Social Impact

TAIMI researcher Yannick Lahti comments on political communication and the role of AI in future elections

Yannick Lahti, Postdoctoral Researcher at LUT University, was recently interviewed by Yle on political communication, symbolism, and the changing nature of election campaigning in Finland.

TAIMI presented during visit to Helsinki XR Center

On 6 May 2026, TAIMI researcher Yannick Lahti visited the Helsinki XR Center to present the TAIMI project.

Yannick Lahti discusses democracy, populism, and political communication in Kansanedustaja kysyy

Drawing on his research on populism and political communication, Lahti discussed the increasing role of digital platforms in shaping public debate, the growing tendency toward polarization, and the challenges created by fast-paced and emotionally driven communication environments.

TAIMI researcher Yannick Lahti discusses AI, social media, and the future of democratic debate

Yannick Lahti was recently featured in the Finnish political discussion programme Koska politiikka, where he explored the growing influence of social media, artificial intelligence, and digital communication on contemporary politics.

Rebecca Piekkari Speaks at Deusto Business School Event on Internationalisation

TAIMI researcher Rebecca Piekkari participated as a speaker at the open event “Inside out: a 360º approach to firm internationalisation,” organised in collaboration with Deusto Business Alumni at Deusto Business School on 26 March 2026.

Bridging Research, Education, and Industry at Aalto University

Meaningful dialogue between academia and industry continues to play an important role in shaping future leadership practices.

Markku Sippola Interviewed on Changing Labour Market Power Relations in Finland

Markku Sippola (WP3) has been interviewed about the evolving role of employer organisations and shifting power dynamics in Finland’s labour market system.

TAIMI Researcher Hertta Vuorenmaa Delivered a Keynote at HR Week Lisbon on the Future of Work

In her keynote, Vuorenmaa discussed how changes in working life are reshaping the capabilities expected from organizations and employees alike.

TAIMI Research Featured at Alumnträffen 2026 on Resilience and the Future of Work

The event brought together representatives from academia and industry to discuss resilience not only as a theoretical concept, but also as a practical strategy for organizations, leaders, and employees navigating ongoing transformation in working life.

Markku Sippola Highlights Structural Challenges Behind Youth Unemployment

The interview highlights the importance of avoiding an overly individualized understanding of unemployment when many of the underlying causes are structural and societal.

TAIMI Researcher Yannick Lahti Discussed European Politics on MTV’s Huomenta Suomi

The discussion explored ongoing societal and political changes across Europe, highlighting the importance of research-based perspectives in understanding complex developments and their broader consequences for governance, democracy, and public policy.

Hertta Vuorenmaa interviewed by YLE on the future of work and artificial intelligence

In a recent YLE interview, researcher Hertta Vuorenmaa reflects on how artificial intelligence may influence work and working life in the future.

TAIMI Researcher Rebecca Piekkari Moderated Discussions on Language and Diversity at Deusto Business School

TAIMI researcher Rebecca Piekkari recently participated in discussions at Deusto Business School, where she moderated student-led roundtables on the theme “The Language of Global Firms: Unity Through English or Strength in Diversity?”

Insights from TAIMI at HR Week Warsaw

Hertta Vuorenmaa (WP4) presented at HR Week Warsaw on why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) must be developed as a strategic organisational capability, alongside technological skills, to ensure that the future of work is not only driven by technology but sustained by inclusive human capability.

Academic Events and Teachings

Hilla Back contributes to diversity and inclusion teaching session with Rovio

Partnerships with organizations play an important role in TAIMI’s approach to research impact. Rather than viewing organizations solely as research sites, the project promotes ongoing dialogue that enables mutual learning between researchers and practitioners.

Hilla Back contributes to diversity and inclusion teaching session with Rovio

Hilla Back delivers leadership and DEI session at KONE Headquarters

The teaching session at KONE reflects TAIMI’s commitment to ensuring that research findings are translated into practical knowledge for organizations.

Edemilson Paraná Presented at International Symposium on Digital Sovereignty and Government

Dr. Paraná’s participation in the symposium reflects the growing international relevance of research conducted within the TAIMI project.

TAIMI Researcher Participates in UArctic Congress 2026 in the Faroe Islands

The congress brought together researchers, professionals, Indigenous representatives, and policymakers from across the Arctic region and beyond to explore pressing challenges and opportunities shaping northern communities and societies worldwide.

TAIMI project presented at the University of Bologna

During the presentation, Lahti discussed TAIMI’s work on technological transformation, AI, migrant skills, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and the future of work in Finland.

Rebecca Piekkari’s Contribution to Research Seminar and Workshop at LMU Munich School of Management

The seminar focused on methodological reflection and the role of contextual analysis in comparative organizational studies, and the workshop explored how case-based approaches can support in-depth understanding of complex organizational and multilingual contexts.

Rebecca Piekkari Contributes to ANZIBA–AIB Oceania Collaborative Event

The event, “Global Tides, Local Ties, Solesolevaki: Shaping the Future of International Business Research and Pedagogy,” held on 10–13 November 2025 at Fiji National University and The University of the South Pacific.

Hilla Back Named Finalist for Gunnar Hedlund Award

The research explores how skilled migrants experience multilingual organizational environments and examines these experiences through the perspectives of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

Exploring Leadership, Space, and Symbolism in Organizations

Understanding organizations requires looking beyond formal structures and strategies to the often subtle ways leadership, coordination, and control are expressed in everyday environments. This theme was at the center of a recent seminar delivered by Professor Rebecca Piekkari at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) Center for Advanced Studies in Management.

AI-Facilitated Simulations Bring Social Intelligence to Life at Hanken in Vaasa

In March 2026, TAIMI researchers Niina Nurmi and Hertta Vuorenmaa led a teaching activity with Bachelor’s students at Hanken in Vaasa, introducing AI-facilitated simulations through the TeamTwins platform to explore social intelligence in practice.

New Pilot Programme Supports International Students’ Belonging and Future Pathways in Finland

TAIMI researcher Quivine Ndomo is co-coordinating a special module together with ILKHOM Khalimzoda to support international degree and exchange students in navigating university life and building a future in Finland. The programme will run as a pilot during the Spring and Autumn semesters of 2026.

Rebecca Piekkari Contributes to International Research Seminar at Hanken

Rebecca Piekkari (WP4) participated as a speaker in an international research seminar at Hanken, contributing to discussions on comparative reasoning in qualitative management research.

TAIMI and NODEwork Researchers in Rovaniemi

TAIMI researchers Markku Sippola, Shahnaj Begum, and Wanying Nicole Yan met with NODEwork researchers. The discussions explored the role of inclusion, diversity, and long-term sustainability in working life.

TAIMI Research Integrated into Policy Simulation Teaching at the University of Jyväskylä

The course structure combines theoretical perspectives on institutions, political processes, and policy dynamics with a practical simulation exercise in which students take on different roles, negotiate, and make decisions in complex real-world scenarios.

Researchers’ Activities

We are pleased to highlight the recent activities of Shahnaj Begum within WP3. Click here to read a preview of her contributions, presentations, collaborations, and project involvement.

Strengthening Dialogue on Leadership, Inclusion, and Organizational Culture at Aalto University

A particularly meaningful aspect of the event was the collaboration between academia and industry made possible through the work of TAIMI researcher Hilla Back. By bringing experienced professionals into the classroom, Hilla continues to create valuable opportunities for students to connect academic learning with practical industry perspectives.

TAIMI Researchers Participated in Consortium Meeting on Digital Disruption and Working Life Transitions in Zaragoza

The discussions focused on several key TAIMI research themes across WP1, WP2, and WP3, particularly digital disruption and adaptation in the care sector as well as developments in the on-demand transport sector.

TAIMI Research Featured in Teaching on Democracy, Participation, and AI at LUT University

During his lectures, Yannick Lahti explored artificial intelligence and its connections to the TAIMI project, highlighting how technological developments intersect with democratic participation, trust in society, and sustainable citizenship.

Hilla Back Presented Research at HICSS-59 in Hawaii

Hilla Back (WP4) presented her latest research on migration and language ideologies in Finland at the 59th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS-59).

Publications

New Book Chapter Explores Migration, Livelihoods and Women’s Well-Being in Rural India

TAIMI researcher, Sangeeth Sujatha Sugathan, has co-authored a new book chapter published in the India Migration Report 2025, a Routledge publication that brings together leading research on migration and mobility in contemporary India.

New publication by TAIMI researcher Edemilson Paraná explores power, governance, and the crisis of neoliberalism

Drawing on the influential work of philosophers Louis Althusser and Michel Foucault, the authors investigate how institutions, political systems, and social practices shape individual behaviour and societal norms.

New publication by TAIMI researcher Edemilson Paraná examines the challenges of the green-digital transition

Drawing on perspectives from political economy and critical social sciences, the authors explore how digitalization, sustainability policies, labour relations, and global economic structures interact.

New publication examines the opportunities and challenges of Digital Public Infrastructure

Published by the Brazilian Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the discussion paper Digital Public Infrastructure: Approaches, Initiatives, Tensions and Research Agendas examines how governments are using digital identity systems, digital payment infrastructures, and data-sharing platforms to deliver public services and support societal development.

New publication by TAIMI researcher Yannick Lahti examines the future of democracy

TAIMI researcher Yannick Lahti and journalist and non-fiction author Matti Mörttinen will publish a new book, Jäähyväiset demokratialle (Farewell to Democracy), in September 2026.

Accepted Book Chapter Proposal by Chia-Min Lai and Rebecca Piekkari for International Handbook

The proposed chapter, titled “Is the Nordic inclusive reputation a myth or reality? An industry perspective,” examines questions related to inclusion and organisational practices from an industry perspective.

New Publication by TAIMI Researchers Explores Responsible Language Use in International Business

TAIMI researchers Hilla Back and Rebecca Piekkari examine the evolving role of language in multinational and multilingual organizations, highlighting a significant shift in international business research: from viewing language primarily as a tool for corporate control toward understanding language as a matter of care, inclusion, and responsibility.

Language in IB and Management: Perspectives for the Next 50 Years

Looking toward the next 50 years, researchers, invluding out very own Hilla Back emphasize the strong potential of language research to deepen our understanding of what happens inside international business organizations and society more broadly.

New publication by Edemilson Paraná examines the role of synthetic data in global finance

The authors examine the expectations surrounding synthetic data and assess how these technologies have been adopted in global finance.

New Study on Migrants’ Social Integration in Finland

The open-access publication, titled “No man wants to be an Island: Migrants’ perspectives on the barriers undermining the formation of social ties with locals in Finland,” is published under a Creative Commons license and contributes important insights into migration, integration, and social inclusion research.

New TAIMI Publication Examines Career Identity After Geopolitical Disruption

We are pleased to share a new publication by TAIMI researcher Rebecca Piekkari, together with Virpi Outila and Carol Reade: Rising from the Ashes of Geopolitical Conflict: New Career Identities of Finnish Experts on Russia.

Steps Towards Meta-Theoretical Foundations for Resilient Human-AI Transformation in Industrial Systems

TAIMI Researcher Bastian Tammentie examines how AI systems can be designed not merely for automation, but for sustainable and resilient human-AI collaboration in industrial environments.