Reading lists

2,919 readings in organization theory and strategy, compiled from 30 PhD syllabi and reading lists and grouped into 23 numbered streams of theory, plus three on the craft of research under Writing the paper. Each stream has its own page, where the readings assigned in two or more sources come first and those in only one are folded underneath. Credit for the selections belongs to the instructors and authors listed at the end of this page.

Where to start: the 54 most assigned readings, those in 6 or more of the 30 sources. Or see how the readings are assigned together, a map drawn from the syllabi themselves.

Writing one: what to read before writing each part of a paper, from the introduction to the response to reviewers.

Each box is a stream, with its number and its number of readings; click a box to open its page. Arrows show which streams grew out of which; hover over an arrow for a one-line explanation. Readings on theorizing, research methods and the academic profession are not theory and sit outside the tree, under Writing the paper.

Lineage, in words

1 Social theory → 7 Culture, cognition and sensemaking. Weber, Durkheim, Berger and Luckmann on meaning and the social construction of reality.
1 Social theory → 11 Social networks and embeddedness. Simmel and structural sociology on the form of social ties.
2 Classical foundations → 3 Contingency and configurational theory. Open-systems thinking turned attention to fit with the environment.
2 Classical foundations → 15 Behavioral theory of the firm and organizational learning. Barnard and Simon on bounded rationality in administration.
2 Classical foundations → 21 Organizational economics. Coase asked why firms exist at all.
3 Contingency and configurational theory → 4 Resource dependence and power. From adapting to the environment to managing dependence on it.
3 Contingency and configurational theory → 5 Organizational ecology and demography. From adaptation to selection by the environment.
5 Organizational ecology and demography → 6 Entrepreneurship and new organizations. Founding rates and the liability of newness.
5 Organizational ecology and demography → 9 Categories, identity and authenticity. Organizational forms as socially coded identities.
7 Culture, cognition and sensemaking → 8 Institutional theory. Taken-for-granted meaning becomes structure.
8 Institutional theory → 9 Categories, identity and authenticity. Classification and identity as institutional processes.
8 Institutional theory → 10 Social movements, power and inequality. Contesting and changing institutions.
11 Social networks and embeddedness → 12 Status and social evaluation. Ties as prisms that signal quality.
12 Status and social evaluation → 9 Categories, identity and authenticity. Audiences evaluate actors through categories.
10 Social movements, power and inequality → 14 Nonmarket strategy and corporate social responsibility. Firms respond to activists, publics and the state.
15 Behavioral theory of the firm and organizational learning → 16 Evolutionary theory, technology and innovation. Routines and search, scaled up to industries.
15 Behavioral theory of the firm and organizational learning → 17 Strategy process, practice and cognition. Attention and decision making in strategy.
16 Evolutionary theory, technology and innovation → 19 Resource-based view and capabilities. Capabilities and dynamic capabilities.
18 Economic perspectives on strategy → 19 Resource-based view and capabilities. From industry position to firm-specific resources.
21 Organizational economics → 22 Corporate strategy and interfirm relationships. Make-or-buy, alliances and the scope of the firm.
21 Organizational economics → 23 Corporate governance and upper echelons. Agency problems between owners and managers.
21 Organizational economics → 20 International business and multinationals. Internalization theory of the multinational.

Sources

The syllabi and reading lists these lists are compiled from. Each stream page names the sources it draws on.

Raffi Amit. PhD Seminar on Entrepreneurship Research. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2019.
Michel Anteby. Macro Organization Theory. Boston University, Questrom School of Business, Fall 2018.
Lindsey Cameron. Prosem in Management Seminar - MGMT 932: Qualitative Research Practicum - Part I. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Spring 2020.
Arun Chandrasekhar and Matthew O. Jackson. ECON 291: Social and Economic Networks. Stanford University.
David R. Clough. PhD Seminar in Organization Theory (COMM 626). University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business, Fall 2018.
Paul DiMaggio. Soc. 530w: Sociology of Culture: An Introduction. Princeton University, Fall 2002.
Paul DiMaggio. Contemporary Theory (Sociology 502). Princeton University, Spring 2003.
Frank Dobbin. Sociology 224: Organizational Analysis. Harvard University, Fall 2004.
J.P. Eggers. Special Topics: Innovation & Creativity (Doctoral Seminar, Management & Organizations Department). NYU Stern School of Business, Spring 2013.
Peer C. Fiss. MOR 602: Organization Theory. University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, Spring 2012.
Vern L. Glaser. SMO 703 — PhD Seminar in Strategic Management. University of Alberta, Fall 2018.
Britta Glennon. Multinational Firms in the Global Economy (MGMT 962001 and MGMT 963001). The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2020.
Witold Jerzy Henisz. Institutions and Multinational Management. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Q4 (Spring) 2019.
Nan Jia. MOR 603: Seminar in Strategic Management. Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Fall 2017.
Bruce Kogut; Daniel Keum. B9514: Foundations of Strategy. Columbia Business School, Fall 2024.
Daniel Levinthal. Economic Foundations of Management. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Fall 2019.
Michael Lounsbury, Eric Yanfei Zhao. Neo-institutional Theory.
Jane Lu, Stan Li, Kyeonggook Park, Haibin Yang, Shipeng Yan (coordinator). Advanced Topics in Organization and Strategy. City University of Hong Kong.
Massimo Maoret. Organization Theory. IESE Business School, Winter 2018.
Chris Marquis. Macro Topics in Organizational Behavior (HBS 4880) / Organizational Analysis (Soc 224). Harvard Business School, Spring 2013.
John Levi Martin. Social Networks. University of California at Berkeley, Spring 2008.
Mike W. Peng. Ph.D. Seminar: Management Scholarship. University of Texas at Dallas, School of Management, Fall 2011.
Tim Pollock. Doctoral Seminar in Organization Theory (MGT 620). University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Spring 2023.
Bilian N. Sullivan. MGMT 7130: Organization Theory and Strategy. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Fall 2019.
William Wan. MGNT 6232 Advanced Seminar in Management Theory. Chinese University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Business Administration, 2021-2022 Academic Year.
Dennis Yao. HBS 4110: Foundations of Strategy. Harvard Business School, Fall 2023.
Daphne Yiu. Advanced Seminar in Management Theory. Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2019-2020 1st Term.
Lori Qingyuan Yue. MOR602: Organizational Theory. University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, Spring 2019.
Kevin Zhou. STRA6015 – Research Seminars in Strategic Management II: Critical Review and Model Development. University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Business and Economics.
Ezra W. Zuckerman. 15.968 The Sociology of Strategy. MIT Sloan School of Management, Spring 2005.

Theory tree

Sources