Current Research Projects

We are building up our local and global knowledge repository, including case stories on practical cases featuring strong transformational effects.

In cooperation with our partners we are continuously expanding the transformational research base. Such work, as well as the contributions made by the participants of the doctoral and masters programmes also enrich continuously our curricula on social and economic transformation.

If you are interested to learn more about any of the research projects or want to get in contact with our research fellows, please contact us.

Enterprise and Transformation Prof. Dr. Ronnie Lessem, Co-Founder TRANS4M, UK & South Africa Synopsis: Set in the context of a prospective African Renaissance the book reviews the management and people, operations, finance and markets in terms of the journey from local identity to global integrity. As such, for example, finance is rooted, or grounded in formative local African soils, before journeying on, globally and ultimately transformatively, towards sustainable development. The same local-global integral transformation, is applied equally to all the functions of simultaneously private and public, animate and civic enterprise.

Spiritual Capital Dr. Sam Rima, USA: Research Fellow and Participant of the Global Doctoral Programme Synopsis: Rooted in a deep concern with the extreme socio-economic disparity and injustice that exists between the Christian West and the vast majority of the rest of the world, Sam is using Grounded Theory in an effort to develop a theory of Spiritual Capital that would augment existing theories of Human and Social capital and effectively root the practice of capitalism not only in the North and West of the Four Worlds archetype, but additionally in the South and East. This might introduce the currently missing dynamics of relationality and holism to the practice of capitalism, resulting in an intentional movement toward, at least to a greater extent than is the case today, socio-economic parity between the Christian West and the rest of the world.

Finance in Society Junie Tong, Founder, Global Dialectic and Catalyst Foundation, China/UK: Research Fellow and Participant of the Doctoral Programme Synopsis: "In view of the recurrent financial crises and manias which have been greatly affecting the development and sustainability of the humankind during the past 350 years, Critical Theory is adopted as the core methodology to develop critical thinking towards the presently non-interdisciplinary “masculine” dominated western banking and financial systems. Building from such macro phenomenon, the development of the banking and financial systems of China, the world’s emerging economic power, is the focus of my research. A philosophical-cultural analysis of the Chinese nation underlying the practical-political development of the country’s banking and finance is applied. With the aim at social stability and sustainability, my research outcome is to build a “finance-in-society” model with local Chinese identity (the Chinese Spirit) and Global integrity (the Western Techniques), fostering an interdisciplinary banking and financial system which embraces the “masculine-yang” financial tools and products (the Western Techniques) and the “feminine-yin” financial philosophies and theories (the Chinese Spirit)."

Islamic Business Model Founded on Justice Maqbouleh Hammoudeh, Transformation Management Institute, Jordan: Research Fellow and Participant of the Global Doctoral Programme Synopsis: The thesis focused on quality and culture for transformation, and corporate culture and organisational value system as implemented in Western and Japanese organisations to achieve Total Quality Management, which is a process for managing quality and a philosophy for perpetual improvement in everything we do. Quality in fact is not a new concept in modern business, as prophet Mohammad (PUH) said one thousand and four hundred years ago, "Allah loves to see one's job done at the level of itqan". (ITQAN) means mastery or best practice. The conclusion is that there are seeds for a transformation process through the implementation of the I Theory (Islamic Theory).

Economics as if South Africans Mattered: A Developmental Response to the Apartheid Legacy Karen Michael, UK: Research Fellow and Participant of the Global Doctoral Programme Synopsis: My work has involved an inquiry into the academic discipline of economics and of the day-to-day business of economics as the social process of provisioning. This has been motivated by the overwhelming concentration of wealth in South Africa along primarily racial lines and a need to reconcile why the increased financial wealth of the business-generated economic activity has not been distributed to the Black African communities of South Africa in any way that suggests proportionality. In fact, simple survival is not assured, let alone equity. And this is in despite of increased potential for income streams and liberalised opportunities for wealth acquisition. My goal is to develop a comprehensive rationale for changing the focus of how economics is conceptualised specifically in South Africa. Development must be local without being parochial as well as being ecologically and financially sustainable. Development as a developmental process is becoming a better understood phenomenon; it is possible to make choices that render it more likely to occur without waiting for the mythic hand of Adam Smith to wave a middle class into existence. I will make specific macro- and micro-economic recommendations on these matters based on the outcome of my research.

Interpretive Transcultural Storytelling Method (ITSM) Kenneth Mankins, M.Ed., L.M.H.C., N.C.C, USA: Research Fellow and Participant of the Global Doctoral Programme Synopsis: The ITSM uses autobiographical storytelling and hermeneutics to enhance communication, deepen understanding and create synergy within multicultural organizations. Rather than de-emphasizing cultural differences, the goal is to identify and maximize the benefits cultural differences may contribute. The ITSM provides a platform from which to reach understanding and a transformational emergence.

Empathy, Healing and Reconciliation to Invite Wisdom Back into the Educational and Cultural Systems Haifa H. Najjar, Director General, The Ahliyyah School for Girls, Jordan; Research Fellow and Participant in the Global Doctoral Programme The research will be about a worldwide centre that nurtures empathy as the cornerstone of its pedagogy, along with healing and reconciliation. Universality is about people from different racial, religious and cultural backgrounds coming together as humans, sharing the same vision towards embracing beauty and goodness. The individuals’ ability to connect, bridge, understand and emphasize is essential in this process. A broader vision towards education is highly needed to educate youth to be passionate, creative, progressive, informed, knowledgeable, engaged and critical citizens. With empathy, healing and reconciliation at the heart of the centre, the knowledge needed will encompass different areas of study: visual arts, language arts, performing arts, mathematics, science, technology, physical education, psychology, design and research. The well being of a person should also be integrated and presented in relation with the past, the future, the west ,the east the north and south, with the learners situated in the heart of this dynamic learning process.

Business and Societal Roles & Responsibilities of the Telecommunications Sector in the Middle East Reza Al Moussavian, Iran: Research Fellow and Participant of the Global Doctoral Programme