Bureaucracy - the formal madness
01/27/2026On 5 February 2026, sociologist, organisational consultant and author Stefan Kühl will be a guest at the Faculty of Law at the University of Würzburg. He will be speaking on the topic of "Bürokratie – Eckpunkte einer (rechts-) soziologischen Theorie".
"Leadership and Followership. Management in National Socialism and Democracy": Stefan Kühl's latest book has attracted a lot of attention over the past year. Now Kühl is coming to the University of Würzburg for a public lecture. As part of the Faculty of Law's Würzburg lectures on legal philosophy, legal theory and legal sociology, he will be speaking (only in German) on the topic of "Bürokratie – Eckpunkte einer (rechts-) soziologischen Theorie" (Bureaucracy - cornerstones of a (legal) sociological theory).
The lecture will take place on Thursday, 5 February 2026, in Lecture Hall III of the Old University, Domerschulstraße 16, starting at 6.15 pm. Registration is not required.
About the person: Stefan Kühl
Stefan Kühl holds a doctorate in both sociology and economics and habilitated in sociology. He has been Professor of Organisational Sociology at Bielefeld University since 2007. He also advises ministries, administrations, companies and associations on strategy and organisational development issues.
One focus of Kühl's work is on the organisational forms of state and social institutions. In addition to organisational sociology, which is primarily based on systems theory, he also works intensively in the research fields of work and professional sociology. His contributions to genocide research are also worth mentioning, for example in the book "Ganz normale Organisationen. On the Sociology of the Holocaust".
Kühl regularly publishes in various media, such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung, taz and ZEIT and, together with the journalist Andreas Hermwille, runs the podcast "Der ganz formale Wahnsinn", in which the two explain the often bizarre and paradoxical processes in companies and authorities from the perspective of organisational sociology.
The lecture series
The Faculty of Law at JMU has been organising the "Würzburg Lectures on Legal Philosophy, Legal Theory and Legal Sociology" since 1984. It offers a platform to gain an in-depth insight into the multifaceted world of law beyond dogmatics. The series was initiated by Professors Hasso Hofmann, Ulrich Weber and Edgar Michael Wenz. Professor Anja Amend-Traut and Professor Horst Dreier are currently organising the lecture series and the associated publication series.
