Organisation Unit at the Department of Accounting, Innovation & Strategy

The Organisation Unit at the Department of Accounting, Innovation & Strategy, is headed by Thorsten Grohsjean. 

He joined the University of Vienna as a Professor of Organisation in January 2026, after more than 9 years in the Department of Management & Technology at Bocconi University in Milan, first as an assistant and then as a tenured associate professor. He received his PhD from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and a Diploma in Management from the University of Mannheim.

Our unit explores how organisations shape their employees and how these imprints drive individuals’ decisions, in turn affecting organisational performance. Thorsten in particular studies this indirect linkage across two streams. The first examines how organisational affiliations shape interpersonal relationships, affecting individuals’ dyadic interactions within and across organisations. The second focuses on resource allocation among competing alternatives. Specifically, he studies how organisational features, such as the structure of the decision-making process and the composition of the decision panel, shape the selection of strategic alternatives. 
Most of his research uses large-scale quantitative data analysis alongside semi-structured interviews. He uses unique data that he collects by scraping multiple data sources, most notably on the video game development industry and various sports (e.g., ice hockey, basketball, and soccer), or by collaborating with organisations. Recently, he has also relied on laboratory experiments.