The Lit Review - An AMJ Podcast Sekou Bermiss

This episode, I speak with Scott Sonenshein, the Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management in the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University. 

In our conversation today, we talk about a recent paper he published in AMJ, with co-author, Kristen Nault, about organizational resilience.  The paper explores the different ways that firms approach adversity and how these approaches can lead to distinctly different outcomes.  We discuss how resilience is best thought of as a verb and not a noun, and how leaders can prepare their organizations for adversity.

This episode, I speak with Gurneeta Vasudeva, an Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. 

In our conversation, we talk about her AMJ paper about how public-private collaborations can contribute to the success of socially beneficial innovation. We discuss the findings from this paper and the implications for efforts around the world that are attempting to solve some of society’s most pressing problems.

This episode, I speak with David Lucas, the Edward Pettinella Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and a Research Fellow with the Institute for an Entrepreneurial Society.

In our conversation today, we talk about a recent paper he published in AMJ, with co-authors, Matthew Grimes and Joel Gehman, about Remaking Capitalism into a more just, sustainable, and inclusive system. The paper explores how legislation can shape how intensely firms focus on values-driven business. This leads to a broader discussion about the purpose of the modern firm and the paradoxical way that policy can in fact get firms to voluntarily shift away from a narrow focus on shareholder maximization

This episode, I speak with Jeff Bednar, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources in the BYU Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University.

In our conversation, we talk about a recent paper he published in AMJ, with co-author, Jacob Brown, about ‘Organizational Ghosts’. The paper explores how leaders continue to influence behaviors and emotions within the organization long after they are gone. This leads to a larger conversation about heroes and heroic legacy in organizations and what happens when a this legacy is challenged or when these legacies prevent the organization from change.

This episode, I speak with Ron Burt, the Charles M. Harper Leadership Professor of Sociology and Strategy at the University of Chicago and Distinguished Professor at Bocconi University in Milan.  
In our conversation, we talk about a recent AMJ paper, with co-author, Song Wang, about 'bridge supervision' in organizations, which occurs when a manager and their boss do not share any strong similar social connections. The current rise of remote employment, is likely to bring a rise in bridge supervision as well.  The paper explores how this trend may impact managerial behavior and performance.
We also discuss Ron’s concerns about the long-term consequences of remote work and about how his sabbatical as an executive at Raytheon informed his recent research including the best way to fail in an organization.
 
Burt, R. S. & Wang, S. 2022. Bridge Supervision: Correlates of a Boss on the Far Side of a Structural Hole. Academy of Management Journal, 65(6): 1835-1863.
https://journals.aom.org/doi/epub/10.5465/amj.2021.0676 

This episode, I speak with Matt Semadeni, Professor of Strategy and Dean’s Council Distinguished Scholar at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. 
In our conversation today, we talk about CEO political ideology.   We discuss how political activism has shaped corporate leadership, strategy, and investing - which pulls the conversation in all sorts of interesting directions.  Finally, Matt shares his views about how organizations can approach politics by recognizing ideological differences and avoiding the negative contentious behaviors.
Anchor Paper
Semadeni, M., Chin, M. K., & Krause, R. 2022. Pumping the Brakes: Examining the Impact of CEO Political Ideology Divergence on Firm Responses. Academy of Management Journal, 65(2): 516-544.
https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2019.1131