Registration ends 07.4.2026 at 23:59 h

If your registration for this course is successful you will registered automatically for the course Perspectives on Entrepreneurship - V/Ü (Michael Gielnik, Elke Schüßler).

This seminar explores new and alternative forms of organizing—including self-managing and democratic organizations, open-source communities, and hacker collectives—and their implications for entrepreneurship. We begin by establishing a foundational understanding of what an organization is and then examine the characteristics of dominant bureaucratic and hierarchical organizational structures. From this foundational understanding, the course will then proceed to examine novel theories and research that challenge established and prevailing organizational forms. We will explore how alternative organizing structures can create new opportunities for entrepreneurs by enabling more flexible, collaborative, and decentralized approaches. The course also emphasizes how digital technologies have enabled entirely new ways of organizing, providing potential for entrepreneurial innovation.

Students completing this course will gain basic insights in phenomena of new and alternative organizing from a social sciences driven perspective of organization studies. To complete the course successfully, students should meet the following learning objectives:
• Show the ability to engage in critical reflection and question established assumptions regarding what constitutes an organization from a social sciences/organization studies perspective.
• Gain a foundational understanding of the core literatures and theories covered in class and applying them to critically analyze a self-selected research question and example of new and/or alternative organizing.
• Consider the wider societal and practical implications of reflecting on different academic forms.
• Show good academic writing skills (including clear and correct use of language and pertinent terminology, well-structured arguments and correct use of citation and referencing).

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html