Elisabeth Bethge

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin

Elisabeth Bethge

M.Sc.
Strategisches und Internationales Management
Elisabeth Bethge
Foto: Florian Blomberg
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Raum 4.152
Carl-Zeiß-Straße 3
07743 Jena Google Maps – LageplanExterner Link

Short Bio

Elisabeth Bethge graduated from Friedrich Schiller University Jena with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Master of Science in Business Administration with a study profile in Management, Strategy and Marketing. Along with her academic education she worked as assistant as part of the marketing team in international-operating organizations in Jena.

Before starting the bachelor's programme in 2014, she was part of the Junior German Assistant Programme and spent a year as teaching assistant in Bangkok. During her Bachelor's degree, she was an exchange student at the University of College Cork as part of the ERASMUS programme. Elisabeth Bethge joined Mike Geppert‘s team at FSU in April 2021 as PhD student with her dissertation titled "Employment Relations in Transition: Insights of the Gig Economy".

In 2025, she spent three months as a visiting researcher at Stanford University through the Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research (SCANCOR).

  • Research interests

    At the core of my research lies the analysis of transformation processes that are reshaping employment, organizational and knowledge structures in the context of digital, societal, and geopolitical upheavals. I am interested in the examination of industrial and employment response patterns and dynamics within private and in public institutions.

    My research focuses on the following key questions:

    • How do institutions—such as companies, public administrations, or educational institutions—respond to the challenges posed by digital and societal transformations (e.g., platform work, sustainability, diversity requirements, the blurring of work boundaries)?
    • What kinds of employment and industrial dynamics emerge in the tension field between flexibilization, precarisation, and regulatory responses?
    • How are power relations and structures of participation being reconfigured through new technological infrastructures (e.g., algorithmic decision-making, AI applications in work organization)?

    Methodologically, I pursue an integrative mixed-methods approach:

    • Qualitative: Analysis of primary data such as semi-structured interviews with organizational decision-makers and employees, complemented by text-based interpretive approaches including discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis.
    • Quantitative: Analysis of secondary data, including organizational documents, websites, media coverage, reports and newspaper, using diverse statistical methods to identify broader patterns and relationships.
    • Computational: Increasing use of computational methods for the analysis of larger text corpora and complex data environments, including topic modelling, automated text classification, and exploratory applications of large language models for pattern recognition and thematic analysis.
  • List of publications

    Articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals

    Presentations and conference papers

    • 2026: Algorithmic HRM and the Future of Work in Multinational Companies: Worker Voice, Co-determination, and Regulatory Pathways in the Age of AI. 6th Future of Work Conference (ETUI), 10. - 11. Febuary 2026, Brussels (Belgum) (with Dr. D. Pastuh) 
    • 2025: Diversity as a Driver of Societal Impact: The Role of Organizational and Institutional Boundary Conditions in Academic Publishing. 51st Conference of the European International Business Academy (EIBA), 11.-13.12.2025, University of Piraeus/University of Macedonia, Athen (Greece)
    • 2024: Local Contexts shaping global Ideas: Uberization in the Discourse of Nations. 40th EGOS Colloquium 2024, 04. – 06. Juli 2024, Universität Milan-Bicocca, Milan (Italy) (with Prof. Dr. M. Geppert)
    • 2024: Advancing the Frames of Reference: Synthesizing Employment Dynamics through Management, Organization, and Social Sciences. Journal of Management Studies Conference on Interdisciplinarity in Management Research: Premises, Pitfalls, and Promises 2024, 05. - 06. March 2024, University of Edinburgh, Scotland (United Kingdom)
    • 2023: Voices beyond the road: A comparison of online employee voice in traditional transport and the ride-sharing industry. 39rd EGOS Colloquium 2023, 06. - 08. Juli 2023, University of Cagliari, Cagliari (Italy)
  • Engagement in committees, professional associations, and journals

    University Committee and Representative Roles

    • Since 10/2025 Equal Opportunity Officer of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Friedrich Schiller University, Jena (more information here) 
    • 10/2022 – 09/2025 Deputy Equal Opportunity Officer of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Friedrich Schiller University, Jena  
    • 10/2022 – 09/2023 Member of the Council of Doctoral Students of the University of Jena DR.FSU  

    Member of ...

    Reviewer for ...

    • Journal of Organizational Behavior
    • Personnel Review
    • International Journal of Human Resource Management
  • Educational trainings and exchange programs

    Workshops (selection)

    • 2026: VHB Workshop: Qualitative Research Methods, 10.-13.03.2026, Berlin
    • 2026: VHB Workshop: Methods of Interviewing, 23.-26.02.2026, Berlin 
    • 2025: Max Planck Summer School for Women in Political Economy. 22. – 25. September 2025, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne
    • 2025: VHB Workshop: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Sustainability: Theoretical Perspectives and Trends. 01. – 04. September 2025, Leuphana University Lüneburg
    • 2024: 20th SCANCOR-Workshop on Institutional Analysis. 26.-30. August 2024, Universität Hamburg 
    • 2024: Pre-Colloquium PhD Workshop 2024. 40th EGOS Colloquium 2024, 02. Juli 2024, Universität Milan-Bicocca, Milan (Italy)

    Professional development courses

    • 2026: Certificate programme Leadership in Academia (ongoing)
    • 2025: Certificate programme Science Communication
    • 2022: Principles of University Didactics: Certificate Programme Basic

    Exchange programs