Draft:Thomas Fischer (academic)

Thomas Fischer
Nationality	German
Citizenship	Germany
Alma mater	University of Lausanne, Technical University of Munich, Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt
Known for	Leadership styles, ethical leadership, abusive supervision
Awards	Best Paper Award of The Leadership Quarterly (2021)
Scientific career
Fields	Management, Leadership Studies
Institutions	University of Geneva

Thomas Fischer is a German academic and Associate Professor at the University of Geneva, specializing in Management and Leadership Studies. He is the Yearly Review Editor of The Leadership Quarterly, a leading journal in leadership research, and has co-edited several special issues, including those on leadership measurement and theory. His research contributions have made a significant impact in the areas of leadership styles, ethical leadership, and the conceptualization of leadership.

Education

Fischer earned his PhD in Economics with a focus on management from the University of Lausanne. Prior to this, he completed a master’s degree in Mathematics at the Technical University of Munich, Germany, and obtained bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Business Administration from the Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany.

Academic Career

Fischer is recognized for his substantial contributions to the fields of leadership and management, particularly regarding the critical assessment and improvement of leadership style measurement. He has questioned the validity of popular leadership styles, such as authentic, ethical, and transformational leadership, proposing more rigorous conceptualizations and measures of leadership.

His work has been published in leading academic journals such as Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Management, Organization Studies, and The Leadership Quarterly. His research on ethical leadership earned him the Best Paper Award from The Leadership Quarterly in 2021, and his work on abusive supervision was recognized as the first runner-up for the same award.

Fischer also serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for multiple prestigious journals in the fields of management, organizational behavior, and social psychology, and he has been a reviewer for several European science foundations.

Research Focus

Fischer's work primarily revolves around two main areas: 1. **Leadership Styles**: He critically examines the existing literature on leadership styles, such as authentic and ethical leadership, finding that much of the evidence supporting these styles is weak. His research offers improved methods for measuring and conceptualizing leadership. 2. **Leadership Talk**: Fischer studies how individuals discuss and portray leadership. He highlights that people often engage in "uplifting leadership talk" to appear more influential and ethical, although this does not always translate into practice. This research suggests that leadership talk often reflects aspirational behavior rather than hypocrisy.

Selected Publications

Fischer has numerous peer-reviewed journal articles that have been widely cited. Below are some of his most notable publications:

• Fischer, T., Dietz, J., & Antonakis, J. (2024). A fatal flaw: Positive leadership style research creates causal illusions. The Leadership Quarterly, 101771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101771.
• Fischer, T., & Feix, A. (2024). Media review: The inhumane history of people-centered management practices. Organization Studies. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406241261428.
• Fischer, T., & Sitkin, S. B. (2023). Leadership Styles: A Comprehensive Assessment and Way Forward. Academy of Management Annals, 17(1), 331-372. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2020.0340.
• Fischer, T. (2023). Measuring behaviors counterfactually. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101750.
• Fischer, T., Hambrick, D., Sajons, G., & van Quaquebeke, N. (2023). Leadership science beyond questionnaires. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101752.
• Fischer, T., Tian, A. W., Lee, A., & Hughes, D. J. (2021). Abusive supervision: A systematic review and fundamental rethink. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101540.
• Banks, G., Fischer, T., Gooty, J., & Stock, G. (2021). Ethical leadership: Mapping the terrain for concept cleanup and a future research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2020.101471.

Awards and Recognition

Fischer has been the recipient of several academic honors:

• Best Paper Award, The Leadership Quarterly (2021), for his work on ethical leadership.
• First Runner-Up, Best Paper Award for his work on abusive supervision.

Editorial Roles

Fischer is the Yearly Review Editor for The Leadership Quarterly, where he has co-edited special issues on topics such as leadership theory and leadership measurement beyond traditional questionnaires.

External Links

• [University of Geneva Faculty Page](https://www.unige.ch/)
• [Thomas Fischer's Google Scholar Profile](https://scholar.google.com/)