Prof. Dr. Oliver Rack

    Activities at FHNW

    Job title
    Lecturer and Professor at the FHNW School of Applied Psychology

    Areas of Expertise

    • Exchange of knowledge and information in computer-supported groups
    • Management of global virtual teams
    • Diversity and knowledge transfer in organisations

    Lecturing and Research

    Teaching relating to training

    Oliver Rack is a lecturer for various modules associated with the bachelor's and master's course in Applied Psychology:

    • Teams and Groups in Organisations
    • Cooperation and New Media

    Teaching relating to continuing education

    Oliver Rack is a lecturer for various modules (e.g. Incentive Systems for Improving Team Performance, Decision-making Processes in Teams) associated with the following continuing education degree programmes:

    The main focus of Oliver Rack's research activities is the area concerned with the design of group processes in the context of virtual and global cooperation. These include processes associated with the exchange of information and knowledge in computer-supported groups as well as issues concerned with the management of virtual teamwork.

    Profile

    Career to date

    since 09/2012 
    Professor at the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland,
    School of Applied Psychology, Institute for Research and Development of Collaborative Processes.
    Main focus: 'Virtual Cooperation and Communication'

    09/2010–08/2012
    Lecturer at the FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland,
    School of Applied Psychology, Institute for Research and Development of Collaborative Processes.
    Main focus: 'Virtual and Global Cooperation'

    since 11/2008
    Project management for the SNF-DoRe project 'EMVT – Effectiveness Management for Virtual Teams', FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Applied Psychology, Institute for Research and Development of Collaborative Processes 

    06/2007–08/2010
    Member of academic staff at FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Applied Psychology, Institute for Research and Development of Collaborative Processes

    03/2009–12/2009
    Project management for 'Relaying Information on Errors in Virtual Teams', Suzanne and Hans Biäsch Foundation for Applied Psychology

    06/2007
    Doctorate (PhD) at the University of Kiel
    Dissertation title: 'Motivational and Incentive Systems in Computer-supported Groups'

    08/2004–05/2007
    Member of academic staff at the University of Kiel, Germany, Institute of Psychology, Chair for Occupational, Organisational, and Market Psychology (Professor Udo Konradt)

    08/2004–05/2007
    Doctoral scholarship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the postgraduate programme 'Loosely Coupled Systems and Electronic Business' (Professor Sönke Albers), University of Kiel

    07/2006–10/2006
    Research posting (Visiting Scholar) at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
    (cooperation partner: Professor Andrea Hollingshead)

    11/2002–07/2004
    Member of academic staff at the University of Göttingen, Germany, Chair for Social and Communication Psychology (Professor Margarete Boos, University of Göttingen)

    10/2002
    Awarded Diploma in Psychology at the University of Göttingen

    10/1997–10/2002
    Degree for Diploma in Psychology at the University of Göttingen.
    Main specialism: Occupational, industrial, and organisational psychology

  • Institute

    Loading

    FHNW School of Applied Psychology

    FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
    School of Applied Psychology

    Riggenbachstrasse 16

    CH - 4600 Olten