We present:
Research projects within the "Good Organisations"

In the project "Towards Excellence", we strive to combine research with leadership and organisational development to implement a "Re-Generative Organisation". Through dissertations and research projects in cooperation with practitioners, new indicator systems and measurement methods are being developed to enable goal-oriented navigation towards excellence. Thus, a "Flourishing Barometer" and a "Wisdom Index" are to be developed. In addition, we design customised in-house development programmes to support companies with a values-based orientation in the practical implementation of their values towards re-generative organisation. These transformation programmes are accompanied by evaluation research to share insights in the form of "next practices".

In a three-stage model, we guide you to realise the full potential of your organisation. The first stage starts with the leaders and supports them in developing practical wisdom and a solid moral compass. The second level focuses on the team level. Practices are taught that foster a climate of excellence, creating development opportunities and vitality for every role in the team. In the third stage of the programme, we teach targeted strategies to apply the lessons learnt to the whole company and to successfully present and implement good ideas and approaches.

If you would like to accompany us as a company and/or as a manager initiate team and organisational development towards a regenerative organisation, please contact our team led by Prof. Dr. Antoinette Weibel: Goodorganisations@unisg.ch

You can download a flyer and a detailed description of our programme below.

Building on the social-constructionist worldview, this project aims at exploring the link between language and morality. More precisely, merging the internalist with the socially externalist accounts of moral cognition (i.e. considering language and morality as both representation and social action concepts), it investigates how rhetoric and virtuous argumentation might be used as tools to develop leaders’ ethos and help them to achieve virtuous ends. It is argued that language is a powerful tool that supports leaders in giving and making sense of moral contents in a meaningful way and leverages social action towards moral ends. Hence, using both classical (“the art of persuasion by words”) and modern (“how words shape reality and provide meaning”) definitions of rhetoric provides an important link between moral philosophy (virtue ethics), moral psychology (social-cognitive theory) and the nascent field of moral sensemaking. In turn, focusing on the ethical and educational properties of rhetoric, where the cultivation of eudaimonia is considered as the ultimate objective, holds great promise in making organizations places where individuals flourish. From a practice perspective, this project would be part of a broader leadership development program and would specifically target the following goals:
a) encourage leaders to reflect on their ethos and raise their awareness of the power and impact of their words;
b) improve their rhetorical and argumentative capacities in a way that facilitates constructive dialogues about virtues and promote social moral action.

In today's complex and uncertain world, the importance of effective decision-making, especially for leaders, is more important than ever. While intelligence, experience and knowledge are generally recognised as valuable qualities in decision-making processes, there is another essential aspect that is of immense importance: practical wisdom.

Rooted in the ancient Greek philosophical tradition, practical wisdom encompasses the ability to make sound judgements, manage ethical dilemmas and demonstrate virtuous behaviour in difficult situations. The aim of this dissertation project is to develop an integrated measurement tool to measure the practical wisdom of leaders in organisations. For this purpose, practical wisdom is considered as a complex, multidimensional concept consisting of 5 different components (empathy, judgement, being, action, reflection).

Exploring each of the components of practical wisdom will enable us to identify and nurture the fundamental virtues and competencies. In this way, we can shed light on their role in promoting effective decision-making and improving leadership effectiveness. Ultimately, the results of this research will serve as an impetus for the development of training programmes and interventions that foster practical wisdom in leaders.