diff --git a/src/app/+item-page/simple/item-types/shared/item.component.ts b/src/app/+item-page/simple/item-types/shared/item.component.ts
index 451eff457f..56bd56cc0f 100644
--- a/src/app/+item-page/simple/item-types/shared/item.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/+item-page/simple/item-types/shared/item.component.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export const relationsToRepresentations = (thisId: string, itemType: string, met
                 }
                 return ids.findById(queryId).pipe(
                   getSucceededRemoteData(),
-                  map((d: RemoteData<Item>) => Object.assign(new ItemMetadataRepresentation(itemType), d.payload))
+                  map((d: RemoteData<Item>) => Object.assign(new ItemMetadataRepresentation(), d.payload))
                 );
               }
             } else {
diff --git a/src/app/+item-page/simple/metadata-representation-list/metadata-representation-list.component.spec.ts b/src/app/+item-page/simple/metadata-representation-list/metadata-representation-list.component.spec.ts
index 77ba30778e..f02625e8c7 100644
--- a/src/app/+item-page/simple/metadata-representation-list/metadata-representation-list.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/+item-page/simple/metadata-representation-list/metadata-representation-list.component.spec.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { ItemMetadataRepresentation } from '../../../core/shared/metadata-repres
 
 const itemType = 'type';
 const metadataRepresentation1 = new MetadatumRepresentation(itemType);
-const metadataRepresentation2 = new ItemMetadataRepresentation(itemType);
+const metadataRepresentation2 = new ItemMetadataRepresentation();
 const representations = [metadataRepresentation1, metadataRepresentation2];
 
 describe('MetadataRepresentationListComponent', () => {
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.spec.ts b/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.spec.ts
index d8f0e1c612..f31f8617ad 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.spec.ts
@@ -16,9 +16,15 @@ describe('ItemMetadataRepresentation', () => {
   item.metadata = metadataMap;
 
   for (const itemType of Object.keys(ItemTypeToValue)) {
-    describe(`when creating an ItemMetadataRepresentation with item-type "${itemType}"`, () => {
+    describe(`when creating an ItemMetadataRepresentation`, () => {
       beforeEach(() => {
-        itemMetadataRepresentation = Object.assign(new ItemMetadataRepresentation(itemType), item);
+        item.metadata['relationship.type'] = [
+          Object.assign(new MetadataValue(), {
+            value: itemType
+          })
+        ];
+
+        itemMetadataRepresentation = Object.assign(new ItemMetadataRepresentation(), item);
       });
 
       it('should have a representation type of item', () => {
@@ -30,7 +36,7 @@ describe('ItemMetadataRepresentation', () => {
       });
 
       it('should return the correct item type', () => {
-        expect(itemMetadataRepresentation.itemType).toEqual(itemType);
+        expect(itemMetadataRepresentation.itemType).toEqual(item.firstMetadataValue('relationship.type'));
       });
     });
   }
diff --git a/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.ts b/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.ts
index b1c63ebee6..7ec1445613 100644
--- a/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ import { hasValue } from '../../../../shared/empty.util';
  */
 export const ItemTypeToValue = {
   Default: 'dc.title',
-  Person: 'dc.contributor.author'
+  Person: 'dc.contributor.author',
+  OrgUnit: 'dc.title'
 };
 
 /**
@@ -18,11 +19,8 @@ export class ItemMetadataRepresentation extends Item implements MetadataRepresen
   /**
    * The type of item this item can be represented as
    */
-  itemType: string;
-
-  constructor(itemType: string) {
-    super();
-    this.itemType = itemType;
+  get itemType(): string {
+    return this.firstMetadataValue('relationship.type');
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/app/shared/items/switcher/item-type-switcher.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/items/switcher/item-type-switcher.component.spec.ts
index b083a3a0f9..3b13abf2ef 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/items/switcher/item-type-switcher.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/items/switcher/item-type-switcher.component.spec.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ const mockItem: Item = Object.assign(new Item(), {
     ]
   }
 });
-const mockItemMetadataRepresentation = Object.assign(new ItemMetadataRepresentation(relationType), mockItem);
+const mockItemMetadataRepresentation = Object.assign(new ItemMetadataRepresentation(), mockItem);
 let viewMode = ItemViewMode.Full;
 
 describe('ItemTypeSwitcherComponent', () => {
diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.html b/src/app/shared/object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..463770c0ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.html
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<ng-template #descTemplate>
+  <span class="text-muted">
+      <span *ngIf="item.allMetadata(['orgunit.identifier.description']).length > 0"
+            class="item-list-job-title">
+        <span [innerHTML]="firstMetadataValue(['orgunit.identifier.description'])"></span>
+      </span>
+  </span>
+</ng-template>
+<ds-truncatable [id]="item.id">
+  <a [routerLink]="['/items/' + item.id]"
+     [innerHTML]="firstMetadataValue('orgunit.identifier.name')"
+     [tooltip]="descTemplate"></a>
+</ds-truncatable>
diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.ts b/src/app/shared/object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..42c6c6f6a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { ItemViewMode, rendersItemType } from '../../../../items/item-type-decorator';
+import { Component } from '@angular/core';
+import { TypedItemSearchResultListElementComponent } from '../typed-item-search-result-list-element.component';
+import { MetadataRepresentationType } from '../../../../../core/shared/metadata-representation/metadata-representation.model';
+
+@rendersItemType('OrgUnit', ItemViewMode.Element, MetadataRepresentationType.Item)
+@Component({
+  selector: 'ds-orgunit-metadata-list-element',
+  templateUrl: './orgunit-metadata-list-element.component.html'
+})
+/**
+ * The component for displaying a list element for an item of the type OrgUnit
+ */
+export class OrgUnitMetadataListElementComponent extends TypedItemSearchResultListElementComponent {
+}
diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-list/metadata-representation-list-element/item/item-metadata-list-element.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/object-list/metadata-representation-list-element/item/item-metadata-list-element.component.spec.ts
index 90de549800..5ffa068951 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/object-list/metadata-representation-list-element/item/item-metadata-list-element.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-list/metadata-representation-list-element/item/item-metadata-list-element.component.spec.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { ItemMetadataListElementComponent } from './item-metadata-list-element.c
 import { By } from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import { ItemMetadataRepresentation } from '../../../../core/shared/metadata-representation/item/item-metadata-representation.model';
 
-const mockItemMetadataRepresentation = new ItemMetadataRepresentation('type');
+const mockItemMetadataRepresentation = new ItemMetadataRepresentation();
 
 describe('ItemMetadataListElementComponent', () => {
   let comp: ItemMetadataListElementComponent;
diff --git a/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts b/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts
index d86d258a63..329a588f43 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 
 import { NgxPaginationModule } from 'ngx-pagination';
 import { ItemTypeSwitcherComponent } from './items/switcher/item-type-switcher.component';
+import { OrgUnitMetadataListElementComponent } from './object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-metadata-list-element.component';
 import { TypedItemSearchResultListElementComponent } from './object-list/item-list-element/item-types/typed-item-search-result-list-element.component';
 import { PublicationListElementComponent } from './object-list/item-list-element/item-types/publication/publication-list-element.component';
 import { OrgUnitListElementComponent } from './object-list/item-list-element/item-types/orgunit/orgunit-list-element.component';
@@ -247,6 +248,7 @@ const ENTRY_COMPONENTS = [
   PublicationListElementComponent,
   PersonListElementComponent,
   PersonMetadataListElementComponent,
+  OrgUnitMetadataListElementComponent,
   OrgUnitListElementComponent,
   ProjectListElementComponent,
   JournalListElementComponent,