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Proposal for Human Capital and Competitive Advantage Interest Group

Executive Summary

1. SMS stands to gain from the proposed Human Capital and Competitive Advantage

(HC&CA) Interest Group (IG) because it will create and mobilize a new community of

scholars.

a) New SMS Members. This group would meld existing SMS members with HR scholars

who are new to SMS. While most strategic human resource management scholars are

involved in the Academy of Management’s HR Division, their research interests are more

macro than much of the work promoted there.

b) Broad Senior Support. Many senior scholars have already pledged support—including

both senior HR and strategy scholars. The proposed leadership melds established SMS

members (e.g., Russ Coff, Bill Hesterly) and senior people who have not been active in

SMS previously (e.g., Dave Lepak, Pat Wright).

c) Deep Support. There is tremendous interest in building a new community. In less than a

month, about 100 scholars have expressed interest in being involved in the group going

forward. These “Friends of Human Capital” will help us generate submissions and form a

base of people who will propel the group forward.

2. Unique Research Domain. The proposed IG’s conceptual space differs from other SMS IGs

in that it focuses explicitly on how performance heterogeneity among firms may arise

through a superior ability to attract, retain, and motivate human capital. This engenders

scholarship that is both multi-level (e.g., individual though firm level) and multi-disciplinary

(e.g., economics and psychology). While the domain is unique, we anticipate that there will

be many opportunities to collaborate with the other IGs.

3. Transition Plan. The attached proposal details the transition plans that are currently in place

including the “what”, “who”, and “how” of the proposed IG. The following are some

highlights of the proposed launch plan:

a) Leadership in Place. The following senior scholars have agreed to step forward and lead

the IG until elected IG officers begin to move through the SMS three-year officer track:

Founding IG Chair Russ Coff

Program Chair (2010 - Rome) Dave Lepak

Associate Program Chair (2010 - Rome) Bill Hesterly

Chair of Launch Committee (2009) Pat Wright

b) Submissions to Tap. As part of assessing the potential for the new community, many have

already expressed interest in submitting their work if the IG is approved.

c) Launch Plans in Play. A Launch Committee has been identified and is being chaired by

Pat Wright. If the IG is approved, the committee will (1) secure new members from SMS

and the macro-HR community, and (2) facilitate elections.

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Table of Contents

Proposal for Human Capital and Competitive Advantage Interest Group (IG)…… Page 2

When, What and Why: Background………………………………………………….... Page 3

When Did This Proposal Begin?

What Are the Objectives?

Is There a Proposed Domain Statement?

What Is the Plan to Finalize the Domain Statement?

How Does this Domain Correspond with Other IGs?

From Where Would New SMS Members Come?

Is There Demand for Such a Group?

Who: Founders, Executive Committee, and Launch Committee in Place…….…… Page 6

Founders

Executive Committee

Launch Committee

How: What’s Underway and What’s Next…………………………………………….. Page 8

Submit the IG Call for Submissions (Rome)

Submit Two Showcase Proposals

Raising Awareness and Signing on New Members

Run Elections

Connecting with SMS Infrastructure

References…………………………………………………………………………..…… Page 10

Appendices………………………………………………………………………………. Page 12

Appendix 1: Draft Domain Statement

Appendix 2: Help Wanted Ad Used to Recruit Volunteers

Appendix 3: Description of Executive Roles Provided to Those New to SMS

Appendix 4: Bios of Executive, Launch, and Organizing Committees

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Proposal for Human Capital & Competitive Advantage Interest Group1

When, What and Why: Background

When Did This Proposal Begin?

During the fall of 2008, the first discussions began about the potential for an SMS Interest Group

(IG) focused on macro HR and human capital. Momentum and critical mass for this research

were building due to successful and well-attended small conferences (Cappelli, Burton,

Campbell, Gardner & Morris, 2007: 2009), various Academy of Management (AoM) sessions

(e.g., Burton, Campbell, Gardner, & Morris, 2008), and a Copenhagen Business School

Conference (Minbaeve, Foss, & Swart, 2009).

Jay Barney was consulted about the potential for such an IG (by Janice Molloy and Rob

Ployhart). Jay suggested that objectives be clarified, leaders be identified, and a proposal brought

forth to the SMS Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

What Are the Objectives?

The impetus for a Human Capital and Competitive Advantage (HC&CA) group was to create a

base for macro-HR scholars that supplements the AoM HR Division. To be clear, the intent is

not to replace the vital small conference and AoM sessions but to complement these efforts in

order to accomplish the following:

1. Institutionalize an annual forum so that these scholars can plan their research submissions

around a consistent annual cycle (i.e., the SMS Annual International Conference

submission cycle)

2. Provide mechanisms to organize and grow the community (e.g., the SMS IG governance

approach)

3. Support interests these scholars have in interacting with strategy scholars

4. Foster macro-HR research that is multidisciplinary (e.g., economics and psychology)

and/or multi-level (e.g., individual through firm level, individual, labor market, and firm

levels).

Is there a Proposed Domain Statement?

The draft domain statement is shown below (and in Appendix 1). Below we expand on our plan

to finalize the domain statement. The draft domain statement states:

The Human Capital and Competitive Advantage (HC&CA) Interest Group of the Strategic

Management Society will promote research addressing the role of human capital in firm

performance. Scholarship that is interdisciplinary and/or considers human capital at multiple

1We are grateful to John Delery, Rob Ployhart, and most especially, Janice Molloy, for help and support in

assembling this proposal.

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levels of analysis is especially welcomed. Examples of the types of questions included in this

conceptual space are the following:

How can firms purposefully create valuable firm-level human capital heterogeneity?

What are the mechanisms that link human capital to firm-level outcomes?

How do firms best manage the value appropriation challenges presented by “star”

employees?

To what extent can firms gain competitive advantage through “people?”

Why and how do competitive interactions within labor markets (e.g., talent poaching)

differ from competitive interactions in other strategic factor markets?

How do management practices that enhance the strategic value of human capital diffuse?

What factors explain differences in human capital productivity within industries?

How does human capital emerge and interact with other forms of intellectual capital

(e.g., social capital, organizational capital) to influence firm-level outcomes?

What Is the Plan to Finalize The Domain Statement?

If on October 10, the SMS Executive Committee and Board of Directors decide to pursue the

group, members of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors will be asked if they

support the domain statement draft as is. Then, the Officers of existing IGs will be polled. If the

draft is supported, Russ Coff will submit the draft to Niko and SMS as the initial domain

statement of the HC&CA IG. If changes are suggested, Russ will address the comments.

Then, SMS members will be invited to join the IG. In addition, macro-HR scholars who are not

current SMS members will receive information about SMS and invitations to join SMS and the

IG. Once the IG has diverse membership, comments will be solicited and reviewed by the IG

Executive Committee. If they determine that changes are warranted, they make

recommendations to the SMS Executive Committee for final approval.

Throughout this process, the domain statement will continue to (1) emphasize research that is

either multidisciplinary or based in economics, and (2) encourage research that is multilevel and

includes the firm-level. These are the two defining characteristics of the IG that differentiate the

SMS forum from other HR forums and societies (e.g., AoM HR Division, Society of Industrial

and Organizational Psychology). It is also these two characteristics that will attract the targeted

macro-HR scholars.

How Does this Domain Correspond with Other IGs?

The proposed HC&CA complements the domain of other SMS Interest Groups. Although there

is some natural overlap with other IGs (e.g., many of them explore aspects of competitive

advantage), it is important to be clear that the proposed IG would bring in new members; in other

words, membership would not be cannibalized from other IGs.

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From Where Would New SMS Members Come?

In addition to some scholars in existing IGs, we anticipate that the IG would attract many macro

or strategic HR scholars who are under-served in most existing academic organizations. To date,

existing HR forums and societies have focused on micro and/or psychology-based research (e.g.,

AoM HR Division, Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology). For important and

valid reasons, these societies have not been particularly receptive to either economic-based HR

scholarship or scholarship blending economics and another discipline (e.g., economics and

psychology, economics and sociology). This leaves the intellectual and community-building

interests of many macro HR scholars under-served.

Moreover, the challenges of conducting multidisciplinary and/or multilevel research involving

the firm-level are well-documented (Cappelli & Sherer, 1991; Ployhart, 2004; Rousseau, 1985).

Indeed, scholars often avoid such research until after tenure. Yet macro HR scholars are

conducting this research and it has vital implications for the strategy field. Therefore, the IG

would provide intellectual and community-building support to macro HR scholars.

Examples of the intellectual support provided may include pre-conference workshops on

multi-level modeling, developing integrative theories, discipline-specific views of human

capital, and integrating “best practices” from econometric (e.g., sensitivity to potential

endogeneity concerns and use of corrections) and psychometric traditions (e.g.,

validation of measures of intangible strategic resources).

Examples of community-building and social support include the existence of a forum and

community of scholars for those conducting this research. The existence of a group

would decrease the intellectual isolation many of these scholars currently experience.

Finally, SMS is uniquely positioned to fulfill this market need. Indeed, no other HR-related

society can offer these scholars interactions with SMS members in existing IGs who are likely to

understand and/or appreciate these scholars’ research.

Is There Demand for Such an IG?

We have had a strong and positive response to our organizing efforts. It is important to be clear

that many of the interested scholars have not previously been involved with SMS; therefore,

creation of the group would bring new members into SMS rather than draw only from existing

members. Evidence of the demand is the success of—and strong interest in—the following

related efforts:

The 2009 People and Organizations Conference at Wharton Business School (Cappelli,

Burton, Campbell, Gardner, & Morris) received over 100 paper proposals. There was also

strong interest in an earlier, related conference: the 2007 Wharton Macro-HRM

Conference (Cappelli, Campbell, Gardner, & Morris).

Similarly, a recent PDW at the 2009 AoM had 54 attendees, 10 senior scholars, and a

waiting list of 38 additional attendees (Narrowing the Micro-Macro Divide through

Human Capital Research: Molloy & Ployhart).

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Copenhagen Business School sponsored a related 2008 conference on Strategic Human

Resource Management and Microfoundations (Minbaeve, Foss, & Swart). This

conference had over twenty participants (including scholars from North America, Europe,

and Asia).

A paper session at the 2008 AoM on these topics was standing room only (Bridging the

Micro-Macro Divide through Strategic HRM Research: Molloy; Ployhart & Moliterno;

Van Iddekinge et al.; and Nishii & Wright).

Such events have been invaluable and we hope for them to continue. An SMS IG would

complement these ad-hoc efforts with the governance mechanisms and organizational routines

necessary to fully foster this scholarship (e.g., a consistent conference deadline, an annual

research forum) and would create a more formal sense of community among these scholars (e.g.,

having an email listserv, having program time at the Annual Conference).

Who: Founders, Executive Committee, Launch Committee, and Friends in Place

Founders.

During 2009, an organizing team (John Delery, Janice Molloy, and Rob Ployhart) informally

assessed interest among senior HR and strategy scholars. The response was loud and clear: there

was strong interest in proposing an HC&CA group. Junior scholars who had spearheaded related

small conferences were also supportive.

We refer to these supporting scholars as Founders. They expressed interest in fostering the

scholarship, raising awareness about the potential group, and providing ad-hoc counsel to the

organizing team. These thirty-six individuals are named below:

Linda Argote

Brian Becker

John Boudreau

Diane Burton

Ben Campbell

Peter Cappelli

Clint Chadwick

Russ Coff

John Delery

Nicolai Foss

Tim Gardner

James Guthrie

Nile Hatch

James Hayton

Bill Hesterly

Mike Hitt

Susan Jackson

Peter Klein

Yasemin Kor

Steve Kozlowski

Dave Lepak

Janice Molloy

Shad Morris

Rob Ployhart

John Powell

Denise Rousseau

Ben Schneider

Jamal Shamsie

Peter Sherer

Scott Snell

Paul Sparrow

JC Spender

Juani Swart

David Teece

Patrick Wright

Todd Zenger

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Executive Committee.

Russ Coff agreed to be the Founding Chair of the IG, lead organizing efforts, and bring a

proposal to the SMS Board of Directors. In mid-August 2009, Russ solicited interest in

leadership roles (see appendix 2).

This led to the following proposed initial Executive Committee, which has a structure consistent

with the SMS by-laws and other IG governance policies. In addition, a Launch Committee Chair

is listed; the position will exist for the first year of the IG. The Launch Committee is responsible

for partnering with the Executive Committee to (1) secure new members from the SMS and

macro-HR communities, and (2) facilitating the first election (which will be for an Associate

Program Chair (2011) and six representatives-at-large. Brief bios are provided for each person in

Appendix 4.

Founding IG Chair Russ Coff

Program Chair (2010 - Rome) Dave Lepak

Associate Program Chair (2010 - Rome) Bill Hesterly

Launch Committee Chair (2009-2010) Pat Wright

Consistent with SMS by-laws, the IG’s Associate Program Chair and Program Chair will rotate

through the traditional three-year track. Moreover, the responsibilities of these roles are

consistent with parallel roles in other IGs and the SMS by-laws (see appendix 3).

The individuals have agreed to serve, are ready to begin, and have agreed to launch the first IG

programming in Rome. These individuals are simply waiting for the decision of the SMS

Executive Committee and Board.

Launch Committee

The following individuals volunteered for and committed to assist the Executive Committee with

the launch:

Aya Chacar

Clint Chadwick

Tim Holcomb

Peter Klein

Alison Mackey

Mark Shanley

Peter Sherer

Juani Swart

Pat Wright

Pat Wright is the Launch Committee Chair. This committee focuses on two outcomes (1) secure

new members from SMS and the macro-HR community, and (2) facilitate elections. The actions

that the Launch Committee will complete are detailed in the “How: What’s Underway and

What’s Next If Approved” portion of the proposal.

Friends of Human Capital.

In addition to the Founders and Launch Committee, many other individuals have expressed

interest in submitting their research and/or volunteering with the launch. We call these

individuals “Friends of Human Capital” and have created an email distribution of over 100 of

these individuals. We also have a website we use to capture contact information and the ways

that people would like to be involved and volunteer.

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How: What’s Underway and What’s Next If Approved

Immediately after the election, Russ Coff and the Executive Committee will complete the

following actions.

Submit the IG Call for Submissions (Rome). If launched, we will work with Niko Pelka to

distribute our call for submissions for the 2010 Annual Conference in Rome.

Submit Two Showcase Proposals. In addition, two showcase proposals are in process.

The first is a panel of eminent strategy and macro-HR scholars who would each share

their view of the future of human capital research. Then, a panel discussion would be

facilitated. In the second showcase, an eminent scholar will discuss their view of HR

strategy and then an executive from a company that has implemented such an approach

will present a case study. Questions and answers will follow.

Pat Wright will pull together the Launch Committee to accomplish the following two outcomes.

Broadly, the purpose of the Launch Committee is to see the IG through the first year of the

probationary period. More specifically, this committee has two specific areas of focus (1) secure

new members from SMS and the macro-HR community, and (2) facilitate elections.

Raising Awareness and Signing on New Members.

As of now, we anticipate that the launch committee will use two approaches to build awareness

about (a) the call for proposals, and (b) the IG. The Launch Planning committee will supplement

these with additional measures.

First, an informal grassroots campaign will launch, using the Friends of Human Capital

distribution and accessing their social networks. Second, more formal channels will be

leveraged such as SMS and AoM listservs (e.g., for HR, OB, BPS, and ENT groups).

Second, academic bloggers will be asked to publicize the group (e.g., Teppo Felin, Nicolai

Foss, Peter Klein) and more formal internet channels will be leveraged (e.g.,

www.HRMtheJournal.com).

Running Elections.

Russ Coff has conducted informal benchmarking with other IGs to understand their election

process and election communications. In addition, Niko Pelka shared insights about what the

election process would need to be and which aspects of the SMS bylaws would be relevant.

If approved, a subgroup of the Launch Committee will construct communications and

collaborate with Niko Pelka to launch an Officer and Representative-at-Large nomination and

election process. This process would align with SMS processes and policies and leverage SMS

resources (e.g., SMS member listserv and newsletter) in a manner similar to other IGs.

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Connecting with SMS Infrastructure.

A member of the launch committee will be selected to assess the steps required for the group

form within SMS and assist the Executive Committee in fulfilling those obligations. For

example, the draft domain statement would need to be finalized and the SMS web presence

established. Opportunities will be explored to leverage centrally-provided technology (e.g.,

website to capture names of people interested in learning more about SMS and the IG) and

automate the creation of IG membership reports and distribution lists.

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References

Burton, D. Campbell, B., Gardner, T., & Morris, S. 2008. People and organizations. Caucus held

at the 68th

Annual Academy of Management Meeting: Anaheim, CA.

Cappelli, P., Burton, D., Campbell, B., Gardner, T., & Morris, S. 2007. First people and

organizations conference: Macro human resource management. Conference held at Wharton

Business School: Philadelphia, PA.

Cappelli, P., Burton, D., Campbell, B., Gardner, T., & Morris, S. 2009. Second people and

organizations conference: Understanding human capital as a valuable and variable asset.

Conference held at Wharton Business School, Philadelphia, PA: June, 2009.

Cappelli, P., & Sherer, P. 1991. The missing role of context in organizational behavior: The need

for a meso approach. In L. Cummings & B. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational

behavior 13: 55-110. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Minbaeve, D., Foss, N., & Swart, J. 2008. Human resource management, knowledge processes

and organizational performance: In search of (micro) foundations. Conference held at

Copenhagen Business School: Copenhagen, Denmark.

Molloy, J. 2008. Bridging micro and macro HR: Emerging theoretical and empirical research.

Symposium held at 68th

Annual Academy of Management Meeting: Anaheim, CA.

Molloy, J. 2008. Do firms with “better” employees outperform rivals? Symposium presentation

at 68th

Annual Academy of Management Meeting: Anaheim, CA.

Molloy, J., & Ployhart, R. 2009. Narrowing the micro-macro divide through intellectual capital

research. Professional development workshop at 69th

Annual Academy of Management

Meeting: Chicago, IL.

Nishii, L. & Wright, P. 2008. Variability within organizations: Implications for strategic human

resource management. Symposium presentation at 68th

Annual Academy of Management

Annual Meeting: Anaheim, CA.

Ployhart, R. 2004. Organizational staffing: A multilevel review, synthesis, and model.

In J. Martocchio (Eds.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, 23, 121-

176. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.

Ployhart, R. & Moliterno, T. 2008. A multilevel model of human capital. Symposium

presentation at 68th

Annual Academy of Management Meeting: Anaheim, CA.

Rousseau, D. 1985. Issues of level in organizational research: Multilevel and cross-level

perspectives. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior,

7: 1-37. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

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Van Iddekinge, C. H., Ferris, G. R., Perrewé, P. L., Perryman, A. A., Blass, F. R, & Heetderks,

T. D. 2008.It’s all about execution: Selection and training implementation and unit

performance. Symposium conducted at 68th

Annual Meeting of the Academy of

Management: Anaheim, CA.

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Appendix 1: Draft Domain Statement

The Human Capital and Competitive Advantage (HC&CA) Interest Group of the Strategic

Management Society will promote research addressing the role of human capital in firm

performance. Scholarship that is interdisciplinary and/or considers human capital at multiple

levels of analysis is especially welcomed.

Examples of the types of questions included in this conceptual space are the following:

How can firms purposefully create valuable firm-level human capital heterogeneity?

What are the mechanisms that link human capital to firm-level outcomes?

How do firms best manage the value appropriation challenges presented by “star”

employees?

To what extent can firms gain competitive advantage through “people?”

Why and how do competitive interactions within labor markets (e.g., talent poaching)

differ from competitive interactions in other strategic factor markets?

How do management practices that enhance the strategic value of human capital diffuse?

What factors explain differences in human capital productivity within industries?

How does human capital emerge and interact with other forms of intellectual capital

(e.g., social capital, organizational capital) to influence firm-level outcomes?

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Appendix 2: Help Wanted Ad Used to Recruit Volunteers and Members

Help Wanted!

Do you study human capital using economic and/or multidisciplinary perspectives?

Would you like to create a forum focused exclusively on scholars like you?

If such a group were created, would you like to shape its direction and programming?

If So—Great News! We are recruiting a team to propose a new interest group to the Strategic

Management Society Board of Directors: Human Capital & Competitive Advantage (“HC&CA”).

We Need Human Capital! Help us find people to involve in the proposed interest group. Approval

depends on our case that there is broad interest in the proposal as well as people to assume leadership

roles. The following illustrates the types of people we seek:

Role Description

2010 Program Chair

Team with Russ Coff to help get the Interest Group off the ground. If approved, the following tasks also apply.

Develop the HC&CA Program (Rome, 2010).

o Marketing to generate submissions (this is the biggest task).

o Review & select papers. We hope to generate 40-50 submissions and there will be helpers (below) so this will be quite manageable.

o Develop interesting showcase sessions to start with a splash.

Serve as Human Capital Interest Group Chair in 2010-11

2010 Associate Program Chair

Team with Russ Coff to help get the Interest Group off the ground. If approved, the following tasks also apply.

Develop the HC&CA Program (Rome, 2010).

o Assist the 2010 Program Chair

o Develop Pre-Conference Human Capital Programming.

Serve as Program Chair 2010-11and Interest Group Chair 2011-12

Launch Planning Committee (8-10 Members)

Assist the officers with planning and executing the Interest Group programming for the Rome 2010 Annual Conference.

This role is ideal to prepare and groom those who might like to become an Officer at some point in their career.

Friends of Human Capital

Those who may wish to submit papers or otherwise be involved in the effort should get on the mailing list so we can keep them informed.

What To Do—Three Easy Steps. Don’t delay: The deadline is Monday, August 24th!

1. Look at the table above. Which of the four role(s) fit your interests and availability?

2. Let us know what you decided. Log on to: https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=130863

3. Pass this announcement on to your friends and colleagues who may be interested.

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Appendix 3: Description of Executive Roles Provided to Those New to SMS

The SMS Approach to Officer Roles. In SMS, the parallel of Academy of Management (AoM)

Divisions is Interest Groups (IGs). Similar to the approach used by AoM, SMS IG officers

typically move through a three-year track. Those who have held both Academy and SMS officer

roles indicate that the SMS roles are not as demanding as the Academy roles (due to the lower

volume of manuscript submissions and reduced need to integrate with as many other Interest

Groups (Divisions).

The Three Year Track.

1. During year one, the individual holds the Associate Program Chair Office and is

responsible for pulling together any pre-conference sessions the IG sponsors at the

Annual International Conferences held each October.

2. During year two, the individual holds the Program Chair Office for IG programming

during the Annual International Conference. This person manages the peer-review and

selection process for all papers submitted to the IG track.

3. During year three, the officer is the Chairperson for the IG. The Chairperson leads the

IG’s Executive Committee meeting, which typically occurs during the October Annual

International Conference. Other central parts of the Chairperson’s role include creating a

shared vision of the IG’s focus, marketing the group to encourage the flow of high-

quality manuscripts, and fostering a sense of community among IG members.

Two Officer Openings. Given that the IG has yet to form, we have modified this three-year track.

In the following table, you will see the two Officer roles that are open for nominations and their

associated commitments through 2012.

Initial Roles

Role During Year 1

(Sept 2009-Oct 2010)

Role During Year 2

(Nov 2010-Oct 2011)

Role During Year 3

(Nov 2011-Oct 2012)

Chairperson Chairperson --

Program Chair Program Chair Chairperson --

Associate Program

Chair

Associate Program

Chair

Program Chair Chairperson

Terms and Skill Requirements. If the SMS Executive Board approves the Human Capital and

Competitive Advantage IG at the October 10th

meeting, the Program and Associate Program

Chairs will formally “take office” and begin to oversee the IG’s first programming, which will be

at the Rome SMS Annual Conference in October, 2010. Interested? Here’s what’s required.

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Some previous experience planning conferences is required for these roles. Of vital

importance is the individual’s interest and potential to design and implement high-profile

programming for the Rome conference.

Attendance at the October 2010 Annual Conference in Rome is required. (In addition, the

Associate Program Chair will need to attend the October 2011 Conference, for which

they will be Program Chair.)

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Appendix 4: Executive, Launch, and Organizing Committee Biographies

Executive Committee

Russ Coff (Ph.D. UCLA) is an Associate Professor of Organization & Management at Emory

University (www.bus.emory.edu/RCoff). His research explores the role of human assets in

creating and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. For example, he studies problems

such as: 1) how buyers cope in mergers and acquisitions that involve human assets, 2) rent

appropriation in the context of a knowledge-based advantage, and 3) human assets and the

application of real option theory.

Dave Lepak (Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University, Human Resource Management) focuses on

the strategic management of human capital as well as managing contingent labor for competitive

advantage. He has published numerous articles on these topics in the Academy of Management

Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Journal of Management, among others. He is

Associate Editor of the Academy of Management Review and currently serves on the editorial

boards of Academy of Management Journal, Human Resource Management, Journal of

Management Studies, Human Resource Management Journal, and International Journal of

Learning and Intellectual Capital.

Bill Hesterly (Ph.D. UCLA) holds an Endowed Chair of Management and is an Associate Dean

at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. Hesterly’s research focuses on

individual versus organizational sources of value creation and innovation, as well as problem

solving approaches to strategic formulation. In 2000, the Academy of Management, Management

History Division, awarded Hesterly “Best Paper.” In 1999, Hesterly received the Ascendant

Scholar Award from Western Academy of Management.

Launch Committee

Aya Chacar (Ph.D. UCLA) is an Assistant Professor of Management and International Business

at Florida International University. Dr. Chacar has held visiting positions at Ohio State

University, the University of Utah, and Balamand University. Her research has received several

awards including the Best Paper Award in International Management and a McKinsey &

Company Best Conference Paper prize.

Clint Chadwick (Ph. D. University of Pennsylvania) is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the

University of Alabama in Huntsville. His research interests include the impact of human resource

systems and pools of human capital on firm competitiveness and restructuring, downsizing, and

strategic renewal within organizations. He has published many articles on such topics in multiple

journals including Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, and Industrial

Relations.

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Tim Holcomb (Ph.D. Texas A&M University) is an assistant professor of Management at Florida

State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and computer information

systems and his master's degree in business administration (MBA) from the University of

Louisiana at Monroe. He received his Ph.D. in strategic management (concentration in

entrepreneurship) from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Dr. Holcomb's

research interests include entrepreneurial opportunity identification and evaluation, new venture

formation and growth, resource management, and leadership/corporate governance.

Peter Klein (Ph.D. University of California) is an Associate Professor in the Division of Applied

Social Sciences at the University of Missouri and Associate Director of the Contracting and

Organizations Research Institute. His research focuses on the boundaries and internal

organization of the firm, with applications to diversification, innovation, entrepreneurship, and

financial institutions.

Alison Mackey (Ph.D. The Ohio State University) is an assistant professor at the California

Polytechnic State University. Previously she taught at Texas A&M University. Her primary

research interest is executive labor markets and firm performance. Her research has been

published in numerous outlets including the Academy of Management Review and the Strategic

Management Journal. In 2007 she received the Wiley Blackwell Outstanding Dissertation Award

from the BPS Division of the Academy of Management.

Mark Shanley (Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania) is a Professor of Managerial Studies and

Department Head at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research interests include Strategic

Management, Organization Theory, Economics of Strategy, Vertical Group Formation, Small

Group Research, and New Venture Strategy. His publications have contributed to many journals,

including Academy of Management Review, Journal of Business Research, and International

Journal of Strategic Change Management.

Peter Sherer (Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an associate professor at the Haskayne

School of Business at the University of Calgary. He received his Ph.D. from the University of

Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining the Haskayne School, he was a faculty member at the

University of Illinois, the University of Oregon, and the Wharton School. He has published a

number of articles in leading journals and research volumes. Professor Sherer (along with K.

Lee) received the Best Paper award of 2002 from the Academy of Management Journal for his

paper on institutional change in law firms.

Juani Swart (Ph.D. University of Bath) is a Senior Lecturer in Organization Studies at the

University of Bath, School of Management, and Director at the Work and Employment Research

Centre (WERC). Her research interests include managing knowledge and knowledge workers,

intellectual capital, and creativity. Juani studies Professional Services Firms using a variety of

methods including axiomatic approaches and systems-based modeling. She has made numerous

contributions to various books on human resource management and has published many articles

in journals such as the Journal of Management Studies, Human Resource Management Journal,

and International Journal of Human Resource Management.

18

Patrick Wright (Ph.D. Michigan State University) is the William J. Conaty GE Professor of

Strategic Human Resources in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell

University. Prior to joining Cornell, he held positions as Associate Professor and Coordinator of

the Master of Science in Human Resource Management program in the College of Business at

Texas A&M University and Assistant Professor of Management in the College of Business at

University of Notre Dame. He holds a BA in psychology from Wheaton College, and an MBA

and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior/Human Resource Management from Michigan State

University.

Organizing Committee

John Delery (Ph.D. Texas A&M University) is a Professor of Management at the Sam Walton

School of Business at the University of Arkansas. His current research interests include the

strategic management of human resources, the structure of human resource management

systems, and the selection interview. In 2002, he was a co-recipient of the best conference paper

award in the Human Resources division of the Academy of Management. In 2003, he received

the Walton College Research Award. He has published in and serves on the editorial board of

many journals including the Academy of Management Journal. John is the incoming president of

the Academy of Management’s HR division for 2010-2011.

Janice Molloy (Ph.D. The Ohio State University) is an assistant professor of human resource

management at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on differences in the theoretical

and methodological assumptions underlying economic and psychological approaches to human

capital. Her interest is how these disciplinary differences influence the evidence gathered—and

in turn, the conclusions made—about the role of human capital in firm performance.

Rob Ployhart (Ph.D. Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor of Management and a

Moore Research Fellow in the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South

Carolina. Dr. Ployhart is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Psychology. His

research focuses on staffing, recruitment, legal issues, and applied statistical models. He has

published numerous articles in outlets such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of

Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology, and Organizational

Behavior and Human Decision Processes.