eFinder

eFinder

Home › Monastic Governance › Article

Historic co-determination helps monasteries navigate digital change across three countries

Phys · · 622 words · By Nathalie Huber
Monastic Governance Organizational Adaptability Digital Transformation

A study by the University of Zurich examines how traditional monastic co-determination and decentralized decision-making processes help monasteries adapt to digitalization. The research suggests that these historic organizational structures provide a resilient framework for integrating new technologies while maintaining religious mandates.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-historic-monasteries-digital-countries.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 1
check_circle
“A new study by the University of Zurich shows that historically developed monastic forms of co-determination can be a significant advantage for dealing with digitalization.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm a study involving Jan Danko and others at the University of Zurich (UZH) exploring how tradition-laden religious institutions (monasteries) negotiate the legitimation of digital media, specifically mentioning the balance between tradition and technology.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — ETH Zurich (German: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich; English: Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854, the university primari…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETH_Zurich
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Zurich (UZH, German: Universität Zürich) is a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its appr. 28,700 enrolled students.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Zurich
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Zurich University may refer to: University of Zurich, founded in 1833 Zurich University of Applied Sciences/ZHAW, founded in 2007. Zurich University of the Arts, founded 2007
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich_University
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“The findings are published in the journal Research Policy.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the study exists, the provided evidence does not explicitly name 'Research Policy' as the publishing journal. One search result mentions a different journal (Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health) which is unrelated to this topic.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alexander Jakob Boris Zehnder (born 21 February 1946), known informally as Sascha, is a Swiss microbiologist and environmental scientist. He spent most of his academic career as professor of microbiol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Zehnder
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is a consortium of leading European research universities, headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_European_Research_Un…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Zurich (UZH, German: Universität Zürich) is a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its appr. 28,700 enrolled students.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Zurich
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“a recent study by the Department of Sociology and the University Research Priority Program (URPP) Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zurich (UZH) shows that monasteries are... surprisingly adaptable [when it comes to managing technological change].”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the study was conducted by Jan Danko and others, and specifically link it to the URPP Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zurich, discussing the navigation of tradition and technology.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Studying monasteries as reclusive communities of religious virtuosos can shed light on legitimation patterns balancing tradition and technology, which all modern institutions need to navigate.
https://www.suz.uzh.ch/de/forschung/wirtschaftssoziologie/ne…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This study investigates how tradition-laden religious institutions negotiate the legitimation of digital media by exploring the intersection of digital media and religious practice in Benedictine mona…
https://www.academia.edu/145368891/Legitimating_digital_medi…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This symposium organized in partnership with the URPP Digital Religion(s) brings together media scholars, theologians, sociologists, and scholars of religion to explore the implications of digitalizat…
https://collegium.ethz.ch/events/fellow-year-2025-2026/relig…
info
“For their study, the UZH researchers analyzed 112 monasteries in Switzerland, Germany and Austria”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence confirms the existence of the study and the researchers, but none of the search snippets explicitly mention the specific number '112 monasteries' or the specific countries (Switzerland, Germany, Austria).
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Collin Yvès Ewald (born 1980 in Basel) is a Swiss scientist investigating the molecular mechanisms of healthy aging. He is a molecular biologist and a professor at ETH Zurich, where he leads the Labo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_Y._Ewald
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Measuring democracy", "Measurement of democracy", "Democracy rankings" redirect here. Democracy indices / rankings are quantitative and comparative measurements of the state of democracy for differe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_indices
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Phaeoceros carolinianus is a species of hornwort—a group of simple, non-vascular plants—that is found worldwide in damp, shaded areas. It forms flat, dark green, rosette-shaped patches measuring 10–20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaeoceros_carolinianus
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Collective consultation, local responsibility and decentralized decision-making processes have all proven to be advantageous for digital transformation [in monasteries].”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms the study's focus on how monasteries negotiate digital media, but the specific findings regarding 'collective consultation' and 'decentralized decision-making' are not detailed in the provided snippets.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Authors: Luiz Giacomossi Jr., Stiven Schwanz Dias, José Fernando Bracalion, and Marcos R. O. A. Maximo.Abstract: With the application of decision-making tech...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWk9x7zUZuM
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — There are several advantages and disadvantages of fiscal decentralization. Decentralized decision-making advantages and disadvantages also, helps us to understand the correct way to approach any fisca…
https://www.vedantu.com/commerce/advantages-and-disadvantage…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Decentralized decision-making refers to the process by which organizations distribute authority and decision-making power across various levels rather than concentrating it at the top.
https://diversedaily.com/decentralized-decision-making-empow…
verified
“In evolutionary biology, such a shift is referred to as "exaptation"—that is, the utilization of existing traits for an entirely new purpose.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple scientific sources explicitly define exaptation as a shift in the function of a trait during evolution where a trait developed for one purpose is co-opted for another.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Exaptation or co-option is a shift in the function of a trait during evolution. For example, a trait can evolve because it served one particular function, but subsequently it may come to serve another…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaptation
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Exaptation is a fascinating concept in evolutionary biology, referring to the process by which a trait originally developed for one purpose is co-opted for a new use.
https://www.brianesty.com/bodywork/2024/03/exaptation/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sometimes evolution puts a trait to a new use, for instance, feathers evolved before flight.Exaptation is a term used in evolutionary biology to describe a trait that has been co-opted for a use other…
https://www.livescience.com/39688-exaptation.html
check_circle
“The best-known example of this are dinosaur feathers, which originally developed as a means for temperature regulation and millions of years later enabled birds to fly.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that dinosaur feathers originally served as insulation/temperature regulation before they were adapted for flight in birds.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Many dinosaurs were covered with simple hair-like feathers. These feathers solely served as insulation to keep dinosaurs warm and had absolutely nothing.A new study by UAlberta paleontologists explore…
https://www.techexplorist.com/dinosaur-feather-evolution-sex…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Feathers: The Ancient Invention That Changed Everything (image credits: wikimedia). Feathers might seem like a recent innovation, but they first appeared long before the earliest birds took flight.
https://discoverwildscience.com/birds-are-dinosaursand-they-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The more paleontologists dig, the more feathered dinosaurs they find. Almost three decades have passed since the scientific debut of the first non-avian dinosaur with feathers, Sinosauropteryx, and in…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaurs-evol…
check_circle
“Jan Danko, lead author of the study and academic associate at the UZH Department of Sociology.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results for the study on digital media in religious institutions explicitly name Jan Danko as an author associated with the research, though one other search result refers to a different Jan Danko in veterinary medicine. The context of the study confirms the identity of the academic associate at UZH.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan Danko. The aim of the study was a comprehensive examination of the circulation of superior mesenteric artery in different weeks of pregnancy using Doppler ultrasound examination.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jan-Danko
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dr. sc. nat. Michael Schaepman (b. 1966) studied geography, experimental physics and informatics at the University of Zurich and earned his doctoral degree at the UZH Department of Geography UZH in 19…
https://www.uzh.ch/en/explore/management/president.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Business and economics as well as informatics offer fascinating intellectual challenges and open up a wide variety of professional options. Our Faculty researches on new academic theories and methods …
https://ch.linkedin.com/company/uzh-oec
help
“many monasteries now use digital tools as a matter of course—for instance, in their internal communication, digital administration and web presence.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm or deny the specific digital tools used by monasteries.
help
“In many monasteries, the "CEOs" are elected by the community and can be unelected at any time, and everyone is consulted on important decisions.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the election or removal of monastic leaders ('CEOs').
schedule
“Jan Simon Danko et al, Dinosaurs of the organizational landscape facing technological disruption: Liability of aging and exaptation in monastic orders, Research Policy (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2026.105480”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.