Hasso-Plattner-Institut
Prof. Dr. Falk Uebernickel
 

MSc. Annalena Lorson

Program Manager (HPI E-School) and Ph.D. Candidate

Phone: +49 331 5509 3986


Room: Campus III, Building G, G-3.E.09


Email: annalena.lorson(at)hpi.de


Web: LinkedIn, Researchgate, Google Scholar

 

 

About me

Annalena Lorson is a Ph.D. candidate at the Chair for Design Thinking and Innovation Research at the Hasso Plattner Institute, as well as a Program Manager at the HPI School of Entrepreneurship. In the course of her doctoral thesis, Annalena is investigating the role of Digital Innovation Units for the digital innovation and transformation of manufacturing companies. To this end, she is working with manufacturing companies in Germany and Switzerland to understand the characteristics and goals of Digital Innovation Units in this context, how and why they are established, how they evolve over time, and how they help to develop digital innovation in the form of new products, processes, and business models. Methodologically, Annalena follows a qualitative, exploratory approach focusing on in-depth, single- as well as multiple case studies. Her research focuses on the field of information systems.

 

Education


Since 2020: Ph.D. Candidate, Chair for Design Thinking and Innovation Research (DTIR), Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam, Germany


2017 – 2018: M.Sc. in International Management, Karlsruhe University of Applies Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany


2013 – 2017: 2017 - 2018: B.Sc. in International Management, Karlsruhe University of Applies Sciences, Karlsruhe, Germany


 

Experience


Since 2020: Program Manager HPI School of Entrepreneurship, Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam, Germany


2019 – 2020: Junior Corporate Account Manager, Urban Sports GmbH, Berlin, Germany


 

Research Projects

Current Project

Digital Transformation – “a process that aims to improve an entity by triggering significant changes to its properties through combinations of information, computing, communication, and connectivity technologies” – is currently one of the key challenges, especially for pre-digital organizations. Closely interrelated with Digital Transformation is the ability to successfully manage and bring about Digital Innovations – “the creation of (and the consequent change in) market offerings, business processes, or models that result from the use of digital technology”. In order to do so, many companies have established “Digital Innovation Units” that are separated from the firm’s remaining organization (e.g., in terms of location, mindset, collaboration, communication, etc.) and bundle their exploration efforts to foster (digital) innovation. These “fast-lanes” of innovation represent a fairly new phenomenon and so far, literature regarding DIUs is sparse. Within the framework of her dissertation, Annalena intends to build a deep understanding of DIUs in the manufacturing industry and their role for Digital Innovation and Transformation in these firms by e.g., looking into their goals and particularities as well as how they are set up and develop over time.

Teaching


SoSe 2021 – Testing Business Ideas, Hasso Plattner Institute


 

Publications