mistakes at all costs. This article explains two reasons why you should trust chance instead.

When it comes to hiring, blind luck can trump biased reasoning and generate a less-is-more effect.

Exceptional innovations are often attributed to brilliant strategies or leaders with superior foresight. But luck is in fact necessary for exceptional innovations in many ways.

This is a practitioner article based on a recently published academic paper on career shocks of executive. The article explains the phenomenon of a career shocks and offers strategies for dealing with them.

Business owner and managers are facing the challenge of how to best drive digital transformation in their organizations. Design thinking might be one method to address these challenges and, at the same time, support a mindset change within the companies.