Kevin Daniel Tennent

Dr. Kevin Daniel Tennent is a Reader in Management at the School for Business and Society, University of York, where he has been a faculty member since 2012. His academic career at York has progressed from Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work to Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and now Reader in Management at the York Management School. He serves as founding chair of the British Academy of Management's Management and Business History Special Interest Group, Secretary of the Management History Research Group, and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Management History.

Dr. Tennent is a distinguished management historian whose research spans several interconnected domains. His primary focus examines the development of strategy, purpose, and governance within the corporate economy, with specialized attention to the transport and sport industries. Recent research has investigated employee voice in the interwar American corporate economy, stakeholder interactions within large sporting events, and the hybridization of the transport industry. He has also developed a significant body of work on historical consciousness in management education, exploring how historical understanding can inform contemporary management practice.

His scholarly output reveals a consistent pattern of examining institutional evolution through historical lenses. Tennent's research demonstrates particular expertise in analyzing how organizations navigate periods of transformation, whether through examining the historical development of music distribution, the evolution of public services like UK leisure centers, or the commercialization of sports from 'gentleman's pastime' to global business. His work frequently bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical historical analysis, often focusing on pivotal moments of change in business practices and organizational forms.

• Best Developmental Paper, Business & Management History Track, British Academy of Management (BAM) Annual Conference 2021
• Emerald Literati Awards Outstanding Reviewer for Journal of Management History (2017)
• Emerald Literati Award for Outstanding Paper in Journal of Management History (2018)

Dr. Tennent actively contributes to research leadership through multiple projects including 'Learning and Teaching in Management and Business History' and 'Management History of Tramways.' He regularly engages with policy through written evidence submissions to parliamentary committees on major cultural and sporting events. His collaborative approach is evident in his frequent co-authorship with scholars like Dr. Alex Gillett, with whom he has organized symposia on football history and organized significant academic events exploring the business and management history of professional football clubs.

As an academic leader, Tennent has established himself as a central figure in the management history community, founding key academic networks and contributing significantly to the methodological development of historical approaches in management research. His work bridges academic rigor with practical relevance, particularly through examining how historical understanding can inform contemporary management challenges in complex organizational environments.