Lena Olaison

Assistant Professor Business Administration
Business Administration , Jönköping International Business School

Contact

E-mail
lena.olaison@ju.se
Room
B6060
Telephone
+46 36-10 1732
SMS-number
+46 76-310 84 66
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Presentation Publications

Lena Olaison is an assistant professor in business administration, with a focus on entrepreneurship, organization and sustainability. 

With a background in entrepreneurship studies and the humanities, Lena’s research advances contextual and processual approaches to entrepreneurship, organization and sustainability through qualitative methods of inquiry. The motivation for Lena’s research stems from observing real-world business problems that she analyses by exploring the experiences and practices of entrepreneurs, business executives, and organizational members. For instance, she has explored the myriad of contradictions, practical challenges, and ethical dilemmas entrepreneurs encounter in their efforts to embrace environmental sustainability. 

Further research interests include organisational philosophy, sustainability, failure, post-growth, alternative organizing, gender, intersectionality and policy. Recent research includes how corporations navigate politically contested issues in their communication and reporting. This research underscores the need to forge a closer integration of entrepreneurship and corporations with societal issues, recognizing the importance of contributing to broader social concerns. 

Lena received her PhD from Copenhagen Business School. She did a post doc at Linnaeas University before taking up a position as associate professor in entrepreneurship at CBS. A substantial portion of her research has received support from external grants and has been published in reputable international journals. Actively participating in various international networks, Lena have accumulated extensive leadership experience through roles in PhD supervision, educational leadership, and service at the Department of Business Humanities and Law at Copenhagen Business School. Most recently Lena served as vice head of department from 2020 to 2024.

Article

Johnsen, C., Larsson Olaison, U., Olasion, L., Weber, F. (2024). Navigating Populism: A Study of How German and Swedish Corporations Articulate the Refugee Situation in 2015-2016 Business & society, 63(2), 341-372. More information
Spoelstra, S., Parker, M., Lilley, S., Olaison, L. (2023). Reopening the field: Reading/writing Robert Cooper today Ephemera : Theory and Politics in Organization, 23(3). More information
Fleming, P., Olaison, L., Plotnikof, M., Grønbæk Pors, J., Pullen, A. (2022). Crawling from the wreckage Ephemera : Theory and Politics in Organization, 22(3). More information
Johnsen, C., Olaison, L., Sørensen, B. (2021). Water in the desert: ephemera as an Arendtian oasis Ephemera : Theory and Politics in Organization, 21(4), 277-288. More information
Johnsen, C., Olaison, L., Sørensen, B. (2018). Put Your Style at Stake: A New Use of Sustainable Entrepreneurship Organization Studies, 39(2-3), 397-415. More information
Olaison, L., Sørensen, B. (2014). The abject of entrepreneurship: Failure, fiasco, fraud International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 20(2), 193-211. More information
Bill, F., Olaison, L. (2009). The indirect approach of semi-focused groups: Expanding focus group research through role-playing Qualitative research in organization and management, 4(1), 7-26. More information
Bill, F., Johannisson, B., Olaison, L. (2009). The incubus paradox: Attempts at foundational rethinking of the "SME support genre" European Planning Studies, 17(8), 1135-1152. More information
Johannisson, B., Olaison, L. (2007). The moment of truth - Reconstructing entrepreneurship and social capital in the eye of the storm Review of social economy, 65(1), 55-78. More information

Book chapter

Papazu, I., Olaison, L. (2021). Laterale sammenligninger som eklektisk analysestrategi. In: E. Husted & J. G. Pors (Ed.), Eklektiske analysestrategier (pp. 223 -246). Frederiksberg: Samfundslitteratur More information
Johnsen, C., Olaison, L., Sørensen, B. (2018). Conceptual activism Entrepreneurship education as a philosophical project. In: Karin Berglund & Karen Verduijn (Ed.), Revitalizing Entrepreneurship Education: Adopting a Critical Approach in the Classroom (pp. 119 -136). New York: Routledge More information
Olaison, L., Taalas, S. (2016). Game of gamification: Marketing, consumer resistance and digital play. In: Mikolaj Dymek & Peter Zackariasson (Ed.), The Business of Gamification: A Critical Analysis (pp. 59 -80). More information
Sköld, D., Olaison, L. (2012). Excessive value creation: Under the tyranny of a new imaginary. In: Dariusz Jemielniak & Abigail Marks (Ed.), Managing Dynamic Technology-Oriented Businesses: High-Tech Organizations and Workplaces (pp. 192 -208). More information
Bill, F., Jansson, A., Olaison, L. (2010). The spectacle of entrepreneurship: A duality of flamboyance and activity. In: Frederic Bill, Björn Bjerke & Anders W. Johansson (Ed.), (De)Mobilizing the Entrepreneurship Discourse: Exploring Entrepreneurial Thinking and Action (pp. 158 -175). More information
Johannisson, B., Olaison, L. (2008). Emergency entrepreneurship: Creative organizing in the eye of the storm. In: Hans Landström, Hans Crijns, Eddy Laveren, & David Smallbone (Ed.), Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Growth and Performance: Frontiers in European Entrepreneurship Research (pp. 243 -266). More information
Olaison, L. (2008). An emerging legend of a kosovar heroine: Narrating female entrepreneurs. In: Monika Kostera (Ed.), Organizational Olympians: Heroes and Heroines of Organizational Myths (pp. 92 -101). London: Palgrave Macmillan More information