About
Tom Lawrence is a Professor of Strategic Management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He previously held the W. J. VanDusen Chair at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, and has held academic roles at institutions including Cambridge University and McGill University. He earned his PhD and BComm in Finance from the University of Alberta.
His research focuses on strategic management, organizational change, social innovation, and institutional theory, examining how organizations and individuals drive change in contested domains like healthcare, environmental sustainability, addiction treatment, and homelessness. His work emphasizes the interplay of power, language, social networks, and institutions in enabling or constraining social innovation.
Lawrence has published in leading journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly and Academy of Management Review, and co-edited major works like the Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism. His teaching spans MBA, Executive MBA, and PhD programs, emphasizing strategic thinking and decision-making.
He previously directed the CMA Centre for Innovation at Simon Fraser University, which advanced social innovation research and curriculum development. Currently, he serves on the board of the Mindset Foundation.
