Postdoc at TUM School of Management - Chair of Strategy & Organization
Room Number: 2564
Email: f(dot)k(dot)ahrens(at)tum(dot)de
LinkedIn: https//:www.linkedin.com/in/fahrens
Short Bio
Who are you?
I am a postdoctoral researcher at CSO. Previously, I did my PhD at the University of Groningen, NL, and worked as a postdoc at Copenhagen Business School, DK. My background is in Business Administration, however, I moved into Organizational Behavior since my PhD.
Currently doing...
..mostly research on boards of directors and top management teams with a focus on group dynamics to understand what drives effectiveness and low/high performance. Besides, also working on topics such as purpose, ownership. I’m curious to expand my scope, so contact me with your ideas!
..my first term as Communications and Social Officer for EURAM SIG2: Corporate Governance (https://conferences.euram.academy/2025conference/sig-02-corporate-governance-cogo/).
..lots of projects with PhD students (see below).
Good with...
academically: synthesizing, writing, birds-eye-viewing and structuring
personally: knowing random stuff, helping others, learning new things, thinking about the world and its future
Hobbies:
- reading (non-fiction, fantasy)
- music (playing the Baritone in a brass band)
- sports (CrossFit, Volleyball)
- exploring the near and distant world and learning about culture and habits
Research Interests
- Corporate Governance (boards, TMTs, owners, …) and processes within CG groups and systems
- Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Tech
- Composition, Processes and Diversity in Teams
- Meta-Analysis and Experiments in Management Research
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Wieland, D., Leyh, N., & Ahrens, F. K. (forthcoming). From prompts to probes: How large language models improve response quality in open-ended survey research. In Proceedings of the 59th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-59).
- Ahrens, F. K., Veltrop, D., Mulder, L., & Rink, F. (2025). Board Size in Context: A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Board Size and Firm Performance. Corporate Governance-An International Review. http://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12664 (JIF: 4.6, ABS 3).
- Ludwig, J., Ahrens, F. K., & Achtziger, A. (2020). Errors, fast and slow: an analysis of response times in probability judgments. Thinking & Reasoning, 26(4), 627-639. doi: 10.1080/13546783.2020.1781691 (JIF: 2.5).
Working Papers
- Bergh, D., Orlandi, I., Ahrens, F.K., Ngyuen, L.T., Song, G., & Zhao, Y. (n.d.). The Upper Echelons Perspective at 40 Years: Has Its Core Premise Stood the Test of Time?
- Ahrens, F.K., Mulder, L.B., Veltrop, D.B., & Rink, F. (n.d.). A Socio-Cognitive Analysis of Director Social Dependence: How Goal Saliency and Chair Leadership Help Socially Dependent Directors Stay Effective.
- Ahrens, F.K., Rink, F., Hermes, N., Veltrop, D.B., Mulder, L.B., & Chuk Yan (Edwina) Wong (n.d.). Boardroom Chemistry? A Meta-Analysis on How Task and Relationship Board Processes Impact Board Effectiveness.
- Schröder, D., Ahrens, F.K., Theisen, J.P., & Thomsen, S. (n.d.). The Financial Performance of Private Foundation-Owned Firms.
- Schenk, N., Fiedler, M., Ahrens, F.K., Treffers, T., Welpe, I. (n.d.). The Value of Diversity: Meta-Analysis on the Relationship Between Gender and Innovation.