Research

Our research interests focus on advancing the theoretical underpinnings of organizational studies both through the application of qualitative methodologies and the development of theoretical frameworks and models. The scope of our research covers mainly three areas: (1) strategy-as-practice, (2) standardization, and (3) the philosophy of science.

One of our major research areas is that of strategy-as-practice. In that context, we explore strategy as something that people in organizations do, rather than something that firms in their markets possess. Our main interest lies in investigating the countless day-to-day activities on the micro-level of organizations, through which strategy translates into practice, as well as how institutions shape these strategizing activities on the macro-level: strategists are not acting in isolation but are drawing upon the regular, socially defined modes of acting that arise from the plural social institutions to which they belong.

A second focal area of our research is standardization, understood as voluntarily adopted regulations that are formulated so that they apply to a wide set of actors. In this area, uncovering the dynamics involved in the processes of development, realization and enforcement of standards is at the top of our research agenda: we look closely at the various social interactions, political maneuvers and power relations that shape the production and implementation of standards.

In addition, we aim at developing a better understanding of the relationship between knowledge and practices developed in the academic field of management, as well as between the knowledge and practices applied in day-to-day business activity. By shedding light on these associations, we intend to contribute to the current debates in the philosophy of science

We apply qualitative methods in most of our work: in order to conduct reliable analyses and build rich case studies, we typically collect our data from different sources though direct observation, interviews and documents. Our goal is to use these methods fruitfully, in order to generate new insights into our research topics, and contribute innovative ideas to the existing literature.