Orgtheory

Mon, Oct 10, 2011

A Sociology of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs had charisma. What does that mean? Narrowly, it means something about the force of the man’s personality and its effects on those who worked for him at Apple. More broadly, it has something to do with his gradual emergence as a cultural icon over the past decade. The wave of emotion that washed across the Internet following the news of his death is evidence of how important he was to many people.

Sun, Feb 20, 2011

The U-Shaped Theory of Higher Education

Many forms of education run on a simple principle: if you get good applicants and train them in a straightforward fashion, you will get good results. In higher education, you start with freshmen. Then you flatten them (Econ 101) or mash them (Organic Chem). Add literature requirements or a foreign language. If you want a light taste, add a Phys Ed requirement, study abroad, or art appreciation. That brings me to my theory of price-quality correlation in higher education.

Thu, Dec 23, 2010

Happy New Year going forward

A seasonal message from Jamie Targett, our Director of Corporate Affairs Soon it will be time to remove all traces of the officially authorised low-key festive accessories that have decorated our offices during the festive season. Time also to turn our faces towards the future that is to come. Time to evaluate our personal strategic objectives and our intended goal outcomes. Time to contemplate our game plan, examine core competencies, reinforce best practices, break out of silos, exert maximum leverage, evolve new synergies and maximise our skill sets.

Thu, Jun 11, 2009

Love as Social Fact

Good for a laugh in Soc 101.

Fri, Jun 5, 2009

Friday Night Frivolity: Finnish Edition

I had all my wisdom teeth removed earlier today and so I am perhaps not quite at the peak of my game. Although, if you ask me, there is quite a good argument to be made that the AMR is best read while high on a cocktail of extra-strength Advil, Vicodin, and Haagen Daz ice cream. Here instead, in honor of Teppo, is a clip from an episode of BBC car show Top Gear featuring one of the presenters, James May (aka “Captain Slow”), getting a lesson in rally car driving from Mikka Häkkinen, and subsequently entering a local Folk Rally.

Mon, May 18, 2009

Shake-n-Bake Social Theory redux

I think I’m broadly on Fabio’s side when it comes to the question of the vagueness of concepts in the social sciences. I think my main caveat is that, based on the evidence, successful social science requires precisely specified concepts coupled with a willingness—perhaps elevated to a principle—to strategically ignore any amount of empirical evidence accumulated against them. But enough trolling. Beyond the problem of vague concepts lies the question of vague argument.

Tue, May 5, 2009

University flamewars

Sean remarks below that … these writers … are condemned for applying rigorous ideas in a careless manner. (Some of my colleagues here in the rigor-fixated halls of the University of Chicago have a particularly snide way of referring to this kind of work: this is the kind of work they do at Harvard.) With no connections to either Harvard or Chicago, I don’t have a dog in this fight. But key flaws in my personality leave me unable to resist formulating the obvious rejoinder from Cambridge, viz, that as the intellectual home of pragmatism in its many forms, Chicago is where they apply careless ideas in a rigorous manner.

Fri, Mar 27, 2009

One Man and His Dog and His Giant LED Array

Strategy, planning, management, execution, and quasi-emergent synergistic properties … clearly this film needs to be shown as a matter of routine in MBA courses. Specifying who exactly should be the farmers, the dogs and the sheep can be left to the class as a team-building exercise.

Thu, Feb 26, 2009

FaceBook Quiz

Following up on Bradyen’s post, here’s my FB network, minus a few isolates: The graph clumps into several connected subgroups. There’s family in Ireland, sociology types, philosophy types, and blogger types—these categories aren’t necessarily exclusive. An imaginary prize to the first commenter who can guess the identity of the node colored in green, who seems to be at the center of everything.

Thu, Oct 23, 2008

Apple hires Joel Podolny

Via John Gruber comes news that Apple has hired Joel Podolny away from his position as Dean of Yale’s Business School to lead a project called “Apple University”. The Wall Street Journal says: The Cupertino, Calif., computer maker said Joel Podolny, the dean of the Yale School of Management, will join Apple as vice president and dean of Apple University. The company declined to provide details about the university or the position.