Stockholm university

Mikael Holmqvist

About me

  • Doctor of Economics in Business Administration (2000) 
  • Associate Professor (Docent) in Business Administration (2004)
  • Associate Professor (Docent) in Sociology (2016)
  • Professor in Business Administration (2010-)
  • Deputy Dean Faculty of Social Sciences (2017-2020)
  • Editor Routledge's Advances in Management Education and Learning Series (2021-) 

Educated at Lund University and Stockholm University in Sweden, and Université de Poitiers and Ecole Supérieur de Commerce de Paris (ESCP).

Previous employments at Lund University and Uppsala University.

Previous Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, Cornell University and Sciences Po, Paris. 

 

Major research projects

Royals as Heads of States 

Economic elites 

Worksite health promotion  

Occupational disability and functional impairment 

Organizational learning and change

Strategic alliances and mergers & acquisitions 

Reviews

My books have been reviewed in major international journals (for example, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Journal of Sociology, British Journal of Sociology, Sociology, Contemporary Sociology, Journal of Planning Literature, Scandinavian Journal of Management), in Swedish social science journals (for example, Ekonomisk debatt, Sociologisk forskning, Nordiska organisationsstudier, Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift) and in Swedish newspapers (for instance Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet, Expressen, Sydsvenskan, Göteborgs-Posten), and on Swedish radio and TV (for instance SVT Kulturnytt, Sveriges Radio P1). 

Books

  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2023), Kungen - Sveriges ledare. Stockholm: Natur och Kultur. 659 pages.
  • Benner, Mats & Mikael Holmqvist (2023) (Eds.), Universities Under Neoliberalism. New York: Routledge. 138 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2022), Elite Business Schools. Education and Consecration in Neo-liberal Society. New York: Routledge. 190 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2018): Handels – Maktelitens skola. Stockholm: Atlantis. 480 pages.
  • Eriksson, Bengt Erik Eriksson, Mikael Holmqvist & Lena Sohl (2018) (Eds.), Eliter i Sverige. Tvärvetenskapliga perspektiv på makt, status och klass. Lund: Studentlitteratur. 341 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2017): Leader Communities: The Consecration of Elites in Djursholm. New York: Columbia University Press. 274 pages.
  • Holmqvist Mikael (2015): Djursholm. Sveriges ledarsamhälle. Stockholm: Atlantis. 741 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael & André Spicer (2013) (Eds.): Managing Human Resources by Exploiting and Exploring People’s Potentials. London: Emerald. (Research in the Sociology of Organizations Series). 279 pages.
  • Hasselbladh, Hans & Mikael Holmqvist (2013) (Eds.): Företagsekonomin och samhället. Lund: Studentlitteratur. 365 pages.
  • Holmqvist Mikael & Christian Maravelias (2011): Managing Healthy Organizations. Worksite Health Promotion and the New Self-management Paradigm. New York: Routledge. (Routledge Studies in Human Resources Development). 172 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2009): The Disabling State of an Active Society. London: Ashgate. (Welfare and Society Series.) 169 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2008): The Institutionalization of Social Welfare. A Study of Medicalizing. Management. New York: Routledge. (Routledge Advances in Sociology Series). 192 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael & Christian Maravelias (2006) (Eds.): Hälsans styrning av arbetet. Lund: Studentlitteratur. 234 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2005): Samhall. Att bli normal i en onormal organisation. Stockholm: SNS förlag. 439 pages.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2000): The Dynamics of Experiential Learning. Doktorsavhandling. Stockholm: Stockholms universitet. 231 pages.
  • Bengtsson, Lars, Mikael Holmqvist & Rikard Larsson (1998), Strategiska allianser. Från marknadsmisslyckande till lärande samarbete. Malmö: Liber. 144 pages.

Peer-reviewed papers

  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2023), "Consecration and Meritocracy in Elite Business Schools. The Case of a Swedish Student Union." British Journal of Sociology. 74: 531-546.
  • Benner, Mats & Mikael Holmqvist (2023), "Universities Under Neoliberalism. Market-inspired Reforms of Swedish Higher Education." Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy. 9: 72-73.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael & Illan Wiesel (2023), "Elite Communities and Polarization in Neoliberal Society: Consecration in Australia’s and Sweden’s Wealthy Neighbourhoods." Critical Sociology. 49: 767-782.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2022), "Consecrating and Desecrating Elite Communities: Fearing and Dealing with Social Deviance in Sweden’s Wealthiest Neighborhood". Cultural Sociology. 16: 358-378.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2022), "Economics as Symbolic Capital: The Consecration of Elite Business Schools." Theory and Society. 51: 435-455. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2021), "Creating and Upholding an Elite Community: 'Consecrating Exclusion' in Djursholm, Sweden." The Sociological Review. 69: 956-973.   
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2021), "Stratification in a Neoliberal Society: The Making of Elites and Occupationally Disabled in Contemporary Sweden." Critical Sociology. 47: 1355-1362.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2020): "Medical Diagnosis of Dyslexia in a Swedish Elite School: A Case of 'Consecrating Medicalization'". British Journal of Sociology. 71: 366-381. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael & Christian Maravelias (2018): “Management in the ’Neo-paternalistic Organization’: The Case of Work-site Health Promotion at Scania. Scandinavian Journal of Management. 34: 267-275.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2018): “Att studera den ekonomiska eliten. Problem och utmaningar.” Sociologisk forskning. 55: 5-22.
  • Maravelias, Christian & Mikael Holmqvist (2018): "'Healthy Organizations': Developing the Self-managing Employee." International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management. 16: 62-99.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael, Christian Maravelias & Per Skålén (2013): “Identity Regulation in Neo-liberal Societies.” Organization. 20: 193-211.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2012): “Djursholm. A Study of an Executive Community.” Scandinavian Journal of Management. 28: 257-263.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2010): “The Active Welfare State and its Consequences. A Case Study of Sheltered Employment in Sweden.” European Societies. 12: 209-230.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2009): “Corporate Social responsibility as Corporate Social control. The Case of Work-site Health Promotion." Scandinavian Journal of Management. 25: 68-72.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2009): “Medicalization of Unemployment. Individualizing Social issues as Personal Problems in the Swedish Welfare State. Work, Employment and Society, 23: 405-421.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2009): “Complicating the Organization. A New Prescription for the Learning Organization?” Management Learning. 40: 275-287.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2009): “Disabled People and Dirty Work”. Disability & Society. 24: 869 887
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2008): “Creating the Disabled Person. A Case Study of Recruitment to ‘Work-for-the-Disabled’ Programs.” Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 10: 191-207
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2004): “Experiential Learning Processes of Exploitation and Exploration. An Empirical Study of Product Development.” Organization Science. 15: 70-81.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2003: “Intra- and Interorganizational Learning Processes. An Empirical Comparison.” Scandinavian Journal of Management, 19: 443-466.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2003): “A Dynamic Model of Intra- and Interorganizational Learning." Organization Studies, 24: 93-121.
  • Larsson Rikard, Kenneth Brousseau, Michael Driver, Mikael Holmqvist & Veronika  Tarnovskaya (2003): “International Growth Through Cooperation. Brand-driven Strategies, Leadership, and Career Development in Sweden. Academy of Management Executive. 12: 7-21.
  • Larsson Rikard, Michael Driver, Mikael Holmqvist & Patrick Sweet (2001): “Career Dis-Integration and Re-Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions. Managing Competence and Motivational Intangibles”. European Management Journal. 19: 609-618.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (1999), "Learning in Imaginary Organizations: Creating Interorganizational Knowledge." Journal of Organizational Change Management. 12: 419-438.

Book chapters

  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2023), "Corporations' Invisible Hand in Higher Education: Teaching at Business Schools and the Making of Employable Students". In M. Benner & M. Holmqvist, Universities Under Neoliberalism. New York: Routledge. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2018): “Ledarsamhället Djursholm som ’konsekrati’”. Ingår i Eriksson, B-E, M. Holmqvist & L.  Sohl (2013) (Red), Eliter i Sverige. Tvärvetenskapliga perspektiv på makt, status och klass. Lund: Studentlitteratur. Sidorna 93-122.
  • Maravelias Christian, Torkild Thanem & Mikael Holmqvist (2013): “March Meets Marx.The Politics of Exploitation and Exploration in the Management of Life and Labour.” In Holmqvist M. & A. Spicer (Eds.): Managing Human Resources by Exploiting and Exploring People’s Potentials. London: Emerald. (Research in the Sociology of Organizations Series). Pages 129-159. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2006): ”Medikalisering av arbetslöshet. En organisationsteoretisk analys.” Ingår i Holmqvist, M & C. Maravelias (Red.): Hälsans styrning av arbetet. Lund: Studentlitteratur. Sidorna 27-60.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael & Christian Maravelias (2003): “Organizing the Extended Organization.” Ingår I S. Ljunghagen & H. Linderoth (Red.): Intelligent Management in the Knowledge Economy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Pages 66-90.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2002): “Learning from Experience in Imaginary Organizations.” Ingår i B. Hedberg, P. Baumard & A. Yakhlef (Red.): Managing Imaginary Organizations. A New Perspective on Business. Amsterdam: Pergamon. Sidorn 57-70.
  • Hedberg, Bo & Mikael Holmqvist (2001): “Learning in imaginary organizations.” In M. Dierkes (Eds.): Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge. Pages 733-752.

Book reviews

  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2023), "Unlearning to Labor. Activating the Unemployed in a Former Industrial Community." Sociologisk forskning. 60: 110-112.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2016): “Mats Alvesson och Andre Spicer: The stupidity paradox: The power and pitfalls of functional stupidity at work.” Organistion och samhälle. Nummer 2.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2008): “Hans Hasselbladh, Eva Bejeroth, Rolf Gustafsson: Bortom new public management. Institutionell transformation i svensk sjukvård.” Nordiske organisasjonsstudier. 10: 92-95.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2000): “John Denton: Organisational Learning and Effectiveness.” Organization Studies. 3: 650-652.

Non-academic publications

  • Holmqvist Mikael (2023), "Den maktlöse kungen mäktig som få." Under Strecket. Svenska Dagbladet. 10 september. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2023), "'Nästa statschef måste styras hårdare av politikerna.'" Dagens Nyheter. DN Debatt. 8 april.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2020), "Är 'Nobelpriset i ekonomi' verkligen en klok investering för framtiden?", Dagens Nyheter. 12 oktober. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2020), "En upphöjelse av nästan himmelska proportioner". Under strecket. Svenska Dagbladet. 5 oktober. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2019): Handels. Maktelitens skola. Förkortad pocketupplaga med nyskrivet förord. Stockholm: Atlantis. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2018): ”Den nyliberala spelaren har blivit den typiska elitmänniskan.” Dagens Nyheter. 2 december.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2018): “’Karisma och social kompetens överröstar djup sakkunskap’.” Dagens Nyheter. DN Debatt. 4 februari.
  • Hasselbladh, Hans, Holmqvist, Mikael (2017): ”’Skydda det offentliga från affärsmän som Trump.’” Dagens Nyheter. DN Debatt. 22 augusti.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2016): Djursholm - Sveriges ledarsamhälle. Förkortad pocketupplaga av originalet. Stockholm: Atlantis. 
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2016): ”Var är forskarna?” Dagens Nyheter. 28 november.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2016): ”Framtidens elit skolas att tänja på prinicperna.” Dagens Nyheter. 14 april.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2016): ”Fallet Paolo Macchiarini är ett exempel på karismasamhället.” Dagens Nyheter. 18 februari.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2016): ”Så skapas vinnare och förlorare i arbetssamhället.” Dagens Nyheter. 29 januari.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2015): ”Klassamhället blundar för meriter och kunnande.” Dagens Nyheter. 5 november.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2007): ”Av rätta virket?” Dagens Nyheter. 12 september.
  • Holmqvist, Mikael (2006): ”’Erkänn ditt arbetshandikapp annars förlorar du a-kassan.’” Dagens Nyheter. 10 augusti.

Research projects