Prof. Dr. Kristina Kusanke

• Organizational Capabilities in IT Transformations (e.g., organizational design capabilities, leadership capabilities, and human resource capabilities)
• IT careers and IT workforce (e.g., career transitions into IT roles, IT career paths)
• Gender and diversity

• Management Information Systems
• Enterprise Resource Planning I
• Information Management
• Digital Transformation
• Socio-Technical Topics in IS
• International Software Development Project
• Leading Digital Change: Capabilities for IT Organizations
• Problem Solving Using Spreadsheet Software

I supervise Bachelor's and Master's theses. There are two possible approaches:

• 1. You want to propose your own topic
  Please contact me via email with a topic proposal. The topic should be related to my research focus or the modules I teach. Provide a brief outline of your planned research question, its relevance, and its novelty. This does not need to be detailed but should indicate the general direction. Additionally, include some information about yourself, your preferred methodology, and the expected timeline for your work.
• 2. You choose a topic I have suggested
  A list of potential topics can be found on Moodle. If one of these topics interests you, please send an email with the chosen topic, its significance to you, its relevance to information systems, your preferred methodology, and the expected timeline for your work.
  
  List of potential thesis topics (PDF)

Please note that I have limited capacity for supervising theses.

What are the next steps?
If I have the capacity to supervise your thesis and the topic aligns with my areas of interest, we will arrange an initial meeting (online or in person). During this meeting, we will further define the topic and research question, discuss the requirements for the exposé, and agree on an initial timeline for the thesis.

• Reviewer for national and international conferences (e.g., ICIS; ECIS; HICSS, WI, CPR) and journals (e.g., BISE, Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, International Journal of Public Leadership)
• Member Association for Information Systems (AIS)
• Member Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Elected ACM SIGMIS Secretary–Treasurer (2025–2026)
• Program Chair, ACM SIGMIS Computers and People Research Conference (2026)

2024 - ongoing
Professor for Business Informatics, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences

2021- 2024
Research Assistant and PhD Student at the Chair of Information Management, FernUniversität in Hagen

Dissertation: Transforming the Information Technology Function: Essays on the Role of Distinct Organizational Capabilities

2020 - 2021
Global Project Lead Sales Processes, Customer Relationship Management & Shared Service Center,
KOSTAL Automobil Elektrik, Lüdenscheid

2017 - 2020
Expert Strategies, Structures and Processes (Market & Customer), KOSTAL Automobil Elektrik, Lüdenscheid

2016 - 2017
Business Development Specialist - B2B Partner Portal, 3M Germany GmbH, Neuss

2014 - 2016
Subject Matter Expert- Business Transformation Organisation, 3M Germany GmbH, Neuss

2013 - 2014
Trainee Sales & Marketing, 3M Germany GmbH, Neuss

Kusanke, Kristina., Heinle, Kathrin. & Jörs, Rizana. Neue Wege in die IT: Wie Unternehmen Frauen erfolgreich für den Quereinstieg gewinnen. HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik (2025). https://doi.org/10.1365/s40702-025-01215-2

Brasch, Jennifer, Heinle, Kathrin, Kusanke, Kristina, & Priebe, Janosch Anton. “The Digital Spread of Hate Speech and its Impact on Local Politicans – Psychological Strain and Coping Strategies.” (Poster Presentation) 20. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) 2025.

Ogbu, Chijioke; Kusanke, Kristina; Joers, Rizana; and Binzer, Björn, "From Words to Work: Analysis of Gendered Language in IT Job Advertisements with a Focus on Low-Code/No-Code Development Platforms" (2025). Americas' Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2025 Proceedings. 9. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2025/social_inclusion/social_inclusion

Kusanke, Kristina, Kendziorra, Jennifer, Zaza, Sam, & Winkler, Till J. (2024). Transforming the IT Landscape: Ecosystem-Based Approaches to Career Transitions. In Proceedings of the 2024 Computers and People Research Conference (pp. 1-2). 2024.

Kendziorra, Jennifer., Kusanke, Kristina, Joers, Rizana, & Winkler, Till J. (2024). SHE can do IT: Awakening Girls’ Interest in Information Technology by Making Computer Science a Mandatory Course in Early Education in Germany. In Proceedings of the 2024 Computers and People Research Conference (pp. 1-2). 2024.

Joers, Rizana; Kusanke, Kristina; Kendziorra, Jennifer; and Winkler, Till J., "From Dyadic to Triadic Mentoring Relationships: A Holistic View of Expectations and Goals to Enhance the Effectiveness of Formal Mentoring Programs in IT" (2024). ECIS 2024 Proceedings. 12.

Kusanke, Kristina., Kendziorra, Jennifer, Pilgenröder Sonja and Winkler, Till J. "Maßnahmen für den Aufbau von Digital Leadership Kompetenzen für Führungskräfte im öffentlichen Sektor". HMD Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik, 61, 202-219. 2023.

Kusanke, Kristina and Winkler, Till J. "Empowering Leadership, Job Satisfaction, and the Moderating Effect of Individual Ambidexterity of Information Technology Workers". 18. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) 2023.

Kusanke, Kristina; Behnke, Janna, and Winkler., Till J. “Personality Traits and Ambidextrous Work Environments in IT Organizations – A Person-Job Fit Perspective” Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. 2023.

Kusanke, Kristina; Kendziorra, Jennifer; Christmann, Teresa; Pilgenröder, Sonja and Winkler, Till J. "Building Digital Leadership in the Public Sector – A Literature Review". The 31st European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) 2023 Research Papers. 376.

Kusanke, Kristina and Winkler, Till J. "The Link between IT Workers Individual Ambidexterity and Work Exhaustion – Preliminary Insights into the Explanatory Power of Person-Job Fit". Research in Progress, SIGMIS Computer and People Research Conference (CPR), Pomona, CA, USA. 2023.

Pappert, Laura and Kusanke, Kristina. "Modern Project Portfolio Management– Analyzing the Potential of Artificial Intelligence". PVM Tagung 2023, Hagen -Komplettband. Projektmanagement und Vorgehensmodelle 2023.

Kusanke, Kristina; Pilgenröder, Sonja; Kendziorra, Jennifer and Winkler, Till. J. "Digital Leadership in the Public Sector: Towards a Digital Leadership Competency Model." Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2023 Proceedings. 2.

Heinle, Kathrin; Kusanke, Kristina; Kendziorra, Jennifer; Witte, Anne-Kathrin. "Closing the Gender Gap: Initial Findings and Lessons Learned from a German Medium-Sized IT Services Company's Efforts for Career Changers." 18. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) 2023

Hermosa Jose Marie, Julia; Witte, Anne-Kathrin; Kusanke, Kristina; Kendziorra, Jennifer. "The Human Gaze and the Blind Spot - A Systematic Literature Review on Biases in Artificial Intelligence." (Poster Presentation) 18. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) 2023.

Aufschläger, Lisa T.; Kusanke, Kristina; Witte, Anne-Kathrin; Kendziorra, Jennifer and Winkler, Till J. "Design of Women Mentoring Programs to Reduce the Gender Gap in IT Professions A Critical Reflection". Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2023 Proceedings. 2.

Kendziorra, Jennifer; Barmann, Michelle; Kusanke, Kristina and Witte, Anne-Kathrin. "Gender and Mobility - A Literature Review on Women's (Non-)Use of Shared Mobility Services". 18. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) 2023.

Kusanke, Kristina and Winkler, Till J., "Structural Ambidexterity through Bimodal IT – A Literature Review and Research Agenda". 17. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) 2022.

Kusanke, Kristina: "Achieving Structural Ambidexterity through Bimodal IT – A Conceptual Model and Research Agenda", in Brohman et al. (Editor), Digitalization and Sustainability: Advancing Digital Value (Chapter 10). Edward Elgar Publishing, Ltd. ISBN: 978 1 80088 879 1

Kusanke, Kristina, Kendziorra, Jennifer, & Zaza, S. (2024). Bridging the Digital Talent Gap-Facilitating and Encouraging Career Transitions into the IT Sector: Germany and US Contexts. Panel at ACM SIGMIS Computers and People Research 2024, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, USA

Kusanke, Kristina (2024). Transforming the Information Technology Function: Essays on the Role of Distinct Organizational Capabilities (Doctoral dissertation).