Academic Identity
I am assistant professor of Sociology at Barnard College. My book (and my dissertation research) is a comparative study of technology and futures trading, an ethnography of open outcry and electronic traders. My current research is on how art specialists price cultural commodities, particularly how categories and commensuration work in the secondary/resale fine arts market. I teach courses in economic sociology, organizations, and gender.
Professional Identity
I occasionally consult, focusing on organizational change, the future of technology and financial markets, and environmental markets. I do strategic assessments of markets, technology and organizational design, with qualitative and quantitative components. If you are interested, please email me.
Personal Identity
I grew up outside Chicago, and went to school(s) at Wesleyan University, USC, and Northwestern University. I currently live in New York, with a partner who is a marketing manager for an educational nonprofit. I love movies, like to cook, and I can do a mean lindy swing out. I am INTP.
January 15, 2008
Insight from Meyer and Rowan to your Organizational Life
Filed under: Culture, Organizations — Peter @ 3:33 pm
In discussion with a colleague about how to strategically manage life in an organization, I was drawn into thinking about how cultural institutionalism would motivate a strategy. Most organizations have pretty positive stories to tell about themselves - if they didn’t, they have organizational commitment issues. My advice is simple:
1) Learn what the story is that an organization tells about itself.
2) Tell that story.
This seems trivial, and maybe in a sense it is. But if a university’s story about itself includes a commitment to great teaching, you will not succeed there by disrespecting teaching. You may not have to be a great teacher (i.e., there may be disconnect between an organization’s story and how it rewards its members), but you cannot believe that teaching doesn’t matter.
If an organization sees itself as putting customer needs first and providing an awesome user experience, even your justifications based on costs should be couched in terms of user experience and customer needs.
There is nothing cynical about this.
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