With over 270 degree programs, FAU is among the 15 largest and leading universities for research in Germany. Over 6,000 employees and more than 39,000 students promote a culture of innovation, diversity and passion.
Get to know our newly-appointed professors who are driving forward research with their fresh ideas and creative approaches. Find out more about the people behind our research projects and their career paths, visions, and motivation for a successful academic future.
Prof. Dr. Lorenz Graf-Vlachy – Chair of Corporate Management
He has a knack for optimizing to-do lists – Prof. Lorenz Graf-Vlachy introduces himself.
What is your main area of research?
I am particularly interested in how top managers feel, think and take decisions, and what impact this has on their organization. I also carry out research into the management of discontinuous innovation and digital technologies, as well as investigating the communication of managers and companies and how this is evaluated by stakeholders.
Why did you choose these topics?
Because even in the age of AI, at the end of the day, it is people who are responsible for taking strategic decisions! Furthermore, insecurity often has a major role to play when top managers are faced with taking decisions, especially those in the context of innovation and change, meaning that their psychology has a major impact on their decision-making processes. And finally, top managers are constantly under scrutiny and it is therefore extremely important how they communicate and are perceived by others.
Where were you before coming to FAU?
I am transferring to FAU from TU Dortmund. However, I also have connections to the ESCP Business School and Oxford University and will bring these connections to FAU as part of my international research network.
Where did you study and what subjects?
I studied at FAU. I studied Information Systems in Nuremberg and Erlangen, and completed my doctoral degree in corporate management here. Thanks to FAU’s excellent exchange programs, I was also able to spend a year at Indiana University in the US and one semester at Tongji University in China.
Which events and activities would you like to take part in in Erlangen, Nuremberg, and the surroundings?
I am looking forward to the Long Night of Sciences when I can show my son what my colleagues in other disciplines are doing.
What is your most useful tool as a professor?
I can’t go far without my laptop.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
When I was younger I really always wanted to become a lawyer, as I have always enjoyed debating and weighing up different arguments. However, that is also very much a part of being a professor, for instance during a seminar considering the pros and cons of certain research methods or corporate strategies.
Do you have a role model? If so, did they influence your academic or professional career?
I think it is very hard to find someone who is a role model in all aspects. I have therefore never had one specific role model, but rather various people who I have tried to learn something from in individual areas.
Have you got any hidden talents?
My talent is optimizing to-do lists. The difficult part is then to make a start and stay consistent in ticking off one item after another.
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do?
See the Northern lights. Hopefully I will manage to do that one day!