معرفی
Dr. Len Ole Schäfer is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the CATALPA research cluster, FernUniversität in Hagen, leading the project 'Organizational Resilience and Creativity: Exploring the Future of Educational Technology in Higher Education' (ORC) in collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG). His work investigates the interplay between organizational resilience, creativity frameworks, and educational technology implementation within higher education institutions, emphasizing trust-based leadership and strategic adaptation.
Schäfer holds a PhD in Sociology (2018) from the University of Bamberg examining the UK's Research Excellence Framework impact on academic practice, and a Diploma in Sociology (2012) focused on ranking construction in science. His academic trajectory includes research positions at Zeppelin University (2018), University College London's Centre for Global Higher Education (2016), and the University of Bamberg (2012-2018).
His research centers on higher education organizational dynamics, particularly how universities navigate digital transformation through resilience-building and creativity cultivation. Key interests include sociological theory applications, organizational sociology frameworks, and the role of digitalization strategies in enabling innovation. His work consistently analyzes resistance to digital change, strategic ambiguities in institutional policies, and trust mechanisms that foster EdTech adoption across diverse academic contexts.
Recent publications reveal a cohesive trajectory examining organizational responses to digital disruption, with emphasis on faculty perspectives, leadership approaches, and structural adaptations. His studies—primarily qualitative and mixed-methods—highlight tensions between centralized strategies and decentralized implementation, resistance triggers, and the paradoxical role of ambiguity in enabling innovation during rapid technological change.
As an active community contributor, Schäfer serves on the advisory board of FernUniversität's #NewLearning Blog and reviews for 'Higher Education - The International Journal of Higher Education Research'. His project leadership in ORC (2023–present) and OrA (until 2023) demonstrates sustained engagement with German higher education's adaptability challenges, while international collaborations with HIIG and conference presentations at EGOS and Swiss Sociological Association forums extend his scholarly impact.
