Resources: Main Page | Research Methods (A) | Major Theories (B) | Issues and Contemporary Topics (C) | Professional Education (D)
Note: This page is under construction and most of the resources are not yet built — however, you are more than welcome to peruse what we have in the works for you!
The Talking About Organizations Podcast website is more than just a host for great conversations. It is also a resource for rising scholars of organization theory and management science. There are so many important research topics and subfields that it is easy for newbies to get lost. We are here to help!
The Resources page is a repository for entry-level scholars to learn more about “what’s out there.” What are the major fields of scholarship, tools of the trade, and phenomena of interest to researchers and practitioners alike. The below topics are sorted in multiple ways to reflect the complexity and multitude of perspectives on organizations and the many scholarly communities studying them. Each perspective is organized into aisles like in a Library, and each aisle is further divided into racks and shelves. Some will be stubs that we are working on to fill, others will be robust — your help is greatly appreciated!
Each link goes to a resource page with a “top five” (or so) list of foundational papers and books that constitute a “must-read” list, along with additional resources to learn more and relevant episodes from the Talking About Organizations Podcast and other programs. Because of the natural overlap in perspectives, you will find some of the same resources in multiple locations on the page (for you WordPress geeks, these are identified by category).
Suggestions are welcome and encouraged! Please respond in the comment box. Boldfaced text and thumbnail images are linked to the respective resource pages.
Aisle A — Research Methods
Rack AA — Conduct and Ethics of Research
Theory Development — Validity and Reliability — Ethical Conduct of Research — Knowledge Repositories and Management
Rack AF — Field Research / Qualitative Methods
Phenomenological Research — Ethnographic Research — Interviews and Focus Groups — Grounded Theory — Participant/Observation — Mixed-Methods
Rack AH — Historical & Archival Methods
Historical Methods — Archival Methods
Rack AQ — Quantitative Methods
Survey Research — Experiments and Experimentation — Big Data & Organizational Analytics — Operations Research & Systems Analysis
Rack AS — Models and Simulations
Knowledge Engineering — Simulations — Conceptualization
Aisle B — Major Theoretical Perspectives and Schools
Rack BZ — Prominent Schools
Carnegie-Mellon School — Aston School — Chicago School
Rack BA — Classical Theories
Scientific Management (Taylor) — Administrative Management (Fayol) — Bureaucratic Management (Weber)
Rack BB — Behavioral Theories (Micro)
Expectancy Theory (Vroom) — Equity Theory (Adams) — Social Exchange Theory — Emotions — Paradox theory — Socialization and climate — Sensemaking — Transitions (Bridges) —
Rack BC — Contingency / Contextual Theories
Contingency theory — Contingency Modeling (Fiedler) — Path-Goal Theory (House) — Pragmatism — Structural Adaptation (Mintzberg) — Professions and occupations — Paradox Theory
Rack BE — External Environments of Organizations
Labor markets — National institutions — Networks — Resource dependence — Shareholder value — Social movements
Rack BG — Groups and Teams
Groups and teams — Organizational culture — Organizational identity and image — Organizational learning — Organizational Performance and Quality Control
Rack BH — Human Relations Theories
Hawthorne Studies (Mayo) — Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow) — Theories of Motivation (Herzberg / McGregor)
Rack BI — Institutional Theories
Institutional Logics (Selznick) — Isomorphism (DiMaggio & Powell) — Efficiency theory — Diffusion and adoption
Rack BK — Structures and Organizational Design
Job design — Organizational Design, Structure, Control
Rack BL — Leadership Theories
Trait Theory — Behavioral Theories — Transformational and Transactional Leadership
Rack BM — Strategic Management Theories
Competitive Forces Model (Porter) — Resource-Based View — Dynamic Capabilities — Strategy and Strategizing — Top Management Teams
Rack BQ — Modern and Postmodern Theories
Complexity Theory — Critical Management Studies — Postmodernism in Management
Rack BS — Systems Theories
General Systems Theory (von Bertalanffy) — Open Systems Theory (Katz & Kahn) — Cybernetics (Wiener) — Complexity Theory — Organizational ecology — Economic Sociology
Aisle C — Topics and Contemporary Issues
Rack CA — Organizational Agility and Adaptability
Agile Methodologies in Management — Resilience and Organizational Change
Rack CC — Organizational Culture and Identity
Culture Change and Organizational Transformation — Organizational Identity and Image — Culture in Multinational Organizations
Rack CD — Digital Transformation, Innovation, Technological Change
AI & Automation in the Workplace — Digital Organization Models — Innovation and Technology Adoption — Entrepreneurship — Creativity in Organizations — Impacts of Social Media
Rack CE — Behavioral Economics and Organizational Decision-Making
Cognitive Biases in Decision-Making — Behavioral Strategies — Behavior Economics
Rack CG — Globalization and International Management
Supply Chains and Resilience — Global Talent Management — Cross-Cultural Management
Rack CI — Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA)
Inclusive Leadership and Decision-Making — Gender, Race, and Intersectionality in Organizations — Organizational Culture and Bias — Organizations and inequality
Rack CL — Leadership in the 21st Century
Transformational and Ethical Leadership — Distributed and Shared Leadership — Leadership in Crisis & Crisis Situations — Authenticity and Inclusive Leadership
Rack CN — Networked Organizations and Collaborative Work
Interorganizational Networks — Knowledge Sharing and Innovation — Cross-functional/cross-disciplinary collaboration
Rack CS — Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Sustainable Business Practices — CSR and Stakeholder Theory — Business Ethics and Governance — Social Responsibility and Ethics — Corporate Governance — Sociomateriality
Rack CT — Talent Management and Human Capital
Employer-employee Relations — Union Relations — Social Capital — Career Management Systems –
Rack CW — Meaning of Work and the Future of Employment
Traditional Models — Remote and Hybrid Work Models — Gig Economy and Freelance Work — Employee Well-Being and Mental Health — Occupations, Professions, and Work
Aisle D — Professional Education and Development
Rack DB — Business Schools and Education
Business School curricula — Controversies
Rack DC — Communities of Practice and Associations
Communities of practice — Internships and Apprenticeships — Doctoral Studies — Links to Key Associations
Rack DO — Outreach and Strategic Communication
Traditional Publication — Public Scholarship
Rack DT — Intersection of Theory and Practice
Practical Scholarship — Paradoxical Tensions — Scholar-Practitioner Development
Note: This page was developed through contributions by members of the TAOP cast, Valerio Iannucci, the AoM Organization and Management Theory keywords page, and various ChatGPT queries including “What are the major theories in organization studies?”, “What are the major contemporary research topics and issues in organization studies?”, and “Why are research methods so important to organizational studies?”
Resources: Main Page | Research Methods (A) | Major Theories (B) | Issues and Contemporary Topics (C) | Professional Education (D)