About me
I am an independent social philosopher. In my research, writings and consultancy I apply critical thinking, academic rigour and the principles and values of freedom, democracy, equality, justice, and sustainability. This means that I see societies and institutions very critical and that I look for better alternatives, i.e. societies and organisations that make people, and allow them to be, as free as possible, that are fully fledged democracies and have legitimate, robust and sustainable institutions that provide people with equal opportunities and treat them right and justly.
My focus, thus, is on the democratisation of societies, the establishment and management of democratic organisations, participation and empowerment of people, enlightened citizenship behaviour, achieving equality and justice, and the strengthening of organisational democracy, economic democracy and civil society.
For twenty years, i.e. from 1999 till 2019, I held Research Assistant, Research Fellow, Lecturer and Professor positions at several universities / business schools in various countries. I conducted research and consultancy projects, gave lectures and seminars in Europe (Germany, The Netherlands, England and Scotland), Middle East North Africa (Egypt), Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia), and Australia.
I have published widely in academic journals (mainly in the areas of management and organisation studies) and various books such as ‘Managers and the dominance of managers’ (2009), ‘Hierarchy and organisation’ (2013) and ‘The democratic organisation’ (2020). In my latest book, ‘Pentoutopia’ (2022), I developed a systematic, comprehensive and consistent model of a (utopian) society where everyone is as free as possible, where all institutions are as democratic as possible, where all people have (relatively) equal conditions, where life is just, and where systems and processes are sustainable.