Michael Hannan

Research Statement

Michael Hannan investigates change in the world of organizations. This work involves both formal theoretical treatments of organizational change and empirical studies of the emergence, change, and dissolution of categories and populations of organizations. His current theoretical research involves applications of dynamic logics and Bayesian models to sociological theory, exploration of the emergence of categories, and typecasting processes. His current empirical research investigates the dynamics of categories in the wine industry.

Bio

Michael Hannan is the Stratacom Professor of Management Emeritus in the Graduate School of Business and Professor of Sociology Emeritus in the School of Humanities and Sciences as well as Professor of Organisation Theory at the Durham University Business School.

He received his PhD in sociology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1970. He came to Stanford as Assistant Professor of Sociology in 1969, moved to Cornell in 1984 where he was the Scarborough Professor of Social Sciences, and returned to Stanford in 1991.

His major research interests include categories in markets, organizational ecology, sociological methodology, and formal sociological theory. His current theoretical research applies dynamic logics to organization theory. His current empirical research investigates the emergence of organizational categories and the implications of category membership for organizational identity in several domains, including winemaking in the Italian regions of Piedmont and Tuscany as well as Alsace in France.

Professor Hannan has published more than 150 articles in scholarly journals. Two of his books have received best book awards from the American Sociological Association. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, the Netherlands Institute of Advanced Study, and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, and he received a Guggenheim fellowship.

Academic Degrees

• PhD in sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1970
• MA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1968
• BA, College of the Holy Cross, 1965

Academic Appointments

• At Stanford since 1991, Emeritus since 2015
• Scarborough Professor of Social Sciences, Cornell University, 1984-1991
• Assistant Professor of Sociology to Professor of Sociology, Stanford University, 1969-1984

Awards and Honors

• Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1991
• Max Weber Award, American Sociological Association, 2002
• Max Weber Award, American Sociological Association, 1991
• Distinguished Scholar, Organization Theory and Management Division, Academy of Management, 1991
• Best Paper Award in Mathematical Sociology, American Sociological Association, 2003
• Theorodology Prize, Princeton Sociology Department, 2014

Teaching

Other Teaching

Stanford Executive Program

In the Media

Old Girls Network Helps Bring Young Women into Technology Jobs

Washington Post, July 29, 2009

Stanford Business School Study Maps Out Global Companies

The Economist, February 2002

Insights by Stanford Business

writtenWhy the Most “Cultured” Among Us May Be the Most Resistant to Change

May 27, 2016

A professor finds that so-called cultural leaders aren’t leading at all.

writtenWorking Across Genres Can Dilute Your Brand

August 7, 2015

Combining categories makes it harder for people to understand what you are doing.

writtenA Fine Wine: Do Labels Make a Difference?

February 4, 2013

Research from Stanford’s Michael Hannan examines how consumers perceive the value of organic and biodynamic Alsatian wines.

writtenSpecializing Can Mean Bigger Sales

June 1, 2009

A study suggests that focus pays off.

writtenFounders' Values Help Shape Gender Mix in High-Tech

February 1, 2007

A study looks at the factors that can predict how hospitable firms are to women.

writtenMichael Hannan: Startups Need to “Think Employees” from the Get-Go

January 1, 2007

How companies manage their employees turns out to be critical to their long-term success.

writtenThe Rise of the Mighty Microbrew

August 1, 2002

Researchers explain how industries dominated by large firms actually create an environment where smaller specialists can thrive.

writtenWhy Do Some Companies Thrive While Others Fail?

August 1, 2002

Researchers in the growing field of organizational ecology say it's vital to look at the entire life cycle of the business, including the failures.