Organisations do not exist in a vacuum: they rely on and reflect the political, economic and social contexts within which they operate.
Dr Nela Smolović-Jones discusses issues organisations need to consider today, from dealing with ‘wicked problems’ to gendered corruption, and offers her top tips for leaders to enable them to be mindful.
Nela is a Lecturer in Organisation Studies at The Open University Business School's Department for People and Organisations and founder and director of the research cluster Gendered Organisational Practice, which sits within the academic centre of excellence – REEF.
Her research focuses on the interface between gender and democratic practice, especially areas such as feminist solidarity building, democratic organising, equality at the workplace and institutional forms of gendered corruption.
The Research into Employment, Empowerment and Futures group (REEF) is proud to be partnering with The People Space. This article was originally published on The People Space website; click to read the original article.

Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 10:00 to 16:30
The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Join us at this year’s annual conference as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of CVSL. Together we’ll reflect on a decade of impact and look ahead to the next ten years, featuring insights and reflections from former CVSL directors.
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 - 09:00 to Friday, September 4, 2026 - 17:00
University of Donja Gorica, Oktoih 1, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
This academic conference hopes to draw feminist scholars, activists and communities together to consider what caring feminism across borders might mean now and for the future.