Tobias Fehr-Bosshard created the university support he – and we – need
This podcast shares the story of Tobias Fehr-Bosshard who helped found the U. St Gallen Transformations Lab in support of Swiss universities’ engagement with sustainability issues. Our conversation focuses on the importance of finding support and developmental friendship meet-ups (including at AR+); of sharing ownership with the many stakeholders in the action research – exercising and encouraging agency – through action learning. We also touched on his ROAR model, a conceptual model that emerged from the intersection of Ferrari et al.’s work and the constructivist pragmatism of action research. It is this model that allows Tobi to speak with more clarity as he encourages more universities to be doing similar sustainability upgrades.
Listen to the podcast here and on all podcast platforms (search Action Research Yes And)
Dr. Tobias Fehr-Bosshard studied International Affairs and International Management at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. After working for a business association and in consulting in Zurich for several years – both with a focus on sustainability –, he went back to the University of St. Gallen as a co-founder of the Competence Center for Social Innovation (CSI-HSG). At CSI Tobias co-lead a large multi-stakeholder social innovation process, the lab of tomorrow on circular food systems in Rwanda, in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Nestlé and many other partners. His work required him to pursue his PhD, for which he chose to do action research. Finding a supportive advisor – ignoring the advice of conventional academics – he succeeded both in publishing his dissertation and with co-creating scaffolding for a sustainability transformation at the university and beyond, through work with the network of Swiss universities.
The following link places Tobi’s work in the context of his PhD action research group (with Freek, Clémentine, Anna, Antonio, and Danny – see the photo) and offers a playbook to support people in developing their own micro-communities for impact / developmental friendship.: https://playbook.impact-scholar.community/
Links
Fehr-Bosshard, T. 2025 Dissertation.
Ferraro, F., Etzion, D., & Gehman, J. (2015). Tackling Grand Challenges Pragmatically: Robust Action Revisited. Organization Studies, 36(3), 363–390. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840614563742
Latest posts by Hilary Brad (see all)