Zurich University
of Applied Sciences

Michael Herzig

Michael Herzig

Michael Herzig

ZHAW School of Social Work
Institute of Management and Social Policy
Pfingstweidstrasse 96
8037 Zürich

+41 (0) 58 934 85 22
michael.herzig@zhaw.ch

Work at ZHAW

Position

Lecturer, Institute of Management and Social Policy, Focus Team Social Policy and Management

Focus

  • Social work and social policy: low-threshold social work, harm reduction, addiction and addiction policy, sex work, multivulnerability, stigmatization and marginalization
  • Non-profit management: strategy and organizational change, error culture and learning organization, innovation and product development, business administration
  • Methodological focus: service user involvement, stakeholder orientation, self-determination, participation and co-production, storytelling, design thinking

Teaching

Experience

  • Lecturer
    Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School for Social Work
    01 / 2015 - today
  • Novelist: Fiction, Narrative Non-Fiction, Screenplays, Radio Plays
    Self Employed
    01 / 2007 - today
  • Business Unit Director, Vice Director
    Zurich City Administration, Social Welfare Department, Social Facilities
    01 / 2004 - 06 / 2014
  • Drug Policy Coordinator
    Zurich City Administration, Social Welfare Department
    08 / 1998 - 12 / 2003
  • Secretary of the Federal Commission for Family Policy, editor
    Federal Office of Social Security
    01 / 1994 - 08 / 1998
  • Journalist, Teacher, Musician, Vendor
    Various
    01 / 1984 - 12 / 1992

Education and Continuing education

Education

  • Executive Master of Business Administration EMBA HSG / Business Administration
    University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
    01 / 2007 - 12 / 2008
  • Master Of Arts: History Public Law and Political Science / Humanities
    University of Bern
    01 / 1986 - 12 / 1994

Continuing Education

  • Design Thinking Workshop
    Denkmotor
    12 / 2020
  • E-Didactic for Distance Learning
    ZHAW School of Management and Law
    12 / 2018
  • Certificate of University Didactic
    Zurich University of Education
    12 / 2016
  • Screenwriting
    Migros School Zurich
    12 / 2015
  • iStory - Basic patterns, structures and building blocks of a story in the digital age
    Zurich University of the Arts
    12 / 2015
  • General Management-Training
    University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
    12 / 2002
  • Managing staff and projects
    Personnel Office of the City of Zurich
    12 / 2001
  • Project Management
    Federal Office of Personnel
    12 / 1998
  • Media handling certificate: training for information officers
    MAZ Media Training Center Lucerne
    12 / 1997
  • Process management: controlling and designing processes
    Federal Office of Personnel
    12 / 1997
  • Management of International organizations
    Institut de hautes études en administration publique IDHEAP, Lausanne
    12 / 1996
  • Rhetoric training: presentation and speeches
    Federal Office of Personnel
    12 / 1996
  • Combattre l'exclusion: Analyser les processus, améliorer les politiques
    Université de Lausanne
    12 / 1996

Network

Awards

  • Book of the month
    Swiss Month
    11 / 2023
  • Literature Award
    City of Zurich
    12 / 2014
  • Literature Award
    Government Council of the Canton of Zurich
    12 / 2012
  • Communicator of the month
    Swiss Advertising Association
    09 / 2005

Social media

Linkedin

Media presence

Projects

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

Herzig, M. (2019) 'Realitätsflash : Drogenpolitik als Lernfeld für Polizei und Sozialarbeit', Soziale Arbeit, 68(5/6), pp. 216–222.

Book chapters, peer-reviewed

Herzig, M. (2025) 'Gewissen und Politik : soziale und medizinische Hilfe in der offenen Drogenszene der 1980er und 1990er Jahre in Zürich', in Akdoganbulut, C. et al. (eds) Rückkehr des Politischen : Inszenierung und Herausforderung von Macht in der Geschichte / Le Retour du politique : mettre en scène et défier le pouvoir à travers l'histoire. Zürich: Chronos, pp. 217–233.

Other publications

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