Employee Profile

Federica De Molli

Associate Professor - Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Room number A3Y-025
Phone +4741316221
E-mail federica.d.molli@bi.no

Biography

Federica De Molli, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. She focuses her research on aesthetics in organizations, organizational culture, creative industries, organizational creativity, and arts-based methods in higher education.

Federica's work has been published in academic journals, including Organization Studies, Culture and Organization, International Journal of Work Organization and Emotion. She has also contributed to several book chapters and co-edited the volume "The Metamorphosis of Cultural and Creative Organizations: Exploring Change from a Spatial Perspective" (2021), Routledge.

Federica is an active member of various academic and research organizations, including the BI Centre for Creative Industries, the European Group of Organization Studies (EGOS), the Research Group on Emotions in Workplace and Organizational Settings of the Academy of Management (EMONET), the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) SciArt, European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) European Forum for Advanced Practices (EFAP), the Scientific Committee of the Research Centre for Innovation and Life Sciences Management (CrESIT), and the Association of Italian Organization Studies Academics (ASSIOA).
Beyond her academic pursuits, Federica has worked in project management for companies and cultural organizations, overseeing projects in countries like France, Luxembourg, Italy, and Hong Kong. Currently, Federica hosts the podcast "Creativity Matters!" (available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creativity-matters/id1662325340 ), where she explores creativity-related topics. For more detailed information about her research, you can visit her profile on ResearchGate at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Federica-De-Molli. The most recent publications include:

Peer reviewed journals:

- Paolino C., De Molli F. & Pinardi f. (2025) The Emotional Side of Collecting: Disgust and Attraction in the Art Market. INternational Journal of Work, Organization and Emotions, vol. 16, No. 1, p. 75-94.

- De Molli F., Vecco M. and Pizzetti M. (2022) Space for Seduction: A Redefinition of Art Auction Houses in the Market. Consumption Markets & Culture. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2022.2125509

- De Molli F., Mengis J. & van Marrewijk A. (2020). The aestheticization of hybrid space: The atmosphere of the Locarno Film Festival. Organization Studies, vol. 41, No. 11, p. 1491–1512. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0170840619867348
- De Molli F. (2020). Participatory Interpretation: A Way to Overcome Analytical Challenges in Organizational Aesthetic Research. Culture and Organization. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2020.1806839

- De Molli F. & De Paoli D. (2020). Middle Managers in Open-Plan Office: Feeling Free and Frustrated. International Journal of Work Organization and Emotion, vol. 11, No. 3, p. 231-246. https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJWOE.2020.111317
- De Molli, F. (2019) An aesthetic account of space: a report on recent developments in organizational research. Studi Organizzativi, 1/2019: 38-63. https://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/SchedaRivista.aspx?doi=10.3280/SO2019-001002&lingua=EN
Book:

- De Molli, F. & Vecco, M. (Eds.) (2021) The Metamorphosis of Cultural and Creative Organizations: Exploring Change from a Spatial Perspective. Routledge Research in the Creative and Cultural Industries, ISBN 9780367681937.
Book chapters:

- De Molli, F. & De Paoli, D. (2021) From co-workers to friends: How the aesthetic experience of third places affects the creative process. In: (a cura di): Montanari F., Mattarelli E., & Scapolan C., Collaborative Spaces at Work. Innovation, Creativity and Relations. Chapter 9, pp. 147-159. Routledge, ISBN: 9780367350451. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429329425
- Montanari, F. & De Molli, F. (2020) L’organizzazione della creatività. In: (a cura di): Buonocore F., Montanari F., & Solari L., Organizzazione aziendale. Comportamenti e decisioni per il management. pp. 235-260. De Agostini, ISBN: 978-88-8008-394-8

Area of Expertise

Publications

Scientific publications In the media Other

De Molli, Federica & Gottschalk, Petter (2025)

Investigating art experts and appraisers as potential white-collar criminals: Theorizing art fraud convenience

Journal of Economic Criminology, 9, s. 1- 7. Doi: 10.1016/j.jeconc.2025.100167

This conceptual paper investigates the role of art experts and appraisers in white-collar crime through the lens of convenience theory. As gatekeepers of authenticity, provenance, and valuation, art appraisers hold significant power in shaping market outcomes. Yet, the opacity of appraisal processes and the asymmetry of knowledge between experts and clients might create opportunities for misconduct. This study explores how deviant behaviour among art professionals can be understood through the interaction of three key dimensions of convenience theory: personal greed, social decay, and learning. Drawing on documented cases of art fraud, including the Knoedler Gallery scandal, the paper illustrates how systemic vulnerabilities, and professional incentives may facilitate ethical transgressions. This research contributes to the broader discourse on white-collar crime by theorizing how structural and situational factors shape decision-making and accountability in the art market.

Paolino, Chiara; De Molli, Federica & Pinardi, F (2025)

The emotional side of collecting: disgust and attraction in the art market

International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 16(1), s. 75- 94. Doi: 10.1504/IJWOE.2025.144496

This study delves into the exploration of a niche organisational culture within the art market, focusing on shared values that drive photography collectors' appreciation and acquisition of works considered repugnant by mainstream standards. The research aims to comprehend the emotional dynamics guiding collectors' choices, particularly regarding subjects that typically evoke negative emotions, such as explicit sexuality, deformity, illness, and death. Utilising an original dataset comprising 1,766 lots from 24 artists auctioned at major European events between 2013 and 2018, the analysis sheds light on intriguing trends. Collectors demonstrate a heightened inclination to purchase and invest higher prices in photographs featuring disturbing subjects compared to traditional ones. Qualitative interviews reveal that this positive evaluation is anchored in the categories of 'extraordinariness,' 'change,' and 'sophistication' associated with these artworks. This research provides insights into how shared values within niche organisational cultures shape organisational actors' preferences and behaviours in the art market.

De Molli, Federica & Paolino, Chiara (2022)

Meaning Making through Artistic Interventions: An Aesthetic Approach

Owens, Allan; Pässilä, Anne, Ponsillo, Nick, Biagioli, Monica, Cunningham, Charlotte, De Molli, Federica & Paolino, Chiara (red.). Community and Collective Learning

Owens, Allan; Pässilä, Anne, Ponsillo, Nick, Biagioli, Monica, Cunningham, Charlotte, De Molli, Federica & Paolino, Chiara (2022)

Community and Collective Learning

Aalborg Universitetsforlag.

De Molli, Federica; Vecco, Marilena & Pizzetti, Marta (2022)

Space for seduction: the redefining of auction houses’ role in the art market

Consumption Markets & Culture Doi: 10.1080/10253866.2022.2125509 - Full text in research archive

Technological and socio-economic changes have forced organizations in the art sector to redefine their function in the market, to strengthen their relationships with consumers and to appeal to a more heterogeneous consumer audience. The physical space of art organizations constitutes a major tool for them to attract and communicate with customers. Based on a multiple case studies approach, this article explores how art auction houses have rearranged their physical space in order to create an intended customer experience based on seduction. Our study contributes to Consumer Culture Theory research by illustrating how both the tangible and intangible features of the spatial setting are orchestrated by managers to facilitate an intended consumer experience. Space is organized in such a way that a heterogeneous customer base can co-participate in the game of seduction, and the artwork maintains its role as a catalyst of the experience.

De Molli, Federica (2021)

Participatory interpretation: a way to overcome analytical challenges in organizational aesthetic research

Culture and Organization, 27(3), s. 226- 239. Doi: 10.1080/14759551.2020.1806839

Despite the growing academic interest in the aesthetic dimensions of organizational life, there is a surprising lack of critical reflection on how to analyse data acquired through organizational aesthetic research. This paper addresses this gap, first by illustrating the analytical challenges that aesthetic research poses. Then, it introduces participatory interpretation as an analytical method, and evaluates it by drawing on an empirical study. What sets this method apart from the other methods traditionally used is its potential (1) to avoid an almost exclusive reliance on the researcher’s interpretation, developing instead an understanding of the aesthetics explored which takes into account both the researcher’s and the actors’ interpretations, and (2) to achieve an understanding of the performativity of the organizational aesthetics under study. The paper concludes by suggesting possible applications of this method in a wide range of other organizational research fields.

De Molli, Federica (2022)

Podcast "Creativity Matters!" https://open.spotify.com/show/0PF2Tkgirb8gAnF6EQLmmV?si=f43564a2980d4d0e

BI Podcast [Radio]

Mangis, J; Zamparini, Alessandra & De Molli, Federica (2025)

Controlling Space beyond Organizational Confines: The Force and Fugacity of ‘Tractive Control’

[Academic lecture]. Research Group on Collaborative Spaces (RGCS) Symposium 2025.

De Molli, Federica; van Marrewijk, Alfons & Carlsen, Arne (2024)

Creating value in megaprojects: Unveiling five qualities of the aesthetic sublime

[Academic lecture]. EURAM 2024 Conference.

De Molli, Federica; Balachandran Nair, Lakshmi, Vecco, Marilena & Lapointe, Émilie (2024)

No space for mistrust: exploring the role of place in repairing trust

[Academic lecture]. PDW Academy of Management.

De Molli, Federica & Paolino, Chiara (2022)

Meaning Making through Artistic Interventions in University Spaces: An Aesthetic Approach.

[Academic lecture]. Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) Conference.

Mengis, Jeanne; Zamparini, Alessandra & De Molli, Federica (2022)

Controlling Space beyond Organizational Confines: The Force and Fugacity of 'Tractive Control'

[Academic lecture]. European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS) Conference.

De Molli, Federica; Vecco, Marilena & Balachandran Nair, Lakshmi (2022)

“Let’s meet at our new digs!”: Materializing the process of trust development with the help of organizational space

[Academic lecture]. BAM Conference.

Academic Degrees
Year	Academic Department	Degree
2019	Università della Svizzera italiana	PhD

Work Experience
Year	Employer	Job Title
2022 - Present	BI Norwegian Business School	Associate Professor
2020 - Present	Burgundy School of Business (BSB), Dijon, France	Adjunct Lecturer
2021 - 2022	Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), Milan, Italy.	Assistant Professor
2017 - 2021	Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), Milan, Italy	Adjunct Professor
2019 - 2020	University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Lugano, Switzerland.	Lecturer