Prof. Dr. Marco Furtner

Entrepreneurship and Leadership

Silhouetten von Geschäftsleuten beim Handschlag mit vernetzter Weltkarte im Hintergrund.

The Professorship for Entrepreneurship and Leadership addresses both the theory and practice of entrepreneurial thinking and action as well as staff leadership. The focus is on the development of the entrepreneur and the leader, who embody key traits for successful company and employee management. Entrepreneurship and effective leadership share the core element of an active and dynamic personality.

We focus on the following research areas:

Entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, leadership, self-leadership, leadership and employee development, AI and leadership, virtual leadership, personal development, organisational analysis and development, as well as human resource management.

Pioneering Research Insights for Practice

We investigate how entrepreneurs and leaders become successful: How do founder personalities develop? How can one best lead oneself? How do employees become strong leaders? And how can organisations and their personnel thrive optimally?
Effective Leadership Methods: We analyse charismatic leadership and specific behaviours as well as their effects on employees, both in personal interactions and through virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
Emotional Dynamics in Leadership: We explore the influence of leaders’ emotional experiences on their leadership behaviour and its impact on employees.
Development of Individual Competencies: We study the effects of mindfulness and self-leadership training on leadership and stress management skills, creativity and well-being.

Erasmus+ Project “Pathfinder”: We promote AI skills in school and higher education by developing guidelines, methods and AI tools for teachers and learners.

Erasmus+ Project “EntreCivil”: We support the engagement of displaced Ukrainian women by imparting entrepreneurial skills for founding and managing sustainable aid organisations.

Our team is committed to education and professional education, offering a diverse range of programmes focused on entrepreneurship, leadership and human resource management.

Whether in full-time study or part-time alongside work, our teaching content combines solid academic knowledge with practical application and fosters the personal and professional development of participants. The focus is on research-based content linked with hands-on applications.

Leadership Development with Swiss International Air Lines AG

Hände halten Modellflugzeug der Fluggesellschaft SWISS.

Leadership at 10,000 Metres Above Sea Level

We contribute to the Operations Leadership Development Programme at SWISS. The goal is to strengthen the leadership skills of SWISS pilots, based on the four pillars of self-leadership, leadership, entrepreneurship and followership.