Social Impact

Rebecca Piekkari Speaks at Deusto Business School Event on Internationalisation

TAIMI researcher Rebecca Piekkari participated as a speaker at the open event “Inside out: a 360º approach to firm internationalisation,” organised in collaboration with Deusto Business Alumni at Deusto Business School on 26 March 2026.

Bridging Research, Education, and Industry at Aalto University

Meaningful dialogue between academia and industry continues to play an important role in shaping future leadership practices.

Markku Sippola Interviewed on Changing Labour Market Power Relations in Finland

Markku Sippola (WP3) has been interviewed about the evolving role of employer organisations and shifting power dynamics in Finland’s labour market system.

TAIMI Researcher Hertta Vuorenmaa Delivered a Keynote at HR Week Lisbon on the Future of Work

In her keynote, Vuorenmaa discussed how changes in working life are reshaping the capabilities expected from organizations and employees alike.

TAIMI Research Featured at Alumnträffen 2026 on Resilience and the Future of Work

The event brought together representatives from academia and industry to discuss resilience not only as a theoretical concept, but also as a practical strategy for organizations, leaders, and employees navigating ongoing transformation in working life.

Markku Sippola Highlights Structural Challenges Behind Youth Unemployment

The interview highlights the importance of avoiding an overly individualized understanding of unemployment when many of the underlying causes are structural and societal.

TAIMI Researcher Yannick Lahti Discussed European Politics on MTV’s Huomenta Suomi

The discussion explored ongoing societal and political changes across Europe, highlighting the importance of research-based perspectives in understanding complex developments and their broader consequences for governance, democracy, and public policy.

Hertta Vuorenmaa interviewed by YLE on the future of work and artificial intelligence

In a recent YLE interview, researcher Hertta Vuorenmaa reflects on how artificial intelligence may influence work and working life in the future.

TAIMI Researcher Rebecca Piekkari Moderated Discussions on Language and Diversity at Deusto Business School

TAIMI researcher Rebecca Piekkari recently participated in discussions at Deusto Business School, where she moderated student-led roundtables on the theme “The Language of Global Firms: Unity Through English or Strength in Diversity?”

Insights from TAIMI at HR Week Warsaw

Hertta Vuorenmaa (WP4) presented at HR Week Warsaw on why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) must be developed as a strategic organisational capability, alongside technological skills, to ensure that the future of work is not only driven by technology but sustained by inclusive human capability.

Academic Events and Teachings

Rebecca Piekkari’s Contribution to Research Seminar and Workshop at LMU Munich School of Management

The seminar focused on methodological reflection and the role of contextual analysis in comparative organizational studies, and the workshop explored how case-based approaches can support in-depth understanding of complex organizational and multilingual contexts.

Rebecca Piekkari Contributes to ANZIBA–AIB Oceania Collaborative Event

The event, “Global Tides, Local Ties, Solesolevaki: Shaping the Future of International Business Research and Pedagogy,” held on 10–13 November 2025 at Fiji National University and The University of the South Pacific.

Hilla Back Named Finalist for Gunnar Hedlund Award

The research explores how skilled migrants experience multilingual organizational environments and examines these experiences through the perspectives of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

Exploring Leadership, Space, and Symbolism in Organizations

Understanding organizations requires looking beyond formal structures and strategies to the often subtle ways leadership, coordination, and control are expressed in everyday environments. This theme was at the center of a recent seminar delivered by Professor Rebecca Piekkari at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) Center for Advanced Studies in Management.

Strengthening Dialogue on Leadership, Inclusion, and Organizational Culture at Aalto University

A particularly meaningful aspect of the event was the collaboration between academia and industry made possible through the work of TAIMI researcher Hilla Back. By bringing experienced professionals into the classroom, Hilla continues to create valuable opportunities for students to connect academic learning with practical industry perspectives.

AI-Facilitated Simulations Bring Social Intelligence to Life at Hanken in Vaasa

In March 2026, TAIMI researchers Niina Nurmi and Hertta Vuorenmaa led a teaching activity with Bachelor’s students at Hanken in Vaasa, introducing AI-facilitated simulations through the TeamTwins platform to explore social intelligence in practice.

New Pilot Programme Supports International Students’ Belonging and Future Pathways in Finland

TAIMI researcher Quivine Ndomo is co-coordinating a special module together with ILKHOM Khalimzoda to support international degree and exchange students in navigating university life and building a future in Finland. The programme will run as a pilot during the Spring and Autumn semesters of 2026.

Rebecca Piekkari Contributes to International Research Seminar at Hanken

Rebecca Piekkari (WP4) participated as a speaker in an international research seminar at Hanken, contributing to discussions on comparative reasoning in qualitative management research.

TAIMI and NODEwork Researchers in Rovaniemi

TAIMI researchers Markku Sippola, Shahnaj Begum, and Wanying Nicole Yan met with NODEwork researchers. The discussions explored the role of inclusion, diversity, and long-term sustainability in working life.

Researchers’ Activities

We are pleased to highlight the recent activities of Shahnaj Begum within WP3. Click here to read a preview of her contributions, presentations, collaborations, and project involvement.

TAIMI Research Integrated into Policy Simulation Teaching at the University of Jyväskylä

The course structure combines theoretical perspectives on institutions, political processes, and policy dynamics with a practical simulation exercise in which students take on different roles, negotiate, and make decisions in complex real-world scenarios.

TAIMI Researchers Participated in Consortium Meeting on Digital Disruption and Working Life Transitions in Zaragoza

The discussions focused on several key TAIMI research themes across WP1, WP2, and WP3, particularly digital disruption and adaptation in the care sector as well as developments in the on-demand transport sector.

TAIMI Research Featured in Teaching on Democracy, Participation, and AI at LUT University

During his lectures, Yannick Lahti explored artificial intelligence and its connections to the TAIMI project, highlighting how technological developments intersect with democratic participation, trust in society, and sustainable citizenship.

Hilla Back Presented Research at HICSS-59 in Hawaii

Hilla Back (WP4) presented her latest research on migration and language ideologies in Finland at the 59th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS-59).

Publications

Accepted Book Chapter Proposal by Chia-Min Lai and Rebecca Piekkari for International Handbook

The proposed chapter, titled “Is the Nordic inclusive reputation a myth or reality? An industry perspective,” examines questions related to inclusion and organisational practices from an industry perspective.

New Publication by TAIMI Researchers Explores Responsible Language Use in International Business

TAIMI researchers Hilla Back and Rebecca Piekkari examine the evolving role of language in multinational and multilingual organizations, highlighting a significant shift in international business research: from viewing language primarily as a tool for corporate control toward understanding language as a matter of care, inclusion, and responsibility.

Language in IB and Management: Perspectives for the Next 50 Years

Looking toward the next 50 years, researchers, invluding out very own Hilla Back emphasize the strong potential of language research to deepen our understanding of what happens inside international business organizations and society more broadly.

New Study on Migrants’ Social Integration in Finland

The open-access publication, titled “No man wants to be an Island: Migrants’ perspectives on the barriers undermining the formation of social ties with locals in Finland,” is published under a Creative Commons license and contributes important insights into migration, integration, and social inclusion research.

New TAIMI Publication Examines Career Identity After Geopolitical Disruption

We are pleased to share a new publication by TAIMI researcher Rebecca Piekkari, together with Virpi Outila and Carol Reade: Rising from the Ashes of Geopolitical Conflict: New Career Identities of Finnish Experts on Russia.

Steps Towards Meta-Theoretical Foundations for Resilient Human-AI Transformation in Industrial Systems

TAIMI Researcher Bastian Tammentie examines how AI systems can be designed not merely for automation, but for sustainable and resilient human-AI collaboration in industrial environments.