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Berliner Methodentreffen 2026

Mein Forschungsjahr 2026 führte mich von einer Postersession in Berlin über intensive Forschungsaustausche in Wien bis zum Methodensymposium in Hall in Tirol. Das Berliner Methodentreffen, der VHB-ProDok-Kurs „Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Research“ und das 9. Qual.met-Symposium bildeten dabei drei Stationen, die meine Perspektive auf meine eigene Forschung erweiterten. Als besonders wertvoll empfand ich, dass ich nicht nur meine eigene Forschungserfahrungen einbringen konnte, sondern vielmehr mich im stetigen Erfahrungsaustausch mit anderen qualitativen sowie Mixed-Methods-Forschenden befand. Die erste Station führte mich am 24. und 25. Juli zum 21. Berliner Methodentreffen Qualitative Forschung. Mit meinem Poster „Zum Umgang mit eigenen und fremden Emotionen in der biografisch-narrativen Forschung: Ein Erfahrungsbericht aus der Eheauflösungsforschung“ stellte ich Erfahrungen aus meiner bisherigen Forschungsarbeit zur Diskussion. Der Austausch über qualitative Erhebung und Analyse bot mir Gelegenheit, Erfahrungen aus emotional anspruchsvollen Forschungssituationen zu teilen und unterschiedliche Umgangsweisen damit zu diskutieren. Die Rückfragen und Erfahrungen anderer Forschender halfen mir, meine bisherigen Überlegungen zum Umgang mit Emotionen nochmals zu präzisieren. Für die entgegengebrachte Offenheit dieses Erfahrungsaustausches bin ich sehr dankbar. Zudem durfte ich Teil der Forschungswerkstatt zur Reflexiven Grounded-Theory-Methodologie sein. Den Ansatz unmittelbar mit Franz Breuer, einem seiner zentralen Vertreter, zu diskutieren, vertiefte mein Verständnis dafür, wie sich Reflexivität in der Forschungspraxis umsetzen lässt. Besonders aufschlussreich war dabei, wie mein Vorwissen, meine Erfahrungen und meine Reaktionen auf das Erzählte die Interpretation mitprägen. Daraus nahm ich Anregungen mit, meine eigene Rolle als Forscherin bewusster zu reflektieren und ihren Einfluss auf den Forschungsprozess nachvollziehbar zu machen.Eng damit verbunden waren die vertiefenden Einblicke im Bereich die Forschungsethik. Der Workshop von Hella von Unger und Olaf Tietje befasste sich mit dem verantwortungsvollen Umgang mit Befragten und Forschenden. Diese Fragen griff auch das Symposium „Empathisch? Sensibel? Abgestumpft? Zum Umgang mit Zumutungen, Verletzbarkeiten und Verletzungen in und durch qualitatives Forschen“ auf. Im September führte mein Weg weiter nach Wien, dort nahm ich am Präsenzteil des VHB-ProDokKurses „Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Research“ unter der Leitung von Renate Ortlieb und Lena Knappert teil. Die Weiterbildung ermöglichte mir eine intensive Auseinandersetzung mit den Grundlagen der Gender-, Diversitäts- und Inklusionsforschung. Der interdisziplinäre Austausch zu aktuellen Forschungsvorhaben zeigte mir, wie zentral Fragen zu Geschlecht, Diversität und Inklusion für viele organisationale Forschungsthemen sind. Besonders hilfreich war die Anwendung der aufgefrischten GDI-Perspektive auf mein eigenes Forschungsvorhaben zu innerbetrieblichen Paarbeziehungen. Die Rückmeldungen innerhalb der gemeinsamen Diskussion regten mich dazu an, die Bedeutung von Geschlecht, organisationalen Erwartungen und ungleichen Handlungsmöglichkeiten zu untersuchen. Dabei interessieren mich sowohl die Erfahrungen der Paare selbst als auch die Erwartungen von Kolleg:innen und Führungskräften. Eine Woche nach meinem Aufenthalt in Wien erreichte ich die dritte Station in Hall in Tirol. Vom 16. bis 18. September fand dort das 9. Qual.met-Symposium zu qualitativen Methoden statt. Im Zentrum stand die Frage, wie qualitative Forschung nachhaltige Entwicklungen sowie gesellschaftliche und organisationale Veränderungen unterstützen kann, begleitet von Julia Müller-Seeger und Margit Raich. Die Beiträge aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen machten die Vielfalt qualitativer Methoden und Mixed-Methods-Forschungen deutlich. So ergänzte die letzte Station meinen Blick auf qualitative Forschung um eine breitere Kenntnis ihrer methodischen Möglichkeiten. Was die drei Stationen für mich verbindet, ist der Austausch mit anderen Forschenden. In Berlin ging es um Herausforderungen der Forschungspraxis und die eigene Rolle darin, in Wien um aktuelle GDI-Themen über disziplinäre Grenzen hinweg und in Hall um die Bandbreite qualitativer Methoden. Diese Gespräche haben mir gezeigt, wie hilfreich es ist, eigene Überlegungen früh zu teilen und gemeinsam weiterzudenken

BAM 2026: 40th Annual Conference of the British Academy of Management in London

From 7th to 11th September 2026, the 40th Annual Conference of the British Academy of Management (BAM) took place at Royal Holloway, University of London, in Egham, near London. Under the theme ‘Thriving Together: Impact, Innovation, and Inclusion in Business and Management’, academics from around the world came together to discuss current developments, challenges and future prospects in management and organisational research.

The BAM’s 40th anniversary provided a special backdrop for this year’s conference. A varied programme of academic presentations, interactive workshops and panel discussions offered insights into current research topics. Key areas of focus included the societal impact of management research, sustainability, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, as well as collaboration between academia and practice. In addition to the academic exchange, numerous networking events and a celebratory gala provided opportunities to forge international contacts and strengthen existing research networks.

Our research associate, Michèle Anne Reuter, also presented at the conference with a paper on the implementation of sustainability strategies. The exchange with international researchers and the valuable feedback on her own research project provided new perspectives and inspiration for her future academic work.

A look back at the 9th Qual.met Symposium 2026

From 16 to 18 September 2026, the 9th Qual.met Symposium took place at UMIT TIROL in Hall in Tirol. Under the theme ‘Shaping the future with qualitative research’, researchers from the fields of economics, health, education and social sciences discussed how communication and participation can contribute to sustainable development. A workshop on the use of AI in qualitative analysis opened the programme.

The presentations offered a wide range of insights into ongoing research. The papers demonstrated the diversity of qualitative research: they addressed, amongst other things, sustainability, collaboration and transformation in practice development and within organisations, as well as educational inequality and the role of AI in teamwork. Methodological issues were also addressed, such as the reflection on research processes and the participatory design of studies.

The lively discussions and the opportunity to follow the development of some projects across several symposia were particularly enriching. The symposium thus once again provided a space for professional exchange and personal encounters.

We look forward to continuing the Qual.met Symposium next year in Hall in Tirol.

Idea Slam 2026

As part of the Long Night of Science the Idea Slam took place on Friday. During the event, students presented their creative business ideas in short pitches, impressively showcasing the diversity of innovative concepts.

Particularly successful this year was the ‘werkHALLE’ idea, which emerged victorious in the competition. We offer our warmest congratulations on this success and are delighted that this innovative idea has been recognised.

Best Paper Award British School of Management 2025

On 2 September 2025, the BAM2025 Doctoral Symposium took place at the University of Kent Business School. Embedded in the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference, the event brought together doctoral students from around the world to present current research ideas, receive feedback and network internationally.Within this framework, Kerstin Bergmann, research assistant at the Chair of Business Management, was awarded second place in the Best Paper Awards for her paper ‘Constructing AI Identity: How Artificial Intelligence Redefines Professional Roles’.Her research examines how employees interpret the use of AI in the work context and what significance these perceptions have for the design and negotiation of professional roles.The award recognises the scientific originality and practical relevance of the project and at the same time highlights that questions about the integration of AI into the work context are the focus of international research.

8th Qualitative Methods Symposium 2025: Taking Responsibility for the Future - Qualitative Methods as the Key to Sustainable Decision-Making and Innovation

On 11 and 12 September 2025, Innsbruck was transformed into a meeting place for qualitative research. Under the title "Responsible for the Future: Qualitative Methods as the Key to Sustainable Decision-Making and Innovation", the 8th Qual.met /Symposium 2025 brought together qualitative research experts from German-speaking countries.

On the evening before, a practical workshop on "Qualitative Content Analysis with Generative AI" (led by Marc Crepaz, FH Gesundheit) put the participants in the mood for the topic. Using their own materials, they tested the methodical use of AI and reflected on the opportunities and limits of these new tools.

The two-day program offered six thematic tracks – from participation and inclusion to changing working environments to sustainability, education, and AI-supported creativity. In numerous lectures, current studies were presented, methodological approaches were discussed, and social challenges were addressed. In particular, the creative visualization of metaphors with the help of AI attracted attention and inspired lively discussions.

Organized by Margit Raich (Tyrolean University of Education) and Julia Müller-Seeger (University of Halle-Wittenberg), the 8th Qual.met /Symposium impressively showed how qualitative research can provide orientation in complex times. The great response and the diversity of the contributions make it clear that qualitative methods are a key to shaping the future responsibly.

guest lecture Deloitte in the lecture fundamentals of business administration

As part of the lecture "fundamentals of business administration" we had the special opportunity to welcome Christoph Moser from Deloitte as a guest speaker. Mr. Moser, an experienced expert in management consulting, gave the students exciting insights into the practice of business administration and shared valuable experiences from his many years of professional practice at Deloitte. In particular he was able to give tips for applicants and spoke about challenges and opportunities in a dynamic business world. The lecture gave our students the opportunity to combine theory with practice and take away valuable ideas for their own professional future. A big thank you to Christoph Moser and Deloitte for this inspiring insight into the world of business administration!

AI workshop: "the basics of artificial intelligence"

In the AI workshop organised by Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig GmbH, Prof. Dr Julia Müller-Seeger and Kerstin Bergmann M.Sc. provided a sound grounding in artificial intelligence. The participants were given practical insights into current best practices and case studies based on the latest research findings from the chair. In workshops supported by interactive methods, the basics of working with AI and its versatile application possibilities were developed and the focus was placed on acceptance factors and future-oriented strategies.

7th Qual.met Symposium 2024: New perspectives on human-machine interaction

The 7th Qual.met Symposium took place from 19th-20th September 2024 in Innsbruck - in cooperation with the Chair of Business Administration, in particular Corporate Management at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the University of Education Tyrol. The aim of the Qual.met /Symposium is to promote dialogue and exchange between qualitative researchers in German-speaking countries.

This year the symposium focussed on the highly topical subject of human-machine interaction in the age of artificial intelligence. The event provided a platform for scientists from various disciplines to exchange new findings and discuss challenges. The 15th participants clearly demonstrated how profoundly artificial intelligence is changing the world of work, social interaction and the way we conduct research. The findings related to:

• human-machine interaction, focussing on dynamics, user experiences, understanding of roles and challenges;
• leadership and management, which were analysed in sustainability management and education;
• methodological approaches, which were presented in new combinations and digital applications;
• artificial intelligence, the use of which was discussed in a practice-orientated and critical manner.

The 7th Qual.met Symposium 2024 made it clear that human-machine interaction is a complex and dynamically developing field. Artificial intelligence offers both opportunities and risks and requires interdisciplinary collaboration in order to fully utilise its potential. The research results presented provide valuable insights for the design of future technologies and working environments.

For more information, see www.qualmet.org   .

EURAM 2024: Our WiMis conquer Bath!

A group of academic staff from the Institutes of Business Administration & Economics took part in this year's European Academy of Management (EURAM) conference at the University of Bath, England, from 25th-28th June 2024.

In addition to exchanging the latest findings with researchers from all over the world, the programme also included inspiring keynotes and, of course, the presentation of their own projects - with Dr. Christian Hoßbach acting as track chair for the track "Managing Creativity for Innovation: Design, Collaborative Spaces, and People". Of course, our employees also took the opportunity to explore the charming city of Bath with its historic Roman baths and picturesque surroundings.

With many new ideas and impressions in their luggage, M.Sc.Vincent Czyrnik (https://ethik.wiwi.uni-halle.de), M.A.Konrad Kreßmann (https://unternehmensfuehrung.wiwi.uni-halle.de), Dr. Christian Hoßbach and M. Sc.Christopher Müllner (https://personal.wiwi.uni-halle.de) are now back in Halle and are looking forward to incorporating what they have learned into their future work. We are looking forward to the results and congratulate our employees on their successful participation in EURAM 2024!