The podcast has reached yet another major milestone! Our 100th episode!
In contrast to previous special episodes where we mostly talked about ourselves (see Episodes 50 & 69), we decided this time to look outward toward the various fields of study that have fed into the program – organization studies, organization theory, management science, and others – and ask how strong or healthy those fields are. The disciple has, after all, gotten very big with thousands of scholars around the world doing important field work, research, and consultancy projects. But it has also become more fragmented and is experiencing the stresses and strains of a mature profession. Many subgroups overlapping, intense competition over getting published, and increasing specialization that occasionally risks moving too far away from practice.
So in this one-part reflection, we think about what we have learned so far in 100 episodes stretching over 7-1/2 years and where we might like to see the field go in the coming years. How can we continue to diversify and be more inclusive without further fracturing? How can we continue to bridge the ever-persistent gap between the latest scholarship and contemporary challenges in practice? How do we improve communications across the discipline so we reduce the redundancies or overlapping of various subfields looking at the same phenomena but using different terms or meanings? And in about four years, when Episode 150 would come out, we’ll see how good our forecasting skills were…
To Learn More:
Porter, L. W. (1996). Forty years of organization studies: Reflections from a micro perspective. Administrative Science Quarterly, 262-269.
(Website) https://workinprogress.oowsection.org/2014/10/29/panel-the-future-of-organizational-sociology/
Other Talking About Organizations Podcast episodes referenced:
Episode 50. Celebrating 50 Episodes — What Have We Learned?
Episode 69. Our 5th Anniversary Special!
Title Image Credit: Tom Galvin
