When market logic fails

Professor Henry Mintzberg highlights the pitfalls of managing without substance or long-term vision in his new book, Bedtime Stories for Managers. Over his fifty-year career, Professor Mintzberg has watched the private sector rise in power in proportion to government and civil society. Now, he’s raising an alarm about the consequences to society when market logic fails to deliver.

IMPM offers unique blend of theory and practice

McGill’s International Masters’ Program for Managers (IMPM), based on the pedagogy of Professor Henry Mintzberg, takes experienced managers through 16 months of hands-on training to hone their skills. The president of BonBoss, a Quebec-based HR consulting company, joins a training module in Montreal to experience the IMPM in action.

Communityship not leadership, posits management thinker Henry Mintzberg

In an interview with Think:Act, Professor Henry Mintzberg elaborates on why conceptions of leadership yield disconnected, ineffective management. Instead, he argues in favor of what he refers to as “communityship.”

“We're not going to democratize businesses and we don't need to, and we shouldn't. But more humane for sure and more respectful,” says Mintzberg.

Mintzberg headlines leadership conference

Professor Henry Mintzberg will headline the upcoming Leadership: Courage Required conference hosted by the International Leadership Association (ILA).

The conference will examine the work of courageous leaders and followers through skill-based workshops, thought-provoking panels, and presentations highlighting new knowledge and innovative practices.

Going Public: Debating Matters of Concern As an Imperative for Management Scholars

Authors: Dror Etzion and Joel Gehman

Publication: Academy of Management Review, Volume 44, Issue 2, Pages 480 – 492, April 2019

Abstract: 

In this review essay, we assess the shale revolution through the lens of management theory and practice. First, we contend that fracking in America is a textbook example of “good” management. Nonetheless, as we subsequently document, fracking’s influence extends beyond immediate impacts in many social, environmental, and economic spheres, often with negative repercussions. Although management scholars have remained on the sidelines, academics from a variety of other disciplines have actively participated in this debate. We identify several topics where management scholars seem positioned to contribute well-informed opinions on fracking.  We close the essay by posing suggestions for what such public engagement might look like. First, we consider the kinds of problems that might lend themselves to public debate. Second, we tackle questions related to the ground rules for such debates, in terms of potential norms. Finally, we differentiate the kinds of public debates we have in mind from other forms of academic relevance. Essentially, we advocate for “going public” as a complement to rigorous and evidence-based academic research.

Management for sustainability

Authors: Dror Etzion

Publication: Nature Sustainability, Volume 1, Issue 12, Pages 744 -749, December 2018

Abstract: 

Opaque transparency: How material affordances shape intermediary work

Authors: Miron Avidan, Dror Etzion and Joel Gehman

Publication: Regulation and Governance, Volume 13, Issue 2, Pages 197 - 219, June 2019

Abstract: 

Experimentation in strategy-making is essential

A recent blog post looks at Professor Henry Mintzberg’s take on incorporating experimentation in strategy (or letting “a thousand strategic flowers bloom”) and its continued relevance in today’s AI-driven world.

Read more

Rethinking the bonus

In line with Professor Henry Mintzberg’s view that bonuses are inherently flawed, organizations worldwide are increasingly ditching the bonus in favor of fair compensation from the outset.

Read more

Elena Obukhova awarded 2018 SSHRC Insight Development Grant

Congratulations to Elena Obukhova, Assistant Professor in Strategy & Organization awarded 2018 SSHRC Insight Development Grant “Gender and job information sharing through social contacts: A comparative study of the U.S. and China”.

Words of advice for recent MBA grads

Professor Henry Mintzberg joins La Presse to share some words of advice for graduates fresh out of their MBA programs.

The gist of it: stay humble and eat the scrambled eggs!

Read more

Mintzberg on a rebalanced society

At the 2019 Annual General Meeting of Lifelong Learning, Professor Henry Mintzberg shares his perspective on the vital importance of rebalancing society.

View opening address

Professor Mintzberg, management myth buster

Professor Henry Mintzberg joins Infopresse to bust four management myths that are all too common and hold dire consequences for workplaces.

Read more

Professor Etzion co-leads MSSI research project focusing on SMEs

Professor Dror Etzion, along with McGill University colleagues Jaye Ellis (Law) and Catherine Potvin (Biology), has been selected to co-lead a research project under the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI).

Mintzberg among top 30 gurus

Professor Henry Mintzberg ranks 22nd among the world’s top 30 management professionals for 2019. He is celebrated, in particular, for his contrarian views of management that have elucidated dimensions of the profession that were previously left unquestioned or overlooked.

Read more