My research focuses on collaborative spaces, co-creation, and participatory organizing for more desirable futures. I have studied 'real utopias' – radical and alternative forms of organizing in places such as impact hubs, living labs, and P2P communities. The aim is to understand the conditions under which unusual alliances can develop cultural, social, and technological innovations for a better tomorrow.
I serve as an Affiliate of the Discipline of Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Sydney Business School and a Visiting Scholar at the Research Institute for Urban Management and Governance at WU Vienna. Within the team science platform, Organizing Social Transformation at VU Amsterdam, I am researching how urban living labs can incubate new regenerative forms of business in collaborative ecosystems.
Theoretically, I focus on how relational, place-based, and atmospheric dynamics influence collaborative governance. I am especially interested in how the 'lost art' of community-driven business or 'commoning' is rejuvenated in today's energy communities, food and housing co-ops, open source projects, and steward-owned businesses. Another research stream is concerned with initimate co-creation in teams, focusing on the role of listening, tensions, and facilitation.
Combining my passions for organizational ethnography and participatory facilitation, I employ co-design as a research methodology. Together with colleagues, I create serious games and co-creative workshops that serve as both research tools and practical instruments for project teams. Beyond the ivory tower, I work as a consultant and trainer on creative leadership and collaboration design. My pedagogy combines arts-based methods, serious play, and adult development theory to foster creativity and responsible innovation.
