Tiziana Sardiello

About me

Background:

I am originally from Italy and moved to Sweden in 1998, inspired by the vision of transparent, responsible institutions and a welfare system where all citizens are equally valued. My deep interest in how societies are organized led me to pursue and earn a doctorate in sociology from Stockholm University in 2011. During my doctoral studies, I had the privilege of studying and conducting research at both the Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research (SCANCOR) at Stanford University and the Sociology Department at Harvard University.

Shortly after completing my PhD, I began teaching at the Department of Sociology at Stockholm University, where I lectured on economic sociology, organization theory, qualitative methods and institutional analysis at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2016, I moved to the Stockholm Center for Organizational Research (Score) at Stockholm University, and the following year, I was selected by the Swedish government's Trust Delegation to study the implementation of trust-based management and leadership systems in the welfare sector.

Since 2018, I have been a teacher in the executive education programs at the Stockholm School of Economics, with a focus on public administration management. In January 2022, I was appointed Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Luleå University of Technology.

Research:

Through an interdisciplinary, comparative and qualitative approach, my research focuses on organizational governance and management systems, as well as the organization of work across organizations with various legal forms—ranging from private and mutual companies to municipal and public administrations. My work is grounded in an institutional perspective, which posits that the institutional environment plays a crucial role in shaping how structures and practices are adopted, interpreted, and developed within organizations. At the same time, it acknowledges that institutional frameworks can create interstitial spaces where organizational entrepreneurship can shape and influence institutions.

My doctoral dissertation examined the influence of institutional pressures—legal, professional, and cultural—on recruitment practices in start-ups, with a particular focus on globalized sectors (like software) in Stockholm and Silicon Valley. Following this, I explored the role of hybrid organizations, such as mutual companies, as mediators and catalysts for social innovation. I have also researched the adaptability and sustainability of Swedish municipalities' working methods during times of significant societal challenges, such as migrations, pandemics and climate change. Additionally, I have studied the implementation of new organizational governance and management models, including trust-based management and coaching leadership, and how they are resisted by entrenched organizational cultures and previous reforms like New Public Management.

Currently, my research is centered on the organization of work and management systems in highly digitized industries in the post-pandemic and green economy era, with a particular emphasis on their effects on employee well-being. As the Principal Investigator of the Swedish portion of a Horizon Europe project, I am focusing on the concepts of compassionate workplaces and compassionate communities—supportive social systems for employees experiencing difficult life events, as well as for employees relocating to remote areas to work in new green industries, where they may lack social capital.

Recent research projects:

Developing Compassionate Workplaces in Europe for the digital and green work environment to protect employees' mental and physical health and wellbeing. 2024-2028. HORIZON EUROPE Action Grant (60mkr). European partners: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (coordinator), University of Graz, University of Sheffield and Athens University of Economics and Business. https://eu-cowork.eu/en/home External link.

Retail 4.0? Work environment and inequality in e-retail. 2020-2023. FORTE (3,7mkr) together with Kristina Johansson (project leader) and Klara Rydström (LTU), and  Jennie Jackson and Svend Erik Mathiassen (HIG).

STORM (Governance, control and regulation of different organizational forms) Folksam and Stockholm University (10mkr) together with Staffan Furusten and Susanna Alexius (SCORE, SU).

Teaching:

Essay writing in sociology, Human Resource Management in theory and practice, Organizational design and development,  Qualitative methods, Sociology of organization and work, Welfare organisations in transition.

International courses: Organisation and leadership, Team and Teamwork

Personal interests

Traveling, classical music, scuba diving, animal welfare and Norrland… Europe' s innovation engine in addressing climate change.