Mehdi Safavi

Mehdi Safavi is a Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Organisation at Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, specializing in organizational routines, strategic change, and digital transformation. He previously served as a Lecturer and Early Career Fellow at the University of Edinburgh Business School.

• PhD in Management, University of Edinburgh (2014)
• MSc in Information Technology Management, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran (2009)
• BSc in Electrical Engineering (Electronics), Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2005)

His research focuses on the micro-dynamics of organizational routines during strategic episodes such as mergers, corporate venturing, and algorithmic organizing. Grounded in Routine Dynamics, his work explores how routines resist or adapt to change, particularly in tradition-laden or high-complexity environments. He employs qualitative and ethnographic methods to uncover the interplay between agency, structure, and context.

The trends in his recent publications reveal a strong focus on routine reconfiguration, algorithmic organizing, boundary work in innovation, and the role of embodiment and societal context in routine stability. His work spans disciplines including strategic management, organizational theory, information systems, and innovation studies.

• 2023 SOMMY Award for Best Research Paper, Cranfield School of Management
• Multiple Best Paper Awards and Nominations, Academy of Management (SAP and OMT divisions)

Mehdi actively supervises doctoral students and collaborates on research projects examining routine replication, algorithmic expansion, and boundary work in corporate venture capital. He has consulting experience with public and private organizations across Europe, Latin America, and the MENA region, focusing on organizational change and inertia. His current projects include ethnographic studies in the Royal Air Force and research on truce-making in military integration.

He is affiliated with several research networks and contributes to leading journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Long Range Planning, and MIT Sloan Management Review.