On 10 April 2025, Dr. Michal Müller from the Department of Economic and Managerial Studies, delivered a lecture titled Resilient Leadership in Social Entrepreneurship: Overcoming Constraints for Sustainable Impact as part of the Collaborative Research Postgraduate Students' Seminar Series, hosted by Lingnan University, the School of Graduate Studies at the Education University of Hong Kong, and other partner institutions.
The lecture drew on long-term research focused on social entrepreneurship in three different contexts—the Czech Republic, Germany, and Hong Kong. Dr. Müller introduced the concept of resilient leadership, which is grounded in four pillars: intrinsic motivation, ethical commitment, psychological and community resilience, and strategic adaptability. His talk provided both a theoretical framework and real-life stories of social entrepreneurs facing various crises—from pandemics to systemic injustices.
A key message was that resilience in social entrepreneurship is not merely a personal trait, but a system of capabilities developed through interaction with communities, crises, and value-driven purpose. The lecture also highlighted the urgent need for greater support and recognition of leaders who drive social innovation—often under difficult conditions and outside the structures of traditional institutions.
The international audience of students and academics engaged in a rich discussion that opened new areas of inquiry, including emotional sustainability in leadership, international collaboration, and the use of artificial intelligence in social enterprise research.
This event also laid the foundation for future research collaboration between DEMS and institutions in Hong Kong, including Dr. Müller's planned field research in summer 2025.
We thank Dr. Müller for his outstanding representation of our department and for his inspiring contribution to the global conversation on social entrepreneurship.