Webinar
Research in Progress in Organiaztion Design
Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 9 AM EST/2 PM CET
In this ODC "Research in Progress" (RiP) webinar, organized and moderated by Wesley W. Koo (Johns Hopkins University), two PhD students - Mads Kock Pedersen (Aarhus University) and Nety Wu (INSEAD) - working on research at the intersection of organization design and strategy present their working papers on group search behavior and the potential of large language models to facilitate knowledge integration across domains (each about 20 mins). The presentations will be followed by a commentary by Oliver Alexy (Technical University of Munich). The webinar will end with feedback/comments from the audience. Please see below for the abstracts of the papers and the bios of the participants.
Wesley W. Koo [organizer and moderator]
Bio: Wesley W. Koo is an assistant professor in the Management & Organization area at Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School. He studies the relations between business, technology, and society. His research focuses on the governance of platform ecosystems and the effects of modern technologies on business and society. He currently serves on the editorial boards at Organization Science and Strategic Management Journal. He received his PhD in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University and bachelor's degrees in Environmental Engineering and Management from MIT.
Mads Kock Pedersen [presenter]
Title: Help – I need somebody? Comparing groups’ and individuals’ search behavior across problem complexity
Abstract: Group and individual search behaviors differ when engaging in search problems, but the reasons are unclear. Previous studies on this topic have been inconsistent, with some indicating groups lean towards more exploitative search behaviors, while others suggest a more explorative approach. We aim to clarify the nature of group search processes, especially the impact of diverse approaches. By experimentally comparing the search behaviors of individuals and groups on both simple and complex fitness landscape, we observed that both start with exploratory behaviors before shifting to exploitative ones. However, groups transition more drastically, leading to better performance. We attribute this to a blend of diverse approaches and imitation, which can coexist when incentives align to shared objectives.
Bio: Mads is a PhD student at the Department of Business Development and Technology at Aarhus University, Denmark. Mads studies the dynamics of organizational search utilizing gamified experiments and computational modeling. He is particular interested in how the search strategies of individuals and groups differ and how the different strategies interact with the complexity of a problem to determine the performance outcomes.
Nety Wu [presenter]
Title: Enhancing Knowledge Integration with Large Language Models: Initial Evidence
Abstract: This study investigates the potential of large language models (LLMs) to facilitate knowledge integration across domains. The study engaged 49 non-academic participants in summarizing academic paper abstracts for managers based on their needs. Results indicate that having access to LLM bolstered participants' confidence, reduced the perceived difficulty, and increased the quality of the summary. Analyzing the summaries revealed that access to LLM led to lower levels of density and centralization and a higher level of clustering in the summaries, indicating a more dispersed engagement with a variety of concepts. These preliminary results suggest LLM’s potential to translate specialized knowledge into more accessible terms and augment users' conceptual breadth. By providing a broader array of concepts in a less centralized manner, LLMs enable users to connect disparate ideas.
Bio: Nety Wu is a PhD student in strategy at INSEAD. Her research focuses on how strategic decision-making processes are affected by artificial intelligence and the overarching impact of technological evolution on firm behavior. She holds a BS in Economics and Finance from HKUST. Prior to academia, she was a research analyst at a Hong Kong-based family office.
Oliver Alexy [discussant]
Bio: Oliver Alexy is Professor of Innovation and Organization Design at the TUM School of Management, Technical University of Munich, Germany. In his research, Oliver studies how to design organizations that effectively deal with extreme uncertainty, such as high-tech start-ups, R&D units, or online communities. His recent interests mainly revolve around questions of how collaboration, knowledge disclosure, or framing strategies may help uncertainty-facing organizations become more legitimate or more innovative, grow or reestablish themselves, or build or commandeer innovation ecosystems. Oliver's work has been published in leading academic and practitioner-oriented outlets, such as the Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal, as well as Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, Sloan Management Review, and McKinsey Quarterly. He is a co-editor of Strategic Organization and serves on the editorial review board of several management journals.
Live webinar is open to all.
Registration closes 13th March, 2024 at 10 am (eastern time)
Hope you will be able to join us!
