Alex Lang

1. Integrating external information into companies by designing the adequate processes and organizational structures in order to transform the companies into Open Organisations, moving away from line to project centred organisations.
2. Opening up the R&D process in larger companies. What is the perfect balance between risks and opportunities?
3. Understanding and changing the behaviour of employees in product development when companies open their R&D departments.

Developing tools and methodologies to foster Frugal Innovations in emerging markets.

Students should be interested in the interface between Innovation Management and Product Development. The research should focus mainly on how to increase the efficiency of the R&D processes, develop organisational structures, which are superior to the ones competitors use and measures on how to change the employees’ behaviour. HDR students would collaborate with companies, understanding the companies’ challenges, and building models in order to visualise the challenges and design changes to improve the companies’ performance. The supervisor would provide the relevant industry partner; guide students building the models and designing the measures for change.

Topics for PhD projects

1.  Company Culture and Open Organization

What are the success factors in the area of company culture to transform closed to open organizations?

2. Changing organisations from line to more project-based entities

What can we learn from analogue systems regarding crisis management in project-based/ open organisations?

3. Further development of Design Thinking

How can the Design Thinking approach be improved by a closer integration of users?

4. Gamification and professional learning in companies

What can we learn from the principles behind video games like Minecraft to improve professional learning in a project-based/ open organisation?