Institute for Strategy, Technology and Organization | LMU Munich

𝐎’𝐳𝐚𝐩𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎!

🥨We kicked off fall with a Bavarian brunch before the new term starts. Big thanks to Esther!

Fall brings change: farewell @ambrenicolle.bsky.social
(now at Mines Paris – PSL) & soon another teammate — Can you guess from the 2. photo? Hint: our fave 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵-𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 😉

💥🌍 Back from #AOM2025 in Copenhagen - what a week!

The ISTO team joined 12,000+ researchers for the world's largest management conference. We presented new work, joined PDWs, and reconnected with colleagues from LMU, TUM, MPI, and beyond 🌐

Huge thanks to all who made the week so vibrant. See you!

Final ORG Seminar of the Semester 👗🛍️

We concluded the semester with a great talk by Ulrich Laitenberger (Tilburg), who presented joint work with Matthias Eggenschwiler and Max Pachali on the impact of platform design and regulation on consumer choices regarding sustainability in fashion e-commerce.

ISTO at the 2025 EU-DPRN Summit in Madrid 🌞

Strong ISTO-presence at this year's EU Digital Platform Research Network Summit! With posters, papers, and discussions from Sophia Wetzler, Alexey Rusakov, and Ambre Nicolle. Wonderful to reconnect with ISTO alumni too. Thanks to the organizers!

👥 ORG Seminar with Hideo Owan at LMU Munich

Today’s talk explored how personality traits like extraversion and neuroticism shape promotion outcomes at work. Great insights and lively discussion - thanks to Professor Owan and all who joined!

💡 TIME Seminar at MPI's new home on Herzog-Max-Str. 🌞

Great talks on AI disclosure, shelved pharma innovation, and platform promotion strategies at the summer edition of the TIME Seminar. Many thanks to all presenters, discussants & co-hosts from TUM, LMU, and MPI!

👩‍💼 Yesterday's ORG Seminar: Kristina Czura (Uni Groningen) presented joint work on gender bias in access to finance. Findings from a lab-in-the-field study in Uganda: women face bias as solo entrepreneurs, but not in teams. Beliefs about implementation constraints matter. Thank you!

🌐 Connecting Scholars and Shaping Ideas: Munich Summer Institute 2025

Last week, over 90 researchers from around the world gathered in Munich to share cutting-edge work on platforms, AI, IP, and innovation. Highlights included keynotes by Fiona Scott Morton (Yale) and Michela Giorcelli (UCLA).

MSI Doctoral Workshop 2025 🎓💡

Last week, at LMU Munich, we welcomed early-career researchers from across Europe for a one-day deep dive into frontier work on digitization, platforms, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Many thanks to all presenters, discussants, and organizers. See you next year!

🎮 Great ORG seminar today with Joe Ploog (IE University), who presented joint work with Henning Piezunka on how firms test products with network effects. Using Steam data, they show that multiplayer games are tested more and longer, unless competition pushes for early release. Insightful session!

📊🏢 Great ORG seminar today with Hideshi Itoh (Waseda University), who presented joint work with Kimiyuki Morita on how principals allocate decision authority across stages of organizational decision-making. Delegation, it turns out, can be optimal - even when interests aren't aligned. Thank you!

🎉 10,000 Citations for Tobias Kretschmer! ✨

Today, we celebrated Tobias' milestone at ISTO, LMU Munich. His research has shaped the field, and his dedication as a mentor continues to inspire us. We are proud to be part of the journey. Here’s to the next milestone!

We’re excited to welcome Susanna Zapf as a research intern at ISTO, LMU Munich! With a degree in Law & Business from the University of Mannheim, Susanna brings valuable research experience and will contribute to several ongoing projects at the chair. Welcome aboard!

📢💼 Full house yesterday for our joint ORG x MICRO seminar with Yan Chen (@yanchenl.bsky.social) from the University of Michigan (@umich.edu).

She presented findings showing that quote-tweeting JMP significantly boosts their visibility and improves candidates' outcomes. Fascinating seminar!

🌍📱Today’s ORG seminar featured Aldona Kapacinskaite (@aldona.bsky.social) from Bocconi University. She presented her joint work with Ahmadreza Mostajabi and Keyvan Vakili, "Myopic Expansions on Platforms". Great insights on the (hidden) cost of hyperscaling! Thank you, Aldona!

💬How Better Pitching Boosts Fundraising Success 💡Great start to the ORG seminar series with Orsola Garofalo (CBS)! Her RCT in Tanzania shows how simple pitch training helps necessity entrepreneurs raise funds, repay loans, and engage more. Thank you!

The ISTO team wishes everyone a relaxing Easter holiday and a wonderful spring break before the new lecture period of the summer term kicks off. See you very soon!

Today, Prof. Brian Silverman (@rotmanschool.bsky.social) joined our ORG seminar @lmumuenchen.bsky.social to discuss how centralizing development activities reduces duplication of innovations but lowers commercialization rates. Fascinating insights on R&D strategy! Thank you!

Today, Prof. Maggie Zhou from Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, joined our final ORG seminar of the term to discuss how network effects drive disruption. Using a natural experiment, her study shows how P2P payment apps gain traction while local bank visits decline. Thank you!

🔍📉 Algorithmic Pricing and the Gender Gap 🚗⚖️
Today, Dr. Ozge Demirci from Imperial College London BS joined our ORG seminar to present her work on gender-based auto insurance pricing. Fascinating insights!

🎉 Another exciting news! Ambre Nicolle (@ambrenicolle.bsky.social), from LMU Munich and @isto-lmu.bsky.social, has received the Strategy Research Foundation Grant for her project on "Corporate Strategy in the Platform Economy" in collaboration with Johannes Loh from VU Amsterdam. Congratulations! 🎉

🎉 Exciting news! Tobias Kretschmer (@tkretschmer.bsky.social) has been appointed as the PDW Chair for the TIM Division at the Academy of Management (@aom-tim.bsky.social). A role that underscores his commitment to advancing research and fostering academic collaboration. Congrats! 🎉

Loved by the Community, Rejected by the Firm 📊💡
Today’s ORG seminar with Prof. Lars Frederiksen (Aarhus University) explored how firms' rejection of popular ideas impacts supporters. Fascinating insights into crowdsourcing dynamics! Thank you, Prof. Frederiksen!

Strategic Organization Design in Action! Last Monday, Angela Käufl & Marvin Loyal from Siemens joined ISTO’s bachelor course to share real-world insights on organization design. Using a case of business unit mergers, they brought theory to life! Thanks for an engaging session!

🎓 Congratulations to Dr. Svenja Friess! 🎉 We are delighted to announce that Svenja Friess, Post-doctoral Researcher at ISTO, LMU Munich, has successfully defended her doctoral thesis. Congratulations, Svenja, on this outstanding achievement!

Incentives in Online Labor Markets 💰📈, Team Tenure Disparity and Inventions 🧑‍🤝‍🧑💡, GPU Expertise and AI Leadership 🤖💻 ... What a fantastic Winter 24/25 edition of the TIME Seminar at @TUM! Thanks to all presenters and participants for making it a success! See you again at the Summer Edition.

Driving Innovation: How Robotaxis Shape Ride-Hailing 🚗🤖
Today, Dr. Chen Liang (@uconn.bsky.social) joined our ORG seminar to share how robotaxi services boost ride-hailing demand with positive spillovers for regular rides. Fascinating insights into AI-driven innovation and platform competition!

The call for papers for the *Munich Summer Institute 2025*, taking place from May 26 to 28, 2025, is now out.

www.munich-summer-institute.org/call-for-pap...

We look forward to receiving your submissions until February 15!