Andrew Pettigrew
Encyclopedia
Andrew Marshall Pettigrew OBE
(born 11 June 1944) is Professor of Strategy and Organisation at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. A British professor, he was formerly dean of the University of Bath School of Management
. He received his training in sociology
and anthropology
at Liverpool University and received his Ph.D. from Manchester Business School
in 1970. He has held academic appointments at Yale University
, Harvard University
, London Business School
and Warwick Business School
.
Pettigrew has published many academic papers and books that consider the human, political, and social aspects of organisations and their strategies in contrast to the purely economic view in which the main unit of analysis is the firm or industry as typified by Michael Porter
. This is known as the strategy
process school as opposed to the strategy content school.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.
Grammar School, he joined a Brathay Exploration Group funded by the BBC
and the Royal Geographic Society to Uganda
, where he and 12 other boys worked with local archaeologists and social anthropologists. His own tasks were to survey the distribution of flat houses , particular to the northern slopes of Mount Elgon, and then to survey the spread of conical-roofed houses, as an indicator of the break-up or continuity of the existing culture. He later said of this trip that the "themes can be seen to resonate throughout much of my academic work".
He followed this work with a degree in sociology at Liverpool University and a PhD in industry sociology supervised by Enid Mumford
at Manchester Business School
followed by two years at Yale University
at their Administrative Science Department.
He established and directed the Centre for Corporate Strategy and Change at Warwick Business School from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s. In 2002 he became the first non North American scholar to receive the Distinguished Scholar of the US Academy of Management award.
, Fairfield-Sonn (1987) says:
Pettigrew's background in anthropology and sociology seemed to predispose his view that "an organisation's strategy is the result of a process embedded in a context" (2003b). He recalls how when he made his "way across then what was a fairly rickety (and in places non-existent) bridge from sociology by way of organisation strategy" such a view was "an unusual thing" since at the time "those with backgrounds in industrial economics ruled the roost" complete with their "overuse of simple distinctions such as 'strategy formulation' and 'strategy implementation' and 'strategy content' and 'strategy process' research.
Despite his intellectual preference for fewer distinctions between content, process, and context, he still tends to be viewed as a researcher in the process tradition simply because it, as he, is interested in more than static decisions. He argues (2003b) that:
This view of strategy requires the strategy researcher to be historian
, anthropologist, and political analyst.
:
He claims that "most social scientists do not appear to give much time to time" and that, as a result, much of their work is an "exercise in comparative statics" and therefore recommends strategy researchers follow the approach of historians to "reconstruct past contexts, processes, and decisions" in order to discover patterns, find underlying mechanisms and triggers, and combine inductive search with deductive reason.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 11 June 1944) is Professor of Strategy and Organisation at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. A British professor, he was formerly dean of the University of Bath School of Management
University of Bath School of Management
The University of Bath School of Management in Bath, England, is the international business school of University of Bath. Established in 1966, it is one of the oldest business schools in the UK. It offers a range of programmes including undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD, as well as executive...
. He received his training in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at Liverpool University and received his Ph.D. from Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
in 1970. He has held academic appointments at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
and Warwick Business School
Warwick Business School
Warwick Business School, also known as WBS, was established in 1967 as the School of Industrial and Business Studies.It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD degree programmes,as well as non-degree executive education for individuals and companies....
.
Pettigrew has published many academic papers and books that consider the human, political, and social aspects of organisations and their strategies in contrast to the purely economic view in which the main unit of analysis is the firm or industry as typified by Michael Porter
Michael Porter
Michael Eugene Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a leading authority on company strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions. Michael Porter’s work is recognized in many governments, corporations and academic circles globally...
. This is known as the strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
process school as opposed to the strategy content school.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.
Early life
Just before leaving CorbyCorby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
Grammar School, he joined a Brathay Exploration Group funded by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the Royal Geographic Society to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, where he and 12 other boys worked with local archaeologists and social anthropologists. His own tasks were to survey the distribution of flat houses , particular to the northern slopes of Mount Elgon, and then to survey the spread of conical-roofed houses, as an indicator of the break-up or continuity of the existing culture. He later said of this trip that the "themes can be seen to resonate throughout much of my academic work".
He followed this work with a degree in sociology at Liverpool University and a PhD in industry sociology supervised by Enid Mumford
Enid Mumford
Enid Mumford was a British social scientist, computer scientist and Professor Emerita of Manchester University and a Visiting Fellow at Manchester Business School, largely known for her work on human factors and socio-technical systems.- Biography :Following her BA in Social Science from Liverpool...
at Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School is the largest department of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. According to Bloomberg Business Week's ranking of the world's best business schools the MBS MBA is ranked third in the world...
followed by two years at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
at their Administrative Science Department.
He established and directed the Centre for Corporate Strategy and Change at Warwick Business School from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s. In 2002 he became the first non North American scholar to receive the Distinguished Scholar of the US Academy of Management award.
Key ideas
Writing about his 1985 book The Awakening Giant, which examines how best to explain the success and failings of ICIImperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
, Fairfield-Sonn (1987) says:
"Given the scope of the task Pettigrew sets out to accomplish the likelihood of success seems remote. Yet, the author artfully manages to combine the skills of business historian, methodological critic, and pragmatic counselor to produce a cutting-edge work that should be read by everyone who has an interest in organizational development."
Pettigrew's background in anthropology and sociology seemed to predispose his view that "an organisation's strategy is the result of a process embedded in a context" (2003b). He recalls how when he made his "way across then what was a fairly rickety (and in places non-existent) bridge from sociology by way of organisation strategy" such a view was "an unusual thing" since at the time "those with backgrounds in industrial economics ruled the roost" complete with their "overuse of simple distinctions such as 'strategy formulation' and 'strategy implementation' and 'strategy content' and 'strategy process' research.
Despite his intellectual preference for fewer distinctions between content, process, and context, he still tends to be viewed as a researcher in the process tradition simply because it, as he, is interested in more than static decisions. He argues (2003b) that:
- The link between formulation and implementation is not unilinear but interrelated time
- Understanding the change associated with strategy requires understanding of continuity over time
- Strategy, and its impact on future outcomes, are shaped by power and politics
This view of strategy requires the strategy researcher to be historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, anthropologist, and political analyst.
Views on methodology
Pettigrew considers his work to have been "to catch reality in flight" (2003b) such that human behaviour is studied in context and by locating present behaviour "in its historical antecedents" (2003b:306). He determines three benefits of such a longitudinal studyLongitudinal study
A longitudinal study is a correlational research study that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time — often many decades. It is a type of observational study. Longitudinal studies are often used in psychology to study developmental trends across the...
:
- Length of time enables appreciation of decision-making in context
- Each individual 'drama' provides a clear point of data collection
- Mechanisms that lead to, accentuate, and regulate, each drama can be deduced
- Comparison and contrast is possible allowing continuity and change to be examined
He claims that "most social scientists do not appear to give much time to time" and that, as a result, much of their work is an "exercise in comparative statics" and therefore recommends strategy researchers follow the approach of historians to "reconstruct past contexts, processes, and decisions" in order to discover patterns, find underlying mechanisms and triggers, and combine inductive search with deductive reason.