Organization and Management Theory OMT

The Chair of Strategic Management and Innovation at the Department of Management, Technology & Innovation invites applications for a PhD position in Online Communities.

Project background

Over the past years, online communities have rapidly become important sources of innovation in society. This project aims to advance understanding of how members of such communities coordinate their work and create knowledge and innovation. These questions are of particular relevance due to the unique organizational characteristics of online communities, including their flat hierarchies, voluntary membership, and open organizational boundaries that enable ideas for new products and services to be sourced from anywhere and anyone.

Job description

The PhD candidate will investigate various aspects of online communities that have been shown to be of critical importance for the success of online communities yet remain underexplored.

We offer an inspiring, supportive, and team-based research environment to support your immediate immersion into an ongoing research agenda. In addition to attractive salary conditions, the chair offers an excellent location in the center of Zurich (consistently ranked as one of the world's premier cities in terms of living standards). The student will be supervised by Georg von Krogh and SMI's senior researchers. Read more about our research group on www.smi.ethz.ch.

Starting date: April 1, 2021

Your profile

Prospective candidates should hold a University degree on the Master's level (MBA is not eligible) in the area of business administration or related fields such as management information systems, computer science, psychology, sociology, mathematics, engineering, physics, and statistics. We invite applicants with a strong affinity with machine learning, big data analytics, and statistical analysis.

We appreciate basic knowledge of scientific research methods, and in particular experience with quantitative research methods. We look for candidates who display strong interest and willingness to work hard to improve their research skills. Excellent command of English (C1), both in written and spoken form are required. As a candidate, you should enjoy writing, be self-directed, and passionate about emerging trends in online communities.

Link to application: PhD position in Online Communities