Dr Viktor Dorfler
Professor
Management Science
Area of Expertise
My research, teaching and knowledge exchange activities are intertwined. In my teaching I use my research results as well as illustrative examples from my consultancy, my consultancy is informed by my research and also provides data as well as new ideas for further research and also on how to teach particular topics, and so forth in cycles. In this sense my expertise can be divided into two main areas:
Knowledge and Knowing
I have done a great deal of research into the personal as well as transpersonal aspects of knowledge and knowing and also worked with various organisations on making better use of what they know. I can primarily help organisations in fostering their talents, including grandmaster-apprentice relationships. Related further topics include creativity and intuition at a personal level and Communities of Practice (CoPs) at the transpersonal level. These topics have strong links to the following topics on supporting these knowing processes with AI.
Artificial Intelligence
My research has served as a basis for developing AI software, a knowledge-based expert system (KBS); in harmony with the above, the focus is on creating qualitative models of expert-level knowledge. I was leading the development of AI software 1999-2004, and as knowledge engineer I used it to support knowledge workers in general and C-level decision makers in particular in a wide range of decision situations, including outsourcing, product launch, tendering (both applying for tenders as well as evaluating applications), performance evaluation for knowledge workers, medical diagnosis, R&D decisions, and credit risk evaluation.
Prize And Awards
- HICSS-57 Best paper award
- Recipient
- 6/1/2024
- CIAS SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW GRANT
- Recipient
- 5/5/2023
- Tudor Rickards & Susan Moger Award for the best paper published in the Creativity & Innovation Management journal in 2021
- Recipient
- 10/5/2022
- Finalist for the Most Inspirational Paper of EURAM 2022
- Recipient
- 15/6/2022
- Strathclyde Teaching Excellence Award 2022
- Recipient
- 19/5/2022
- Strathclyde Medal
- Recipient
- 2/8/2022
Publications
- What Every CEO Should Know About AI
- Dörfler Viktor
- Cambridge Elements in Business strategy Cambridge Elements in Business strategy (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009037853
- Bracketing : a phenomenological theory applied through transpersonal reflexivity
- Dörfler Viktor, Stierand Marc
- Journal of Organizational Change Management Vol 34, pp. 778-793 (2021)
- https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-12-2019-0393
- Thinking together : what makes communities of practice work?
- Pyrko Igor, Dörfler Viktor, Eden Colin
- Human Relations Vol 70, pp. 389-409 (2017)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726716661040
- Understanding intuition : the case for two forms of intuition
- Dörfler Viktor, Ackermann Fran
- Management Learning Vol 43, pp. 545–564 (2012)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507611434686
- Sensing : the elephant in the room of management learning
- Bas Alina, Sinclair Marta, Dörfler Viktor
- Management Learning Vol 54, pp. 489–510 (2023)
- https://doi.org/10.1177/13505076221077226
- AI in medical diagnosis : AI prediction & human judgment
- Göndöcs Dóra, Dörfler Viktor
- Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Vol 149 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artmed.2024.102769
Teaching
Knowledge & Innovation Management (UG, MOOC)
I have recently developed a new knowledge and innovation management course organised around four themes: the structure of personal knowledge, the processes of personal knowing, the organisational aspects of knowledge management, and innovation in organisations. This topic also served as the starting point for developing my first MOOC ‘Understanding Modern Business & Organisations’.
Artificial Intelligence (UG, MSc, MBA, MOOC)
Teaching information systems from a managerial perspective in organisational context, my focus in Information Management is on the human-computer connection; i.e. what should be computerised and what left to humans. The covered technologies range from databases through expert systems, corporate portals and social media and collaboration tools to smart technologies and artificial intelligence. The most recent development of this topic is embodied in my second MOOC ‘Understanding Information & Technology Today’.
Making Strategy (MBA)
This class originally developed by Prof Colin Eden at Strathclyde, focuses on the process of strategy making using causal maps as transitional objects. The process is formalised, governed by procedural justice and procedural rationality. In this class ‘strategy’ is about agreeing where to focus energy, cash, effort, and emotion. Making Strategy is rooted in the personal construct theory, the resource-based view, competence-based management, emergent strategising, and solving messy problems.
Research Philosophy (doctoral level)
This is a compulsory module for all the research students at the University of Strathclyde Business School. A 5-day intensive classroom-based course is followed by a prolonged online collaborative learning in a virtual learning environment. I encourage students to develop their philosophical stance through independent thinking rather than finding their boxes.
Research Interests
My ambitious aim is to develop a dynamic model and possibly theory of cognition. I have developed, with my collaborators, a model of knowledge levels which serves as a conceptual framework for the empirical investigation into the highest ‘grandmaster’ level of knowledge. To this end I conducted 20 in-depth unstructured interviews with grandmasters (17 with Nobel Laureates).
My research in knowledge modelling underlies the development of AI software, a knowledge-based expert system (KBS); resulting in new algorithms, software design, etc. Conversely, I use AI as a modelling tool in various other research topics. The process of knowledge engineering is also a research topic on its own right.
Towards a Dynamic Theory of Knowledge
Models of Personal Knowledge
- Intuition
- Levels of mastery
- Threshold concepts
Models of Personal Knowing Processes
- Intuitive and integrated rationality
- Personal learning
- Personal creativity
Models of Trans-Personal Knowing Processes
- Knowledge sharing
- Executive coaching
- Organizational learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Philosophy of AI
- AI and the human mind
- AI ethics
- From data to knowledge
Developing AI
- Expert systems
- Responsible AI, Explainable AI
- Intelligent applications
Using AI
- Ways of using AI
- Knowledge engineering and facilitating
- Human+AI augmented work
Knowledge-based Strategizing
Managing innovation and knowledge
- Uncertainty and extreme context
- Innovation management
- Gamification
Knowledge-based decision making
- Personal decisions
- Communities and practice
- Performance and quality
Research Philosophy and Methods
Philosophical approaches and frameworks
- Process philosophy
- Transdisciplinarity
- Investigating the extraordinary
Methodological approaches and frameworks
- Reflection and reflexivity
- Against methods
- Generalizability through iterative learning
Applied Research Methods
- Insider Explanatory Phenomenology
- Intuitive Cyclic Phenomenology
- Cognitive and causal mapping
Teaching-Learning-Education
Philosophy and Methods of Teaching and Learning
- Online teaching and learning
- Grandmaster-apprentice relationship
- Post-experiential education
Professional Activities
- IEEE Emerging Technology Reliability Roundtable 2023
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 13/6/2023
- 14th IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Infocommunications, 2023
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 23/9/2023
- Chartered Banker Annual Banking Conference 2023
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 15/11/2023
- G.R.I.D. Forum 2023
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 24/5/2023
- 11th International OFEL Conference on Governance, Management and Entrepreneurship
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 31/3/2023
- Demystifying AI: When the computer says no, challenge it
- Interviewee
- 25/3/2022
Projects
- ISAIA-A: Increasing SME access to intangible asset audits
- Dorfler, Viktor (Principal Investigator)
- The purpose of this project is to develop an AI-enabled platform for SMEs to help conduct evaluation of their intangible assets.
- 01-Apr-2023 - 30-Jun-2024
- Strategizing creativity in the age of AI: A qualitative exploration
- Dorfler, Viktor (Principal Investigator)
- This project is part of a sabbatical work undertaken in Hungary with the support of the Senior Fellowship Grant awarded by the Corvinus University of Budapest, Corvinus Institute for Advanced Studies, Hungary, The amount of the funding is €35,420 .
Project 1: AI Strategy and Strategic AI. Conceptual work about bringing AI into the mainstream strategy, adopting a process view.
Project 2: Exploring experiences of AI implementation.
Project 3: The Michelin-drive – participant ethnography. An exploratory study of restaurants that have been recently awarded a new Michelin star; trying to understand the strategizing of creativity in these haute cuisine restaurants. - 01-Sep-2023 - 30-Jun-2024
- AI with Impact: A guide for CEOs
- Dorfler, Viktor (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Sep-2023 - 28-Jun-2024
- Hydrogen Accelerator
- Coffele, Federico (Principal Investigator) Burt, Graeme (Co-investigator) Dorfler, Viktor (Co-investigator) Harrington, Susan (Co-investigator)
- SE Grant Administered by St Andrews University - Match funding provided through RKES 211195
- 04-Jan-2021 - 30-Jun-2023
- Questionnaire Processing with Artificial Intelligence
- Dorfler, Viktor (Principal Investigator)
- 07-Sep-2020 - 09-Sep-2020
- Threshold Concepts across Knowledge Levels – Insights from How These Occur within Autistic People
- Dorfler, Viktor (Principal Investigator) Harrington, Susan (Post Grad Student) Akartunali, Kerem (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jun-2018 - 31-Aug-2022
Contact
Dr
Viktor
Dorfler
Professor
Management Science
Email: viktor.dorfler@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 4540