93: Approaches to the Study of Work - Classics AoM PDW LIVE

From the Academy of Management Annual Meeting 2022

With panelists Steve Barley, Gina Dokko, Ingrid Erickson, and Davide Nicolini (pictured at left)

This year’s professional development workshop (PDW) on Organization and Management Theory explored key approaches to the study of work and was held at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management in Seattle, Washington in the U.S. It represents the fourth edition of a standing series showcasing the enduring relevance of early organizational research. This is particularly relevant since current debates about the future of work in management too often overlook insights from earlier studies and research traditions.

The aim of the PDW is to provide a space for the academic community to explore, learn about, and discuss different approaches to the study of work that have been influential in shaping management and organizational scholarship. Four distinguished scholars presented central insights on research traditions related to the study of work and related topics such as careers and technological change. They also addressed various ways that these insights can shed light on the changing nature of work.

We divided the episode into three parts. Part 1 covers the first two presentations by Steve Barley on the work of the Chicago School tradition of study on work and occupations, and Gina Dokko on traditions of research into employment and careers. Part 2 covers the remaining two presentations by Ingrid Erickson on the Computer Supported Collaborative Work tradition, and Davide Nicolini on the Tavistock Institute and associated socio-technical systems tradition. Part 3 presents the panel discussion on three important and challenging topics in the conceptualization of work, its management, and its relation to social issues.

This PDW showcases our continued commitment to re-visiting the ‘classics’ of organization and management theory and its pursuit of ideas, insights, and cutting-edge research that promotes new and relevant theories on core organizational dynamics. As with our previous PDWs on the relevance of early scholarship (episode 46), the contingency approach (episode 58), and women of organizational scholarship (episode 82), we believe that attentive re-readings of classic scholarship reaffirm their enduring relevant. They provide valuable insights into organizational research problematics, stimulate complex thinking, and serve as exemplars of academic excellence.

Part 1. Presentations by Steve Barley (Chicago School) and Gina Dokko (Employment and Careers) – released 13 September 2022

Part 2. Presentations by Ingrid Erickson (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) and Davide Nicolini (The Tavistock Institute) — released 16 September 2022

Part 3. Three Questions About Work, Its Management, and Social Issues — released 20 September 2022

Read With Us — on the value of studying the classics of organization & management theory:

Adler, P. S. (2009). A social science which forgets its founders is lost. In The Oxford Handbook of Sociology and Organization Studies Classical Foundations.

Davis, G. F. & Zald, M. N. (2009). Sociological classics and the canon in the study of organizations (pp. 1-13). Oxford University Press.

Stinchcombe, A. L. (1982). Should sociologists forget their mothers and fathers? The American Sociologist, 17(1), 2-11.

Read with Us — selected works of our distinguished presenters:

Barley, S. R. (2020). Work and Technological Change. Oxford University Press.

Barley, S. R., Bechky, B. A., & Milliken, F. J. (2017). The changing nature of work: Careers, identities, and work lives in the 21st century. Academy of Management Discoveries, 3(2), 111-115.

Dokko, G.. Wilk, S. L., and Rothbard, N. P. (2009). Unpacking prior experience: How career history affects job performance. Organization Science, 20(1), 51-68.

Nigam, A. & Dokko, G. (2019). Career resourcing and the process of professional emergence. Academy of Management Journal, 62(4), 1052-1084.

Erickson, I., Menezes, D., Raheja, R. & Shetty, T. (2019). Flexible turtles and elastic octupi: Exploring agile practice in knowledge work. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), 28(3), 627-653.

Jarrahi, M. H., Sawyer, S., & Erickson, I. (2021). Digital assemblages, information infrastructures, and mobile knowledge work. Journal of Information Technology, 37(3), 230-249.

Nicolini, D. (2011). Practice as the site of knowing: Insights from the field of telemedicine. Organization Science, 22(3), 602-620.

Nicolini, D. (2013). Practice theory, work, and organization: An introduction. Oxford University Press.