Marjaana Gunkel

Marjaana Gunkel is a tenured full professor and dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano since 2015. Previously, she held professorships at Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg and Leuphana Universität Lüneburg in Germany. She earned her PhD from Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, examining country differences in employee motivation.

Her academic background includes:

• PhD from Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Germany

Professor Gunkel specializes in International Human Resource Management and International Organizational Behavior, investigating cross-cultural variations in HR practices and employee behavior. Her research explores how emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, and multiple intelligences influence team dynamics and performance across borders, with publications in top journals including Journal of Applied Psychology and Journal of International Business Studies.

Analysis of her 2022-2025 publications reveals a dominant focus on global virtual teams, examining the interplay between emotional/cultural intelligence and team performance. Her work addresses contemporary challenges including data-driven decision-making, pandemic impacts on virtual collaboration, and alternative workplace arrangements, demonstrating consistent evolution toward understanding modern organizational complexities.

As dean and active researcher, she contributes to academic leadership and public discourse on workplace well-being, emphasizing her mission to impact people's work lives as stated in her 2023 video: "I became a scientist because I want to have an impact on peoples’ well-being at work."