Dr Marya Besharov, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the ILR School at Cornell University will be presenting under the WBS Distinguished Seminar Series "Infusing Values: Unpacking the Intra- and Inter-Personal Processes of Institution Leadership" on 1 April 2019.
Schedule:
12:00 - Lunch for registered attendees in the MBA lounge
13:00 - Seminar commences
Abstract:
Upholding and realizing moral values in organizations is a central component of institutional leadership that can enable long-term organizational sustainability. Yet we lack an empirically grounded understanding of how leaders experience and navigate the challenges involved in doing so. To develop theory about intra- and inter-personal leadership processes associated with value infusion, we leverage a longitudinal case study of a social enterprise conglomerate, focusing on a CEO who entered the organization at a time when its value of inclusion for people of all abilities was decoupled from its business operations. By the end of the CEO’s tenure eight years later, the value of inclusion was infused in organizational members’ thoughts and actions. Our qualitative, inductive analysis of the CEO’s personal journal, interviews with organizational members, and archival materials unpacks the leadership experiences and practices that accompanied this transformation. Our findings highlight the enabling role of holding open rather than resolving organizational tensions, the emotional challenges this creates for both leaders and employees, and the coping mechanisms leaders adopt in response, with implications for research on leadership, values, and institutional work.
Biography:
An organizational theorist with a background in organizational sociology, she studies how organizations and their leaders sustain competing goals. Much of her research focuses on hybrid organizations such as social enterprises and mission-driven businesses that seek to address deeply rooted societal challenges while also making a financial profit. Marya’s work has been published in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Business Ethics Quarterly, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of Business Ethics, Research in Organizational Behavior, Research in the Sociology of Organizations, and Industrial and Corporate Change. Marya is currently an Associate Editor for the Academy of Management Annals, and she serves on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Organization Science. She received a BA in Social Studies, an MA in Sociology, and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University. She also holds an MBA from Stanford University. Prior to her academic career, Marya worked as a researcher and consultant in the health care field.