Democratic Organizing and Entrepreneurship: Possibilities from Relational Perspectives
How can democracy truly be practised within organisations? In this session of the International Business Seminar Series, Dr. Jonas Friedrich explores how democratic collaboration emerges not only through formal structures, but above all through everyday practices — and what this means for more inclusive, sustainable, and human-centred ways of working.
While economic and political life is currently moving towards more centralized, at times authoritarian, control, democratic, participatory, and decentralized forms of organizing promise more empowering, inclusive, and sustainable ways of working.
Yet democracy in organizations does not emerge from participatory structures alone—and may crumple under an overly functionalist construction. Drawing on a two-year ethnography of a democratic consultancy cooperative, Dr. Jonas Friedrich's talk as part of the ZHAW International Business Seminar Series develops a relational perspective on democratic organizing and entrepreneurship. It shows how democratic work relations are gradually built through everyday practices of decomposing inherited hierarchies, recomposing more inclusive forms of cooperation, and continuously retinkering questions of equality, care, authority, and responsibility.
The talk invites discussion on how organizations can move beyond formal participation towards more relational, humane, and sustainable modes of organizing.
Dr. Jonas Friedrich is a researcher and lecturer at the University of St. Gallen whose work focuses on organizational psychology, democratic leadership, and sustainable forms of organizing. His research explores how participatory and collaborative leadership models influence motivation, inclusion, ethical behavior, and meaningful work, particularly in organizations with alternative governance structures such as cooperatives and purpose-driven firms.
He completed his Ph.D. in Organization and Culture at the University of St. Gallen with highest distinction (“summa cum laude”) and also studied at the University of Oxford and Copenhagen Business School. Friedrich has published and presented internationally on topics including democratic organizing, feminist organizational theory, sustainability, and shared leadership. In addition to his academic work, he is actively involved in interdisciplinary research networks and teaches courses on organizational behavior, leadership, and sustainable economies.