Dr. Steffen Triebel
Assistant Professor of Management · Aarhus University
I research and teach organizational networks and everything connected to them — from innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership to job performance, turnover, and the statistical methods that make networks measurable. My time is split between Aarhus and Berlin, and alongside university work I consult on organizational change and digitalization.
About
Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Management at Aarhus University, working at the intersection of organizational networks, innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. I earned my Ph.D. in Management summa cum laude from Leibniz University Hannover with a dissertation on connecting research streams in organizational network research, and hold degrees in empirical social research and sociology from Bremen and Göttingen.
Apart from working in academia, I have spent several years in public-sector consulting and market research — experience that shapes how I connect rigorous network theory to real organizational problems. My work has appeared in the Strategic Management Journal, with several papers in the pipeline at FT50 outlets. I am also an Honorary Research Fellow at Exeter Business School, editor of a forthcoming handbook on social networks and innovation, and was nominated for the Social Network Society's Emerging Scholar Award.
Education
2018–2023
Ph.D. in Management — Summa Cum Laude
Leibniz University Hannover. Dissertation: "Bridging the Gaps — Connecting Research Streams in Organizational Network Research."
2014–2017
M.A. in Empirical Social Sciences
University of Bremen. Empirical methods, network analysis, organizational & economic sociology. Grade 1.6.
2008–2012
B.A. in Sociology
Georg-August-University Göttingen. Minor in social & economic psychology. Grade 1.7.
Appointments
09/2025 – present
Assistant Professor of Management
Aarhus University
2023 – present
Honorary Research Fellow
Exeter Business School
03/2025 – 08/2025
Postdoctoral Researcher
ESCP Business School, Berlin
Research Interests
Organizational networks
Entrepreneurship & ecosystems
Innovation
Leadership
Strategy & technological change
AI in organizations
Statistical network methods
Recognition & Service
2025
Nominated, Emerging Scholar Award — Social Network Society (Academy of Management)
Ongoing
Editor, forthcoming handbook on Social Networks & Innovation
Ongoing
Reviewer, Strategic Management Journal, Organizations & Society, and Network Science
Contact
Research
Publications & Working Papers
My research uses social network analysis and advanced statistical methods to understand how ties between and within firms shape innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, strategy, and technological change. Below is a selection; further projects are in data collection or analysis. Working-paper drafts are available on request.
2025
The Coevolution of Board Interlock Networks and Corporate Strategic ActionsPublished
Strategic Management Journal (ABS 4*). With J. Brennecke & C. Weber.
Bridges board interlock dynamics and their consequences through structuration theory, testing a coevolution process with stochastic actor-oriented models on German board interlock data linked to acquisitions and divestitures.
EGOS 2022 · Sunbelt 2022 · AoM 2022 · AoM 2024
WP
Network Ontology — Aligning Theory and ModelsUnder review
With S. Tasselli, D. Hunter & A. Parker.
A practical flowchart and guide for choosing the appropriate network model for a given research question, lowering the barrier to entry for scholars new to the field.
WP
Start Me Up: How Epistemic Fit Predicts Newcomer's Job PerformanceUnder review
With L. Erhard, A. Brem & R. Heiberger.
Uses 2M+ scientific publications across Physics and Psychology to show how cultural fit between scholars and their new departments shapes output, moderated by field.
WP
It's Not Me, It's You: Alter's Brokerage Orientation and Emerging Leader IdentityUnder review
With S. Braun, A. Parker & C. Waldstrøm.
Shows that an individual's leader identity is shaped by how supportive their contacts are in integrating them into the wider network.
AoM 2026 · EUSN 2026
WP
Seeking Advice to Lead Better? Advice Networks and Leadership EffectivenessUnder review
With A. Parker, S. Braun & C. Waldstrøm.
Using advice ties in a Danish consultancy, finds that reaching across units for advice predicts perceived leadership effectiveness — and effective leaders ask more often.
Sunbelt 2023 · AoM 2024
WP
An Introduction to Durational Event ModelsUnder review
With C. Fritz.
Introduces a novel statistical model that captures not only tie formation but also tie duration and persistence, closing an important gap in management research.
EUSN 2026
WP
Homophily in Bipartite NetworksR&R
With D. Hunter et al.
A new perspective on homophily in two-mode networks, contributing new effects to ERGMs in the statnet package.
Further work in progress on network causality, AI adoption and corporate entrepreneurship, the interplay of cultural and structural holes in HipHop networks, and the emergence and governance of entrepreneurial and DefTech ecosystems — including how founders choose collaboration partners.
Teaching
Teaching
My teaching philosophy is simple: there is nothing as pragmatic as good theory. My courses blend lectures, case studies, and interactive techniques, and wherever possible I bring in industry partners through guest lectures or project-based learning where students solve real problems. I have taught at B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. levels across institutions, with consistently strong evaluations. Some examples include:
2026 · B.A./M.A. · Aarhus University, DK
Social Network Analysis · Strategy & Management Control Systems · Value Creation in Digital Businesses
2026 · Ph.D. Workshop · Exeter Business School, UK
Longitudinal Network Analysis
2025 · Guest lecturer · University of Stuttgart, Germany
Understanding the Network Paradigm
2018–2022 · M.A. · Leibniz University Hannover
Leadership · Organizational Behavior · Managing Inter-Organizational Relations
Also taught
Strategy · Network Analysis · International Management
Practice
Industry & Practical Experience
Where my research meets the field — consulting, evaluation, and applied research across the public and private sectors. I remain a freelance consultant for organizational change and digitalization.
2023–2025
Evaluation Lead — PUBLIC, London
Helped build and lead the Monitoring & Evaluation team assessing digitalization in the public sector. Co-led the MHCLG "Local Digital" programme evaluation, and advised institutions on designing sustainable start-up ecosystems. Managed projects and client relationships and developed business.
2012–2014
Junior Research Executive — Ipsos GmbH, Hamburg
Qualitative and quantitative market research using social media and survey data; project management for insight communities and social listening studies; bid-writing and client reporting.
