Jan Hagen

Jan Hagen is a professor at ESMT and joined ESMT's faculty in 2005. Jan’s interest in research is to understand how organizations deal with human errors as well as automation errors, how psychological safety can be established in teams, and how managerial practice can support a culture of learning in organizations. Apart from academic articles and books he published two books that focus on managing errors in organizations: Confronting Mistakes – Lessons from the Aviation Industry when Dealing with Error (Palgrave Macmillan) and How Could This Happen – Managing Errors in Organizations (Palgrave Macmillan). His research has received media coverage in outlets like the BBC, The Economist, Financial Times, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The Guardian, Forbes, Handelsblatt, Harvard Business Review, Manager Magazin, Spiegel Online, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and The Sunday Times.

Jan’s personal interest is in interacting with organizations to transfer academic knowledge to management. This particularly applies to his research with high-reliability organizations like the airlines and the military, which has implications for business leaders wanting to create agile, learning organizations. He is the program director for ESMT’s Leadership under Pressure executive program and he taught specifically on error and crisis management in courses at Cass Business School, IDC Herzliya, Imperial College London, Saint Paul Business School, Seoul National University, Singapore Management University, and Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. His executive education teaching portfolio includes programs for, among others, Allianz, Belgian Air Force, Daimler, Deutsche Bank, EnBW, E.ON, ERSTE Bank Group, European Investment Bank, European Parliament, German Federal Armed Forces, IBM, Lufthansa, Munich Re and Vienna Insurance Group. If time allows he also supports companies as a consultant with regard to error management.

"Successful and lasting error management lives of new ideas and impulses. Jan Hagen’s presentations were always full of inspiring ideas and outstanding scientific knowledge of the subject, significantly supporting my everyday effort to make military aviation safer." Peter Klement, Brigadier General, Director of Aviation Safety of the German Federal Armed Forces

“Jan’s presentation was a top-notch experience that challenged conventional thinking and opened our minds to the advantages open error communication and the factual management of errors offer to organizations. We all walked away with a new sense of how thorough error analysis can increase a company’s knowledge if we don’t deny them or sweep them under the carpet.” Philipp P. Gross, CEO Peter Gross Bau Holding GmbH

Education

• Participant Centered Learning, Program for Faculty Members, Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA, 2007
• Dr. rer. pol. (magna cum laude), Freie Universität Berlin, 1990
• Dipl.-Kfm., Freie Universität Berlin, 1986

Research

error management, leadership, management practice, automation surprise

Teaching

error management, crisis management, leadership, psychological safety

Expertise

Topics

crisis management, error management, leadership, organizational behavior

Industries

High reliability organizations

Languages

German, English

Publications

Journal publications

• Hagen, J. (2022). Fehler oder Regelverstoß - ein zweiter Blick. Flugsicherheit: Fachliche Mitteilung für fliegende Verbände 2022 (4): 5 – 7.
• Hagen, J. (2022). Aus dem Scheitern lernen – Die Herausforderungen einer Fehlerkultur. ZFO - Zeitschrift für Führung und Organisation 04/2022: 218-222
• Hagen, J., and T. Arcangeli (2021). Gefährlich Trugbilder: Automation Surprise und die Bedeutung der Kommunikation im Cockpit. Flugsicherheit: Fachliche Mitteilung für fliegende Verbände (1): 18– 22.
• Martelli, P., P. Verdin, J. Carroll, M. Frese, J. Hagen, D. Hofmann, Z. Lei, and L. Van Der Heyden (2020). Broadening sight at the board level: Perspectives from error management research.
• Hagen, J., Z. Lei and A. Shahal (2020). What Aircraft Crews Know About Managing High-Pressure Situations. Harvard Business Review Special issue Summer 2020: 36–39.
• Hagen, J. (2020). Fatal errors: What entrepreneurs can learn from pilots. Zi Ziegelindustrie International - Brick and Tile Industry International 2: 34–37.
• Hagen, J., Z. Lei and A. Shahal (2019). What Aircraft Crews Know About Managing High-Pressure Situations. Harvard Business Review 12. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2019/12/what-aircraftcrews-know-about-managing-high-pressure-situations.
• Hagen, J. (2019). Commander inquiry: Fragen stellen. Flugsicherheit: Fachliche Mitteilung für fliegende Verbände 2: 16–20.
• Hagen, J. (2017). Fehlermanagement – warum Schuldzuweisungen nicht helfen. UnternehmerBrief Bauwirtschaft 40(5): 3–8.
• Lei, Z., M. Waller, J. Hagen, and S. Kaplan (2016). Team adaptiveness in dynamic contexts: Contextualizing the roles of interaction patterns and in-process planning. Group and Organization Management 41(4): 491–525.
• Hagen, J. (2015). Fatale Fehlerkultur - warum Skandale viel mit Führung zu tun haben. Wirtschaftspsychologie Aktuell 4: 9-12.
• Hagen, J. and O. Plötner (2014). Fehler im System. Harvard Business Manager 10: 82–86.
• Hagen, J. (2014). Error management: Not just a wing and a prayer. EFMD Global Focus, 2: 52-55.
• Hagen, J. and Z. Lei (2012). Am Liebsten unter vier Augen. Harvard Business Manager 6: 8–11.
• Hagen, J., and C. Teschner (2000). Komplexitätsfalle im globalen Asset Management. Die Bank 2: 94–97.
• Hagen, J., and H. Zagler (1998). Sicherer Zahlungsverkehr im Electronic Commerce. Die Bank 4: 217– 219.
• Bussmann, J., and J. Hagen (1998). Challenges facing banks in internet-based commerce. FIG Connection 2: 15–19.
• Burchhardt, U., and J. Hagen (1995). Servicequalität als Erfolgsfaktor. Bankmagazin 7, 30–34.
• Burchhardt, U., and J. Hagen (1995). Der Service entscheidet: Qualitätsmanagement in Banken. Bankmagazin 3: 48–51.

Books

• Hagen, J. (Ed.) (2018). How could this happen – Managing errors in organizations. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Endorsements from scholars from Johns Hopkins University and MIT
• Hagen, J. (2017). Fatale Fehler: Oder warum Organisationen ein Fehlermanagement brauchen. 2nd ed. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Featured by German media, including Harvard Business Manager, Spiegel Online, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 3Sat
• Hagen, J., and U. Schürenkrämer (Eds.) (2015). Client centricity: Relationship management in banking. Hamburg: Murmann.
• Hagen, J. (2013). Confronting mistakes: Lessons from the aviation industry when dealing with errors. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Endorsements from scholars from Harvard Business School and the US Air Force Academy
  • Featured by leading media, including Financial Times, Sunday Times
• Hagen, J., and U. Schürenkrämer (2011). Die Wiederentdeckung des Kunden: Neue Perspektiven im Bankgeschäft. Hamburg: Murmann.
• Burger, C., and J. Hagen (2008). Strukturumbruch in der Finanzdienstleistungsindustrie: Prozessänderungen als Change für neue Strategien und Konzepte in Banken. Wiesbaden: Gabler.
• Hagen, J. (1990). Bankenzusammenbrüche in den USA im Jahre 1986. Berlin: Freie Universität Berlin.