Uli Meyer

Uli Meyer is a Full Professor at Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria, working within the Institute of Sociology. With a substantial publication record of 70 publications and over 22,000 reads on ResearchGate, Meyer has established themselves as a significant contributor to organizational sociology, particularly in the areas of innovation processes, digitalization, and organizational responses to heterogeneous societal environments.

Meyer's research profile indicates deep expertise in organizational theory and sociology. Their work bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of contemporary organizational challenges, particularly around digital transformation and innovation. The focus on how organizations navigate complex societal environments is central to Meyer's scholarly contributions.

Research interests focus on understanding how organizations navigate complex societal environments, with particular emphasis on innovation processes, digitalization narratives versus workplace practices, and the social dynamics of technological change. Meyer's work challenges simplistic techno-deterministic views, instead highlighting how organizations actively interpret and shape technological developments through social processes. Key themes include path models of innovation, organizational recombination, and the sociology of digital transformation in industrial contexts.

Meyer's recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on the intersection of organizational sociology and digital transformation, examining how organizations make sense of envisioned technological futures like 'Industrie 4.0' and how digitalization narratives translate (or fail to translate) into workplace practices. This research critically engages with dominant discourses while providing nuanced empirical insights into organizational change processes.

• Path Models of Innovation and their implications for understanding technological development
• The relationship between AI and organizational decision-making
• Digitalization narratives versus workplace practices in organizational contexts
• Organizational recombination as a response to heterogeneous societal demands
• The sociology of 'Industrie 4.0' and digital transformation in industrial contexts

Meyer actively collaborates with researchers across institutions, particularly through the 'Projektgruppe Digitalisierung und Arbeitsorganisation' (Digitalization and Work Organization Research Group), which includes scholars from multiple Austrian universities. This collaborative work examines digitalization from critical sociological perspectives, challenging hegemonic narratives while documenting actual workplace practices.

As a Full Professor at Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Meyer contributes to advancing organizational sociology through both theoretical development and empirical research, with particular attention to how organizations navigate the complex challenges of digital transformation in contemporary society.