From What Happened, To What Happens: Microhistorical Analysis in Management Research

Andrew Hargadon

UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Management and organization studies have long been interested in the social contexts and enduring consequences of individual and collective action. Yet empirically observing both the situated nature of actions and their ultimate consequences remains challenging. In this workshop, we describe microhistory as a complementary approach to grounded and longitudinal studies that reconciles situated action in time with its broader consequences over time. We'll discuss the epistemology, method, and form inherent in theorizing with microhistory and jointly explore its potential for management researchers.

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Recommended readings:

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• Hargadon, A. B., & Douglas, Y. (2001). When innovations meet institutions: Edison and the design of the electric light. Administrative science quarterly, 46(3), 476-501.

• McKinlay, A. (2013). Banking, bureaucracy and the career: the curious case of Mr Notman. Business History, 55(3), 431-447.

• Hargadon, A. B., & Wadhwani, R. D. (2022). Theorizing with Microhistory. Academy of Management Review.

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