Dr. Tom Lawrence

Biography

Tom's areas of expertise include strategic management, organisational change, social innovation, and institutional theory with a focus on social change. He is a leader in developing research strategies in organisation theory that integrate cultural understandings of organisations and industries, particularly concerning the role of individuals in creating change. His work has appeared in leading organisation strategy journals, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review, and others. Tom co-edited the Sage Handbook of Organization Studies and has held prominent academic positions, including VanDusen Professor of Management at Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University. His research explores how organizations and individuals effect major changes in contested domains, such as healthcare and social innovation, highlighting the importance of social institutions in facilitating or constraining innovation and change. With over twenty years of experience in studying and teaching about change and innovation, he has also served on the board of the Mindset Foundation and teaches in MBA and Executive Education programmes at Oxford.

Research Interests