Talking About Organizations Podcast

Please join us for Episode 25 as we welcome Prof Sarah Kaplan to discuss another JMS Classic work entitled “Competitive groups as cognitive communities, the case of Scottish knitwear manufacturers”. This paper had a great impact in the field of management and organization in general, and on research in cognition and strategy in particular. As a matter of fact, it has contributed to the vibrant community on managerial cognition which today feeds into many areas of the field. It was also been essential for the development of the growing field of studies on the construction of markets and categories. We are very grateful to Prof Kaplan for joining us for this discussion - she was an amazing guest and a great interlocutor!

This is a summary of our conversation with Bill Starbuck about his Journal of Management Studies Classic - Learning by Knowledge-Intensive Firms. Great Episode for anyone interested in knowledge, information and collective learning!

William Starbuck, a renowned author notable for his insights on knowledge-intensive firms, delves into the intricate balance between organization growth and expertise. He discusses the crucial role of low-level personnel in fostering customer relationships and warns against the downsizing pitfalls that overlook employee retention. The conversation also navigates the transition to knowledge economies and critiques the outsourcing of engineering talent across countries. Finally, Starbuck emphasizes the need for adaptive management strategies in today's evolving workplace.

In this enlightening discussion, William Starbuck, a visiting professor at the University of Oregon, shares insights from his groundbreaking work on knowledge-intensive firms. He highlights the challenges these organizations face in knowledge retention, especially in long-term projects like naval shipbuilding. Starbuck also critiques traditional quantitative research methods, emphasizes the importance of originality in academic work, and discusses how specialization and a long-term vision are key for success. Tune in for a rich exploration of knowledge management in business!

This is a Summary of our inaugural episode of Season 3 - the Journal of Management Studies Classics - where we were joined by Professor Mike Wright to discuss his work on international business and emerging economies.

Please join us and listen to our first Season 3 discussion on a 2013 work published in Journal of Management Studies, by Hoskisson, Wright, Filatotchev and Peng entitled “Emerging multinationals from mid-range economies: the influence of institutions and factor markets”. This episode also sees the participation of one of the authors of the paper, Mike Wright, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London. Together, we review the key points of the paper, its importance as one of the classics of JMS, and its legacy.

Lucy Suchman, an expert on human-machine interaction, discusses her book 'Human-Machine Reconfigurations' which questions the assumptions about user behavior in technology. Topics include reconfiguring human-machine interface, the power of relationships in human-machine interaction, challenges of adopting technology in non-tech companies, developing perceptual capabilities in different cultures, and the importance of context and engaging with technology.

The slightly belated, yet highly anticipated discussion from after the Connections in Action event is here! Join Pedro, Katharina and Brian as they reflect on what they have learned during their time at the workshop/conference. A really fascinating discussion about methodology, fundamental issues to do with actions and practices, and a bit of philosophy!

What a treat! Joining us for this Special Episode from the fascinating 'Connections in Action' workshop at the University of Warwick are Katharina Dittrich and Brian Pentland (aka Doctor Decade)! To our great delight, Doctor Decade provided the live intro music for this episode and even performed one of his songs (Ruts in the Road)!

This is a summary of Episode 20, where we held two discussions broadly grouped under the umbrella title of High Reliability in practice. Broadly focused on the 1993 classic research by Karl Weick and Karlene Roberts which asked how do complex, high risk organizations manage to work safely and reliably, our discussion in Episode 20 featured an appearance by a very special guest! Basically, Weick and Roberts went aboard a US Navy Nimitz class aircraft carrier to collect data and observe how the flight deck crew launches and recovers aircraft. When they came aboard the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, guess who was there to welcome them? Commanding officer Rear Admiral Tom Mercer! Thanks to Ralph we managed to get in touch with Tom and he joined us for part one of the discussion, so definitely listen to that if you haven’t yet.