The Competitive Strategy Interest Group (IG) is pleased to offer a research-focused junior faculty paper development workshop at the 2016 Strategic Management Society meetings in Berlin. Although all members of the Competitive Strategy IG are invited to participate, preference will be given to junior faculty who defended their dissertations after September 2011. This workshop will consist of two parts: a session about theory development in strategy papers in the morning, and a paper development session in the afternoon. A more detailed description of each of these sessions is as follows:
Theory Development Session: In the past 20 years, quantitative and qualitative empirical methods used in strategy research have grown increasingly sophisticated, as research methods have advanced in academia more generally. Theoretical research in strategy, however, has received less attention during this period. Yet, we know that “there is nothing as practical as a good theory.” Good theory comes in many forms, including verbal theory, simulations, and closed-form mathematical analysis. In this workshop, four senior strategy faculty will provide practical guidance for doing good theoretical research in strategy, both in standalone papers and in papers that have accompanying empirical analyses. The workshop will cover topics such as: Where does good theory come from? What are the elements of good theory that are common to all approaches (verbal and mathematical)? How can scholars learn the skills of theory development, including verbal and mathematical theory? How should scholars marry theory with empirical evidence? The workshop will include brief presentations by the senior faculty, interactive discussions with participants, and hands-on analysis of published theoretical papers as a guide for theorists.
Paper Development Session: The workshop organizers will group 3-5 papers that are similar in topic and/or methodology and distribute them to the participants. Prior to the workshop, participants in each group will prepare written comments and feedback on the other papers in their group. They will exchange feedback during the paper development portion of the workshop, with each group's discussion being facilitated by one or more senior scholar(s) familiar with the topic or method in question.
In order to participate, please upload one PDF document that include the following items:
by August 12, 2016. Selected participants will be notified by August 26, 2016. Any questions should be addressed to Emilie Feldman (feldmane@wharton.upenn.edu) or Feng Zhu (fzhu@hbs.edu).
The senior scholars include:
Gautam Ahuja, University of Michigan
Olivier Chatain, HEC Paris
Alfonso Gambardella, Bocconi
University
Giovanni Gavetti, Dartmouth College
Javier Gimeno, INSEAD
Connie Helfat, Dartmouth College
Marvin Lieberman, UCLA
Kyle Mayer, University of Southern
California
Evan Rawley, Columbia University
Jasjit Singh, INSEAD
Brian Wu, University of Michigan
