The application period for the 2014 Emerging Scholars Workshop is now open. Since 2012, the Mack Institute has hosted this week-long program that gathers twenty scholars per year (from second-year doctoral students to recent PhD awardees) with a common interest in strategic management. In this guest blog post, 2013 attendee Shardul Phadnis reflects on his key takeaways from his workshop experience.
The week I spent as a participant in the Mack Institute’s Emerging Scholars Workshop (ESW) has been one of the most valuable investments of my professional time in recent years.
My research is in the area of organizational adaptation – specifically, how managerial perception of technological and institutional changes, and the extant organizational practices influence the organization’s adaptation to the new environment. This ESW was tailor-made for my research interests! Not only did the workshop present a holistic picture of the evolutionary perspective of strategy, but the individual sessions themselves were taught by the masters of the respective area. The faculty members participated actively throughout the week and engaged with the “emerging scholars” in several small-group sessions. Some of my most treasured takeaways from the ESW are the pieces of advice I received in these sessions!
Overall, I have returned from the ESW with three concrete benefits:
- Better understanding of the extant scholarly landscape: While I was familiar with several papers discussed in the workshop, reading them together and hearing their interpretations (and historical background) from the masters has enriched my understanding of the field. Even in the short-term, I found better ways to “hook” two of my working papers in the literature.
- New research ideas: The week-long nuanced discussion of the literature also made me aware of new research opportunities. I have been discussing a couple of new research projects with some colleagues at MIT since returning from the workshop.
- Joining the community: I cannot emphasize enough the value of meeting and speaking with the “emerged” and the “emerging” scholars in person. This workshop has probably sowed seeds of some long-term relationships that I hope to nurture into productive collaborations and friendships.
The 2014 Emerging Scholars Workshop will be held June 22, 2014 to June 27, 2014 and the call for applicants has been released. If strategic management and the pursuit of competitive advantage in dynamic environments interests you, learn more about the workshop here!