Karin Hoisl

Prof. Dr. Karin Hoisl holds the Chair of Organization and Innovation at the University of Mannheim Business School, where she leads research at the intersection of organizational theory and innovation management. Her work employs quantitative-empirical methods with international comparative frameworks, combining economics and behavioral science to derive causal insights into organizational dynamics.

Her research spans six core domains:

• Knowledge management (focusing on acquisition, recombination, and open innovation)
• Organizational and individual creativity (including learning mechanisms)
• Intellectual property strategy (protection and commercialization)
• Team science dynamics
• Sociology of scientific management
• Entrepreneurial finance and startup funding

These areas reflect her commitment to understanding innovation processes through both theoretical development and practical organizational design.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals three dominant trends: persistent investigation of gender disparities in innovation (particularly "Lost Marie Curies" studies on parental impacts), rigorous examination of open innovation frameworks in scientific contexts, and sophisticated modeling of knowledge transfer mechanisms in corporate R&D. Her work increasingly integrates sociological perspectives with economic analysis, showing strong methodological sophistication in handling large-scale inventor datasets.

Prof. Hoisl actively supervises doctoral candidates including Nicola Schmitt (GESS PhD program), focusing on digital transformation and innovation. Her chair administers master's courses like MAN 690 (Innovation Management) and MAN 693 (Strategic IP Management), with upcoming exam reviews scheduled through 2025. The research team maintains active partnerships with industry for practical application of findings.

The Chair of Organization and Innovation functions as a cohesive research unit, supporting students through thesis supervision and doctoral training while engaging with partner firms for real-world impact. Current projects include social media outreach initiatives and studies on digital transformation in organizational contexts.