CFP | Luhmann Conference 2026

Call for Papers Luhmann Conference 2026 Theme: Meaning. Observed with … Venue: Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik, Croatia Conference dates: 14–18 September 2026Pre-conference dinner: 14 September 2026 Submission Deadline: 15 May 2026 Conference Theme Coded as the distinction between actual and potential, meaning (Sinn) occupies a central position in Niklas Luhmann’s theory programme. As the shared medium in which both psychic and […]

Release | Reimagining ESG: A Tetralemma Approach to Multifunctional Sustainability Reporting

Abstract: ESG frameworks have become a central tool for aligning corporate strategies with sustainability imperatives. Yet, by reducing environmental, social, and governance dimensions to standardised metrics, conventional ESG framework risk obscuring the complex ethical commitments that arise from incommensurable societal subsystems. Drawing on Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory, this paper critiques ESG’s tendency to privilege […]

Release | JBE | Multifunctional Tetralemma. Framework for the Strategic Management of Moral Trade-offs

Abstract: The issue of moral trade-offs is widely discussed in the literatures on sustainable development and stakeholder theory. Sustainability efforts often require corporate managers to balance economic, social, and environmental concerns, which frequently translate into trade-offs between legitimate stakeholder interests. We investigate how the nature of these trade-offs is illuminated by Luhmannian systems theory, particularly […]

CFP | IT&P | Coding society. Programmatic encounters between information systems and social theory

Special Issue of Information Technology & People (SSCI 5.6, Scopus Q1, CABS***, FNEGE***, VHB***) on Coding society. Programmatic encounters between information systems and social theory Guest Editors: Steffen Roth, Excelia Business School, France; University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Tilia Stingl de Vasconcelos Guedes, Vienna University of Applied Sciences for Management and Communication, Austria; Next Society Institute, […]

CFP | MD | Programmes in management and organisation. Observed with social systems theory

Special Issue of Management Decision (SSCI 5.1, Scopus Q1, CABS**, FNEGE**, VHB***) on Programmes in management and organisation. Observed with social systems theory Guest Editors: Steffen Roth, Excelia Business School, France; University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, roths@excelia-group.com Augusto Sales, Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Brazil; Yale University, United States of America, augusto.sales@fgv.br Closing date for manuscripts submission: 31/01/2026 The issue […]

Release | Multifunctional organisation. A systems-theoretical concept and its practical implications

Abstract: Purpose: This Theory Transfer and Impact Article addresses a paradox in how organisations are observed and theorised: while governments are assumed to be political, schools educational, and firms economic, these same organisations often act across multiple functional domains—accumulating capital, performing research, or exercising power. The article proposes the concept of the multifunctional organisation to […]

Release | Special issue of Current Sociology on “Guiding distinctions of social theory. Analogue guidelines or digital transformers?”

Special Luhmann Conference 2024 issue of Current Sociology on the theme of “Guiding distinctions of social theory. Analogue guidelines or digital transformers?” Click here for the issue as published on the Current Sociology website. Contributions: Editorial: Steffen Roth, Steve Watson, Harry Dahms, and Arthur Atanesyan: Guiding distinctions of social theory. Analogue guidelines or digital transformers? […]

Membership | Wolfson College, University of Cambridge

I am honoured to be joining Wolfson College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, as a Visiting Fellow today! See you at Wolfson, for instance for our Niklas Luhmann Reading Group meeting in mid-April.

Release | Special Luhmann Conference double issue of SRBS on “Environments” and “Guiding distinctions”. Observed with social systems theory

Special Luhmann Conferences 2023 and 2024 double issue of Systems Research and Behavioral Science on “Environments” and “Guiding distinctions”. Observed with Social Systems Theory The proofs of the full special double issue are available for download here (PDF 8.2 Mb), while the issue is also available on the official SRBS website. Luhmann Conference 2023: Environments: […]

Prof Steffen Roth

Differentiation