OMT Web
Organization and Management Theory
Division of the Academy of Management
OMT Web
Organization and Management Theory
Division of the Academy of Management
“Reducing Certainty and Increasing Open-Mindedness”
2013 Distinguished Scholar Presentation by Ed Zajac
At this year’s Academy of Management meeting in Orlando, Edward J. Zajac received our division’s Distinguished Scholar Award and delivered an engaging talk on the past, present, and future of OMT research (and his research in OMT). Ed is the James F. Bere Professor of Management & Organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He earned his Ph.D. in Organization and Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School (where—as we learned during his talk—he began as an Accounting PhD student!).
The early hour of the presentation did not deter attendance, as approximately 100 scholars ranging from senior faculty to first-year graduate students convened to celebrate Ed’s accomplishments (indeed, Ed’s first slide thanked over 50 of his research collaborators, suggesting that a number of attendees viewed him not only as a distinguished scholar but as a mentor, colleague, and friend). After Nelson Phillips kicked things off by commenting on the breadth and depth of Ed’s research contributions, the distinguished speaker discussed the value of reducing certainty and increasing open-mindedness in one’s own research and in OMT research more broadly. Incorporating examples from his experiences as a researcher, teacher, consultant, expert witness, and father, Ed urged us to: (1) acknowledge the philosophical differences underlying our theories in and around OMT; (2) embrace with humility the possibility of alternative realities (i.e., truths); and (3) generally work at resisting the natural tendency to close one’s mind to less familiar ideas. Ed contextualized this message by discussing his chosen path as a boundary-spanner in organization theory and strategic management. The extended applause at the end of his talk indicated the resonance of his comments with his audience.
Now in its thirty-third year, the Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes scholars who have been central to the intellectual development of the field of organization and management theory. This year’s award ceremony and breakfast was sponsored by the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Slides from the presentation can be found below. Photos are available on the OMT Division's Facebook page.
The Distinguished Scholar Award and Breakfast was sponsored in part by the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
