Chair of Environmental Management represented at the 40th EGOS Colloquium in Milan

The 40th Colloquium of the European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS) took place at the University of Milano-Bicocca from 4 to 7 July 2024. The theme of this year's conference was "Organisational crossroads". These crossroads represent both physical interfaces where different paths and cultures meet, as well as key moments in time that require new strategies to tackle challenges such as digital innovation, climate change and global coordination. The event discussed how organisations need to deal with these intersections in order to adapt and succeed in times of uncertainty.

A current project by Dr Leyla Azizi, Lisa Junge and Prof Remmer Sassen from the Chair of Environmental Management was presented at EGOS 2024. In the hybrid sub-theme 38 "Ecological insights into sustainable organisation: Linking organisational and natural sciences", Dr Leyla Azizi and Lisa Junge presented their current state of research under the title " Organizational Crossroads: Navigating Biodiversity Protection by Financial Institutions Between Purpose and Profits". The authors examine how banks deal with organisational tensions between social demands to protect biodiversity and the demands of shareholders to make a profit. This was followed by very helpful feedback, which provided valuable impetus for the further development of the paper and greatly inspired the authors.

In addition, EGOS 2024 offered a variety of exciting keynotes and networking activities, such as a welcome reception at IBM Studios, a football tournament and a conference dinner at the Pirelli HangarBicocca. The programme was very diverse and varied throughout and encouraged critical thinking and reflection.