Research visit in Stanford by PhD candidate Elisa Sauerbier

From September to December 2025, IFM doctoral researcher Elisa Sauerbier is spending a research stay at Stanford University (USA) as part of the prestigious SCANCOR Visiting Scholar Program, an international hub for cutting-edge research in organization and management studies.

Since September 2025, Elisa Sauerbier, a doctoral researcher at the Chair of Entreprenurship and SME-research, has been a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University in California. She is participating in the SCANCOR Program (Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research), a renowned academic network that brings together international scholars to advance research in organizational theory through close collaboration and exchange.

Elisa’s research focuses on self-managing organizations in the technology sector and among social enterprises. During her stay, she is working with Kyung-Eun (Trixie) Park on her current paper examining self-presentation strategies of social enterprises. Their study explores how narrative strategies in organizational communication have evolved over recent years—especially as these enterprises balance social purpose, transparency, and entrepreneurial professionalism.

Beyond her research, Elisa is using her time at Stanford to explore the Silicon Valley innovation ecosystem. She is taking an Entrepreneurship course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) and regularly attends talks hosted by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), seeking inspiration and interdisciplinary perspectives for her work.

Through her participation in the SCANCOR program, Elisa is not only deepening her academic expertise but also expanding her international research network—a valuable step toward advancing her understanding of the intersection between organization, technology, and social impact.

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