Univ.-Prof. Dr. Markus Reitzig is an expert in strategic organizational design. He is Chair of Strategic Management at the University of Vienna, a sought-after speaker at congresses and corporate events, and the author of numerous scientific as well as popular essays on business and social science topics.

In his research, he examines how innovative organizations function and how they can be improved to achieve their goal; what role they will play in the future world of work; and what the consequences are for leadership. In his seminars and lectures, he inspires audiences with his content; as a scientific consultant, he accompanies companies in their (re)organization and strategic realignment.

Professor Reitzig’s speeches are everything but superficial or boring. They playfully blur big business questions, anecdotes from the field, and recent research findings in a way that appeals to audiences outside the academic circle. Combining original findings from his research group at the University of Vienna with broader trends and examples from regional and global business gives his lectures a unique selling point, setting them apart from generic offerings in the marketplace.

Markus Reitzig – Lecture topics:

Hierarchies and their toxic side effects
Whether in the U.S. or Europe, to this day large, hierarchically managed corporations generate the lion’s share of many nations’ gross domestic products. Why do almost all companies nevertheless want to flatten their corporate structures? What exactly are the toxic side effects of hierarchies that need to be avoided, and what do we really know about them?

The company of the future – Flatter Inc.
Artificial intelligence, increasing knowledge base, growing global population, growing economic inequality – how will these trends change the way we work?

The role of the leader in the new world of work
Companies in the new world of work differ from traditional companies along many characteristics. At their core, however, the pioneers are focusing on self-organization of work. What tasks arise for the manager so that this process can be successful?

Fit for flatter? What employees really need
Self-organization inspires employees, but not always, and not all equally. Which people will the company of the future need to compete?

Faster, more creative, more attractive through flat structures?
Flat structures are often seen as a panacea to speed up traditional companies, fill empty product pipelines, and recruit young, new talent. The reality is more complicated. When can it work, and how exactly?

Professor Markus Reitzig is one of the best-published economists in the German-speaking world and beyond.

According to the Forschungsmonitoring.org ranking, in 2019 he was the strongest management researcher in Austria measured by contributions in globally recognized A/A+ top journals. In 2022, he also led the lifetime ranking there in the same category of all professors under 50. At the same time, he has become known to a wider audience as a regular interview partner for major international and German-language print, radio and television media. He is also one of the few researchers who have been invited to speak at TEDx congresses on several occasions. He thus stands for the claim that top academic research and practical relevance do not have to be contradictory. This is exactly what he shows in his recently published book “Get Better at Flatter – a Guide to Shaping and Leading Organizations with Less Hierarchy” (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022).

Markus Reitzig is a trained natural scientist (Dipl.-Chem.) and economist (M.B.R., Dr.oec.publ.). He studied or received his doctorate in Germany (Konstanz, Kiel, Munich), Italy (Rome) and the USA (UC San Diego, UC Berkeley). He worked as assistant/associate professor of corporate strategy at London Business School and Copenhagen Business School, and was visiting professor at Australian Graduate School of Management, Keio University and INSEAD.