ISOI Areas of Focus

In order to achieve our mission of conducting, sponsoring, and promoting world-class transdisciplinary research and thought leadership on strategic organizations, ISOI is divided into four major areas of focus: Organizational Attention and Intelligence, Corporate Purpose, Digital Transformation, and Strategic Innovation.

Organizational Attention and Intelligence

The goal of ISOI's Organizational Attention and Intelligence focus area is to advance the understanding of what drives effective strategic organizations. Understanding strategic organizations is an inherently multi-level and trans-disciplinary process, and we hope to combine multiple perspectives on the topic. As the name suggests, we think that both attention and intelligence are two such boundary-spanning concepts, and we are particularly interested in integrating these concepts with questions of organization design, process, and behavior through the following activities:

• Organizational Attention and Intelligence Workshop
  The ISOI workshop is a gathering of faculty and students affiliated with ISOI and a chance for scholars to share their work and give feedback. The aim of the group is to promote and develop research at the intersection of organizations and strategy, as well as cultivate a shared intellectual approach and sense of identity amongst members of the initiative. Visit our event calendar for more information on upcoming workshops.
• ISOI Research Project on Agile Bureaucracies
  William Ocasio and Geoffrey Love are heading a research project on Agile Bureaucracies in relation to ideas of attentional engagement and control, and differentiated communication channels to think about how organizational design and dynamics can be formed from the attention-based view. If you are interested in this, please reach out.
• Attention and Intelligence Lab 

This area of focus is led by Professor E. Geoffrey Love, ISOI Scholar, and Professor William Ocasio, ISOI Director.

Corporate Purpose

Corporate Purpose is increasingly being talked about in business, and this focus area seeks to encourage and continue to develop research in the contemporary work of corporate purpose from a transdisciplinary mindset. There are different areas to approach Corporate Purpose and if you are interested in this topic please don't hesitate to reach out. 

This area of focus is led by Professor Matthew Kraatz, ISOI Associate Director. 

Digital Transformation

The ISOI Digital Transformation Working Group fosters collaboration among Gies faculty and external experts around digital transformation. While research that is purely about digital technologies themselves may not be appropriate for this working group, research that has an organizational or strategic dimension is certainly of interest. The working group welcomes faculty irrespective of home discipline or field and seeks to create value through interdisciplinary dialog, initiatives, and scholarship. The activities of the working group are expected to be bottom-up and organic.

The approach taken to digital technologies is broad and includes technologies/concepts such as big data, cloud computing, internet and software, analytics, machine learning, edge computing, blockchain (and cryptocurrency), virtual (and augmented) reality, digital making, and artificial intelligence. Visit our event calendar for more information on upcoming workshops.

• ISOI Digital Transformation 'Speedbag' Sessions
  Held each semester, the objective is to provide early feedback on papers and to create a forum where we can become familiar with each other’s research on the digital economy. The sessions follow a flip model where the attendees watch a video presentation and the session is focused on discussion.

This area of focus is led by Professor Deepak Somaya, ISOI Scholar.

Strategic Innovation

In today's changing and complex markets, leaders and organizations must constantly update their innovation competencies. The Strategic Innovation focus area takes an interdisciplinary approach to what innovation means, why it is essential for leaders and organizations, and how it can be deployed to create and capitalize on strategic opportunities.

This area of focus is led by Professor Sandra Corredor, Teaching Assistant Professor of Business Administration.