Dr. Michael Grothe-Hammer

Journal Articles

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Kohl, S. (forthcoming). The Decline of Organizational Sociology? An empirical analysis of research trends in leading journals across half a century. Current Sociology.

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., Hagen, R., Sydow, J. (forthcoming). Managing resource transposition in the face of extreme events: Fieldwork at two public networks in Germany and the U.S.. Public Administration.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2019). Organization without actorhood: Exploring a neglected phenomenon. European Management Journal, 37(3), 325-338. doi: 10.1016/j.emj.2018.07.009
You can access the final postprint version here.

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Berthod, O. (2017). The programming of decisions for disaster and emergency response: A Luhmannian approach. Current Sociology, 65(5), 735-755. doi:10.1177/0011392116640592

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Sydow, J. (2017). Network Ethnography: A Mixed-Method Approach for the Study of Practices in Interorganizational Settings. Organizational Research Methods, 20(2), 299-323. doi:10.1177/1094428116633872

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., Müller-Seitz, G., Raab, J., Sydow, J. (2017). From High-Reliability Organizations to High-Reliability Networks: The Dynamics of Network Governance in the Face of Emergency. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 27(2), 352-371. doi: 10.1093/jopart/muw05

Apelt, M., Besio, C., Corsi, G., von Groddeck, V., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Tacke, V. (2017). Resurrecting organization without renouncing society: A response to Ahrne, Brunsson and Seidl. European Management Journal, 35(1), 8-14. doi:10.1016/j.emj.2017.01.002

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2017). Preparing for the Field by Topics: A Systems Theory inspired Strategy for Improving Social Access. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 34(1), 41-50. doi:10.1002/sres.2393

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Sydow, J. (2015). Some Characteristics of High-Reliability Networks. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 23(1), 24–28. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12069

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2015). “You watch that the maniac finishes in time.” On the balance of power between the director and production manager in film projects. Studies in Communication | Media, 4(3), p.189-247. doi: 10.5771/2192-4007-2015-3-189 . [PDF ]

Articles in Edited Volumes

Grothe-Hammer, M. (forthcoming). Die De-Organisation von Organisation? Zu den Konsequenzen des Ersetzens menschlicher Entscheiderinnen und Entscheider durch Algorithmen in Organisationen. [The de-organization of organization? On the consequences of replacing human decision-makers by algorithms in organizations.] In Nicole Burzan (Hrsg.), Komplexe Dynamiken globaler und lokaler Entwicklungen: Verhandlungen des 39. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie in Göttingen 2018.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2019). Membership or Contributorship? Managing the inclusion of individuals into organizations. In G. Ahrne & N. Brunsson (eds.), Organization outside organizations: The Abundance of Partial Organization in Social Life (pp. 84-112). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Grothe-Hammer, M. & Schoeneborn, D. (2019). The queen bee outlives her own children: A Luhmannian perspective on project-based organizations (PBOs). In: C. Vásquez & T. R. Kuhn (eds.), Dis/organization as communication: Exploring the disordering, disruptive and chaotic properties of communication (pp. 60-79). New York: Routledge.

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Sydow J. (2018). Inter-organizational ethnography. In A. Bryman, & D.A. Buchanan (eds.), Unconventional Methodology in Organization and Management Research (pp. 212-230). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Sydow, J. (2016). Einige Charakeristika von Hochzuverlässigkeitsnetzwerken. In P. Zoche, S. Kaufmann, & H. Arnold (eds.), Grenzenlose Sicherheit? Gesellschaftliche Dimensionen der Sicherheitsforschung (pp. 289–300). Berlin: Lit Verlag.
German translation of: Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Sydow, J. (2015). Some Characteristics of High-Reliability Networks. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 23(1), 24–28. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12069

Book Reviews

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2015). Book review (in German): Etzioni, Amitai (1975): A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations. On Power, Involvement, and Their Correlates. 2. Edition. New York: The Free Press. In S. Kühl (ed.), Schlüsselwerke der Organisationsforschung (pp. 257–260). Wiesbaden: Springer.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2015). Book Review (in German): Weick, Karl E.; Sutcliffe, Kathleen M. (2007): Managing the Unexpected. Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty. 2. Edition. San Francisco: Wiley. In S. Kühl (ed.), Schlüsselwerke der Organisationsforschung (pp. 734–738). Wiesbaden: Springer.

Conference contributions

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Berkowitz, H. (2019, July). A theory of organization as decision. European Group for Organizational Studies. 35th EGOS Colloquium, Edinburgh.

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Berkowitz, H. (2019, May). Organization as decision. Workshop “Meta-, Macro-, and Partial Organization: Advances in Research and Theory”, Toulouse.

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Berkowitz, H. (2019, April). A theory of organization as decision. Spring Conference of the Section on Organizational Sociology of the German Sociological Association, Hamburg.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2018, October). Die De-Organisation von Organisation? Zu den Konsequenzen des Ersetzens menschlicher Entscheider durch Algorithmen in Organisationen. [The de-organization of organization? On the consequences of replacing human decision-makers by algorithms in organizations.] German Sociological Association, Ad-hoc Group „Macht Digitalisierung Organisationen überflüssig?“ [Does digitalization render organizations expandable?]. 39th Congress of the German Sociological Association, Göttingen.

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Schoeneborn, D. (2018, July). The Project-Based Organization (PBO) as the “honeybee queen”: A Luhmannian perspective on the enduring and fading away of organization. European Group for Organizational Studies. 34th EGOS Colloquium, Tallinn.

Besio, C., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Fedtke, C. (2018, July). Big Data and Decision-Making in Insurance Organizations. International Sociological Association. XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Toronto.

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Kohl, S. (2018, July). The Decline of Organizational Sociology? An Empirical Analysis of Research Trends in Leading Journals across Half a Century. International Sociological Association. XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Toronto.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2018, May). The consequences of replacing decision-makers by algorithms: On shifts in responsibilities and the de-organization of organizations. Workshop of the Working Group “Digitalization & Organization” of the Section on Organizational Sociology of the German Sociological Association, Berlin.

Muster, J., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Berthod, O. (2018, March). Fear and Loathing at the Workplace: Nature and Effects of Loophole Decoupling. 14th Workshop on New Institutionalism in Organization Theory, Milan.

Besio, C., Fedtke, C., & Grothe-Hammer, M. (2017, December). Big Data und Entscheidungsprozesse: Wandel in der Versicherungsbranche. [Big Data and decision processes: Changes in the insurance sector.] Sections on Organizational Sociology and on Science and Technology Studies of the German Sociological Association. Joint Autumn Conference “Digitalisierung und Reorganisation”, Stuttgart.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2017, July). From membership to contributorship: Managing the inclusion of individuals into organizations. European Group for Organizational Studies. 33rd EGOS Colloquium, Copenhagen.

Berthod, O., & Grothe-Hammer, M. (2017, July). Cascading Doubt into Individual Responsibilities: How Emergency Responders Harness Profession and Organizational Structure for Continuous Adaptive Sensemaking. European Group for Organizational Studies. 33rd EGOS Colloquium, Copenhagen.

Sydow, J., Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Müller-Seitz, G. (2016, August). Interorganizational Coordinating for Reliability: An Ethnography of a High-Reliability Network. Academy of Management. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Anaheim.

Besio, C., & Grothe-Hammer, M. (2016, July). From Micro to Meso to Macro and Back: A Systems-Theoretical Framework for Understanding the Relation Between New Organizational Forms (NOFs) and Society. International Sociological Association. 3rd ISA Forum of Sociology, Vienna.

Grothe-Hammer, M. (2016, July). The Non-Addressable Meta-Organization and Its Contribution to High Reliability. International Sociological Association. 3rd ISA Forum of Sociology, Vienna.

Sydow, J., Berthod, O., Grothe, M., & Hagen, R. (2016, July). Does network design matter?: How interorganizational networks balance mandated structures and situatedness in crisis situations. European Group for Organizational Studies. 32nd EGOS Colloquium, Naples.

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., Müller-Seitz, G., & Sydow, J. (2015, August). From HRO to HRN: Dynamics of Network Governance in the Face of Emergency. Academy of Management. Academy of Management Meeting, Vancouver. doi: 10.5465/AMBPP.2015.11138a

Sydow, J., Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., & Müller-Seitz, G. (2015, July). Coordinating for reliability? A practice-based perspective on high-reliability networks. European Group for Organizational Studies. 31th EGOS Colloquium, Athens.

Berthod, O., Grothe-Hammer, M., Müller-Seitz, G., & Sydow, J. (2014, July). From high-reliability organizations to high-reliability networks? Collective organizing in the face of emergency. European Group for Organizational Studies. 30th EGOS Colloquium, Rotterdam.

Grothe-Hammer, M., & Sydow, J. (2014, May). Network Ethnography? – Analysing a Multi-organisational Emergency Response Network using a Mixed Method Approach. Social Network Analysis Study Group (SNAG) of the British Sociological Association (BSA), Middlesex University, & University of Greenwich. Conference: Mixed-method approaches to social network analysis, London.

Academic Experience

Since 09/2015 Research Associate at the Chair for Sociology, especially Sociology of Organizations, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, Germany.

02/2017 – 04/2017 Guest Researcher at Score (Stockholm centre for organizational research), Sweden.

10/2014 – 03/2017 Visiting Lecturer at the University of Potsdam, Germany (in each winter term).

12/2013 – 11/2016 Research Associate at the Chair for Inter-Firm-Cooperation (Prof. Jörg Sydow), Department of Management, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

10/2011 – 09/2012 Research Assistant in the Cognitronics & Sensor Systems group of the Cluster of Excellence – Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Germany.

Education

02/2015 – 03/2018 Doctorate in Sociology (Dr. rer. pol.) at the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg, Germany.

10/2009 – 11/2013 M.A. Sociology, Bielefeld University, Germany.

02/2011 – 05/2011 Studies in European Societies, Saint Petersburg State University, Russia.

10/2006 – 09/2009 B.A. Sociology, Bielefeld University, Germany.

Awards

Winner of the EGOS Best Paper Award 2016 of the European Group for Organizational Studies (with Jörg Sydow, Olivier Berthod, and Ryan Hagen).

Nominated for the EGOS Best Student Paper Award 2017 of the European Group for Organizational Studies.

Performance bonus from the Helmut Schmidt University for “outstanding, exceptional performance” in 2017 & 2018.

Ad-hoc Peer Review Service

Human Relations

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

Kybernetes

Organization Studies

Scandinavian Journal of Management

Social Sciences

Societies

Systemic Practice and Action Research

Systems Research and Behavioral Science

Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2016, 2017, 2018

Workshop of the Section “Organization” (WK ORG) of the German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB) 2018

Memberships & Institutional Service

International Sociological Association (ISA)

• Secretary of the Research Committee “Sociology of Organization”
• Research Committee “Sociological Theory”
• Research Committee “Sociocybernetics”
• Research Committee “Sociology of Disasters”
• Thematic Group “Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty”

German Sociological Association (DGS)

• Section on Organizational Sociology

European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS)

Member of the senate committee for research and junior scholars at Helmut Schmidt University, Germany.

2017-2018 Substitute member of the Academic Senate at Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg