Exploring Historic Black Social Innovators & Organizational Theory

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Historic Black Social Innovators to Elaborate Organizational Theory

Drs. Novicevic and Humphreys argue that there is a void in theorizing historical Black social innovation. Their studies showcase how organizational theories may be enriched by incorporating the compelling life experiences of historic Black innovators acting as entrepreneurial leaders. Their talk is focused on the historic case of institutional entrepreneurship exhibited by James Meredith's who acted defiantly against the institutionalized barriers to racial integration at the University of Mississippi. Based on this case, which draws upon the archival evidence of support and opposition to Meredith's defiant actions, Drs. Novicevic and Humphreys have extended our understanding of the complementary processes of endorsement and contestation within the social construction of entrepreneurial leader identity.

Watch this talk on YouTube [00:59:46]

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About the speakers

Milorad M. Novicevic (Ph.D. University of Oklahoma) is Former Chair of the Academy of Management – Management History Davison and Associate Professor of Management at the University of Mississippi. His research is focused primarily on the historical, global, and ethical aspects of leadership and entrepreneurship. He has published more than 170 articles in journals, such as Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Leadership Quarterly, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Human Relations, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of World Business, Strategic Management Journal, Organization, Journal of Ethos and Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Human Resource Management, Journal of Management History, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, European Management Journal, Business Horizons, Organizational Dynamics, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Review, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Career Development International. He has also co-authored a book Management and Organizational History: A Research Overview published by Routledge, one of the leading global publishers. Dr. Novicevic has won John F. Mee Award, SAGE Award for Best Paper in Leadership, and Halloran Award for Best Paper in Ethics in the Academy of Management – Management History Division. He has also won the Outstanding Article Award in the Journal of Management History. Dr. Novicevic has won twice the award for outstanding teaching in the undergraduate program and twice for outstanding teaching in the MBA-Campus program.

Dr. John Humphreys is Professor of Management at Texas A&M University – Commerce. He recently returned to the faculty after serving in senior administrative roles (Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Business). He has lectured at numerous universities in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and represented A&M Commerce as a Fulbright Scholar to China. He has produced over 100 intellectual contributions that have appeared in numerous venues, including the Harvard Business Review, Human Relations, MIT Sloan Management Review, Business Horizons, Organization, Thunderbird International Business Review, Leadership, Journal of Management Inquiry, Management Decision, and Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies. His publications have been cited over 3,700 times in articles and books, as well as the New York Times. A past chair of the Management History Division of the Academy of Management, his research has been recognized with the division's best paper on leadership (2003, 2008, 2010, 2015), best paper on business ethics (2012), best international paper (2015), and the John F. Mee Award for outstanding intellectual contribution (2020), as well as outstanding article of the year by the Journal of Management History (2007, 2016, 2018). Prior to joining academia, Dr. Humphreys held a leadership position with a multi-billion dollar financial services organization.