PhD147 – Reading, Doing and Publishing Research in Organization Studies, Fall 2026

This course is offered to PhD students from other universities. The number of places is limited to 20. The course takes place on campus at Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and is in-person only.

 

To apply, please send an e-mail to the course administrator staffan.alsparr@hhs.se no later than 14 August 2026. In your application, please include a short description of your research/thesis and why the course is relevant to your studies (max 100 words).

 

 

DESCRIPTION

The aim of this course is to understand the practice of reading doing and publishing research in organization studies and leadership by developing an insider appreciation of how knowledge is created, and the different ‘genres’ of research outputs that are developed by researchers. Taking a broad qualitative approach, the course will enhance participants' domain knowledge and reflexivity regarding theories, methodologies and research areas in organization studies, related to leadership, teamwork, identity, meaning, ethics and culture. By the end of the course, participants should be able to integrate this understanding into their own research practice.

 

The course will be delivered in two 2-day blocks (23-24 September; 21-22 October) and a one-day end of course conference on 25 November. There will be guest speakers and opportunities for shared social time. The course will rely on in-person participation to facilitate an energising learning environment.

 

Various pedagogical methods will be used:

• Readings, presentations and critical discussions led by students;
• Practical exercises related to reviewing, writing, etc.
• Short lectures on doing organizational research on phenomena-led or topic-driven research projects (including from invited guest researchers)

 

 

LITERATURE

A list of general readings is provided below. Additional readings, including journal articles, will be assigned during the course, in response to participants’ research interests.

 

Cummings, L.L. and Frost, P.J. (1995) (eds) Publishing in the Organizational Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Frost, P.J. and Taylor, M.S. (1996) Rhythms of Academic Life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Huff, A.S. (1999) Writing for Scholarly Publication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Robinson, S., Bristow, A., & Ratle, O. (Eds.). (2023) Doing Academic Careers Differently: Portraits of Academic Life. London: Routledge.

Stablein, R.E. and Frost, P.J. (2004) Renewing Research Practice. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

 

 

EXAMINATION

Grading for all assignments is on the scale pass/fail.

 

Reviews of readings, exercises and participation in discussion: 50%

Each session will require preparatory work on the part of seminar participants including presentations, exercises and short papers (e.g., reviews of articles) to be handed in. Each student will be graded on their contribution to these activities. Each student will also be assigned sessions related to their interests in which they will be lead presenters. This may involve doing some additional preparation (e.g. an exercise).

 

Review for a journal: 10%

Participants will be asked to submit an anonymous review of an unpublished paper selected by the course leaders. The review must be of sufficient quality to be sent to the author.

 

Research practice: 40%

Participants will conduct a small-scale qualitative study of three organization studies or leadership researchers at any career stage (i.e. post-doc, assistant, associate or full professor), currently working in their area of study (i.e. studying similar phenomena and/or using related methodological or theoretical approaches). They should not be part of the student’s supervisory team or based in the school/department where the student is currently enrolled.

 

Using appropriate qualitative method(s) (e.g., semi-structured interviews, observations), students will explore how these researchers understand and make sense of the practices of reading, doing and publishing research. The qualitative study is intended to generate empirical material that informs the student’s critical reflection.

 

Based on the data collected, students will write a reflective academic essay focused on their own research practice. The essay should integrate relevant literature and ideas from the course and provide clear, well-justified recommendations for the student’s future research practice.

 

Assessment will be based on: 1) the clarity and appropriateness of the essay, 2) the quality of analysis, 3) the depth of critical and reflexive engagement, and 4) the effective integration of course literature and other learnings during the course.

 

Students will present their analysis in a seminar and serve as a discussant for another student’s essay.

 

INQUIRIES

For course content related inquiries, please contact Katja (katja.einola@hhs.se)

For logistics and general questions, please contact Staffan (staffan.alsparr@hhs.se)