The elusive fascination: Leadership in professional organizations 

How do you study an elusive phenomenon in an ambiguity-intensive context?  Laura Empson looks back on her 30 years of doing just this.  Throughout, Laura has been inspired by her fascination and frustration with leadership in professional organizations, where autonomy and ambiguity are extensive, and authority is elusive and contingent.  At the start of her research career, Laura recognised that the topic of leadership was largely neglected by scholars of the professions and that mainstream leadership research had failed to address the distinctive challenges of leadership among professionals. So, Laura has sought to build a body of theory into leading professionals, contributing to the emerging and increasingly significant field of collective leadership theory.  In parallel, Laura has maintained a deep, and often challenging, commitment to engagement and impact, working closely with professionals to translate her leadership theories into practical action.  She looks to future research, as growing organizational uncertainty amplifies the twin challenges of elusiveness and ambiguity for leaders of professional organizations, and the scholars who study them.

Biography

Laura Empson is the Professor of Leadership and Organization at the Department of Organization, Copenhagen Business School, and Professor in the Management of Professional Service Firms at Bayes Business School, University of London.  She also holds Research Fellowships at both Harvard Law School and the University of Cambridge.  Laura’s research focuses on professionals, professionals, and the professions, with a particular focus on their leadership and governance.  In 2025 she was ranked in the global top 2% of researchers, according to Stanford University's "Leading minds in science" rankings and has been nominated for the Thinker's 50 Leadership Award. 

 https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/departments-and-centres/department-of-organization/staff/professor

Preliminary Program:

Welcome by Head of Department, Carsten Greve

Speech by Deputy President Inger Askehave

Inaugural lecture by Laura Empson.

Reception with snacks and beverages by the IOA kitchen at the 4^th floor in Kilen