The PhD specialization in Strategy & Organization trains students in the theories and methods of strategy and organization. This area is renowned for its process approach to organization—a focus on the dynamics through which organizations emerge and operate within society, and on the specific concepts and methodologies for studying the dynamics of strategic change.
We seek candidates ready to make a strong commitment to advancing research in fields such as strategy, organizations, sustainability, international business, innovation, and entrepreneurship. All faculty and students engage with the Centre for Strategy Studies in Organizations, established in 1989, which supports research on strategic management and the interplay between organizations and society.
The program is designed to develop insightful researchers who contribute significantly to both society and academia. It offers a flexible, innovative doctoral program in collaboration with Montreal’s major universities, fostering direct faculty-student contact and interdisciplinary opportunities across four institutions.
Current Area Research Topics
- Culture and consumption
- Entrepreneurship in the informal economy
- Entrepreneurial identity
- Healthcare collaboration
- Institutional theory of organizations
- Managing globalization
- Managing innovation
- Social structures in markets
- Social entrepreneurship
- Sustainable development
Typical Course Structure
First Year
Fall semester
MGPO 701 Seminar in Qualitative Methods
MGPO 702 New Paradigms: Strategic Management
MGSC 706 Management Research Statistics
Winter semester
MGPO 705 Seminar in Policy: Strategy & Entrepreneurship
Elective
Elective
Second Year
Fall semester
MGPO 704 Organizational Theory Seminar
EDPH 689 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Elective
Winter semester
MGPO 706 Perspectives on Innovation
MGPO 708 Seminar in Strategic Management: Sustainability
Elective
Electives
MPCO 720 ADMI 852 Debating Strategic Management
MGMT 709 Designing for Causal Inference
ORGB 708 Social Network Analysis for Social Science Research
ORGB 705 Seminar in Behavioural Science
ORGB 706 Meso Organizational Behaviour
ECON 742 Empirical Microeconomics
SOCI 601 Qualitative Research Methods 2
POLI 618 Quantitative Analysis
POLI 666 Causal Inference for Political Science
MPHE 744 HEC80420A Learning & Innovation through Theories of Organizational Behavior
MPHE 740 HEC80430 Théories des organisations
MPHE 742 HEC80445A Theories of Strategy
MPHE 740 HEC80459A Qualitative Research Methods Workshop
MPHE 746 HEC80467A Research in Social Responsibility and Sustainability
MPHE 743 HEC8042600 Reading, Doing, and Publishing
MPHE 742 HEC8074411 Theory Building
Typical Support Fields
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Environmental studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
