Nicolai J. Foss
Rudersdal Kommune, Region Hovedstaden, Danmark
14 t følgere
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Om
Nicolai J. Foss (b. 1964) is a Professor of Strategy at the Department of Strategy and…
Aktivitet
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Delighted to see that my paper The Role of Relatedness in Firm Interrelationships was the most downloaded article in the Journal of Economic Studies…
Delighted to see that my paper The Role of Relatedness in Firm Interrelationships was the most downloaded article in the Journal of Economic Studies…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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My maiden journey into the British Academy of Management universe was an interesting and rewarding one. A very different crowd from #AOM or #AIB…
My maiden journey into the British Academy of Management universe was an interesting and rewarding one. A very different crowd from #AOM or #AIB…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
Erfaring
Uddannelse
Licenser og certificeringer
Udgivelser
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Epistemics At Work: The Theory of Mind in Principal-Agent Relations
Oxford Handbooks Online
Agency theory studies the impact of and remedies to asymmetrically distributed information in principal-agent relations. Yet, it does so in a surprisingly binary manner: It assumes the principal to be perfectly knowledgeable of some pieces of information (such as the agent’s risk aversion), while others (such as the agent’s true effort exerted) are considered to be perfectly private information of the agent. Agency theory thus makes highly asymmetrical assumptions about the knowledge of…
Agency theory studies the impact of and remedies to asymmetrically distributed information in principal-agent relations. Yet, it does so in a surprisingly binary manner: It assumes the principal to be perfectly knowledgeable of some pieces of information (such as the agent’s risk aversion), while others (such as the agent’s true effort exerted) are considered to be perfectly private information of the agent. Agency theory thus makes highly asymmetrical assumptions about the knowledge of principals and agents, largely neglecting the role of individual differences in the human capacity to read other people’s desires, intentions, knowledge, and beliefs—that is, to have an imperfect theory of someone else’s mind. This study explores the implications of instilling agency theory with a more realistic account of this (bounded) human capacity.
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Optimal Contracting under Adverse Selection: The Implications of Mentalizing
Contemporary Economics
We study a model of adverse selection, hard and soft information, and mentalizing ability—the human capacity to represent others’ intentions, knowledge, and beliefs. By allowing for a continuous range of different information types, as well as for different means of acquiring information, we develop a model that captures how principals differentially obtain information on agents. We show that principals that combine conventional data collection techniques with mentalizing benefit from a…
We study a model of adverse selection, hard and soft information, and mentalizing ability—the human capacity to represent others’ intentions, knowledge, and beliefs. By allowing for a continuous range of different information types, as well as for different means of acquiring information, we develop a model that captures how principals differentially obtain information on agents. We show that principals that combine conventional data collection techniques with mentalizing benefit from a synergistic effect that impacts both the amount of information that is accessed and the overall cost of that information. This strategy affects the properties of the optimal contract, which grows closer to the first best. This research provides insights into the implications of mentalizing for agency theory.
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Understanding Organizational Advantage: How the Theory of Mind Adds to the Attention-Based View of the Firm
Advances in Strategic Management
The attention-based view (ABV) of the firm highlights the role of decision makers’ attention in firm behavior. The ABV vastly improves our understanding of decision makers’ focus of attention; how that focus is situated in an organization’s procedural and communication channels; and how the distribution of the focus of attention among decision makers participating in those procedural and communication channels affects their understanding of a situation, their motivation to act, and, ultimately,…
The attention-based view (ABV) of the firm highlights the role of decision makers’ attention in firm behavior. The ABV vastly improves our understanding of decision makers’ focus of attention; how that focus is situated in an organization’s procedural and communication channels; and how the distribution of the focus of attention among decision makers participating in those procedural and communication channels affects their understanding of a situation, their motivation to act, and, ultimately, their behavior. Significant progress has been made in recent years in refining and extending the ABV. However, the role of individual differences in the capacity to read other people’s desires, intentions, knowledge, and beliefs – that is, the theory of mind (ToM) – has remained on the sidelines. The ToM is a natural complement to the ABV. In this study, we explore how the ToM allows for an understanding of the advantage that organizations have over markets within the ABV.
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Putting a Realistic Theory of Mind Into Agency Theory: Implications for Reward Design and Management in Principal-Agent Relations
European Management Review
Agency theory is one of the most important foundational theories in management research, but it rests on contestable cognitive assumptions. Specifically, the principal is assumed to hold a perfect (correct) theory regarding some of the content of the agent's mind, while he is entirely ignorant concerning other such content. More realistically, individuals have some limited access to the minds of others. We explore the implications for classical agency theory of realistic assumptions regarding…
Agency theory is one of the most important foundational theories in management research, but it rests on contestable cognitive assumptions. Specifically, the principal is assumed to hold a perfect (correct) theory regarding some of the content of the agent's mind, while he is entirely ignorant concerning other such content. More realistically, individuals have some limited access to the minds of others. We explore the implications for classical agency theory of realistic assumptions regarding the human potential for interpersonal sensemaking. We discuss implications for the design and management of rewards, and trace implications for value creation in principal-agent relations.
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Physical Separation in the Workplace: Separation Cues, Sensemaking, and Behavioral Responses
European Management Journal, forthcoming
Physical separation is pervasive in organizations, and has powerful effects on employee motivation and organizational behaviors. However, research shows that workplace separation is characterized by a variety of tradeoffs, tensions, and challenges that lead to both positive and negative outcomes. We develop new theory on the nature, antecedents, and motivational implications of separation awareness—a psychological state in which people are aware of their physical separation from others—and…
Physical separation is pervasive in organizations, and has powerful effects on employee motivation and organizational behaviors. However, research shows that workplace separation is characterized by a variety of tradeoffs, tensions, and challenges that lead to both positive and negative outcomes. We develop new theory on the nature, antecedents, and motivational implications of separation awareness—a psychological state in which people are aware of their physical separation from others—and proffer a model of the mechanisms that link separation and motivation. We distinguish between control and autonomy affirmation as psychological states that are triggered by physical separation in the workplace, and discuss individual and context specific moderators, as well as motivational implications of separation awareness. In doing so, we reconcile the seemingly contradicting findings that have been produced in past research on the motivational and affective consequences of physical separation in organizations.
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Problem-formulation and problem-solving in self-organized communities: How modes of communication shape project behaviors in the free open source software community
Strategic Management Journal (forthcoming)
Building on the problem-solving perspective, we study behaviors related to projects and the communication-based antecedents of such behaviors in the free open source software (FOSS) community. We examine two kinds of problem/project-behaviors: Individuals can set up projects around the formulation of new problems or join existing projects and define and/or work on sub-problems within an existing problem. The choice between these two behaviors is influenced by the mode of communication. A…
Building on the problem-solving perspective, we study behaviors related to projects and the communication-based antecedents of such behaviors in the free open source software (FOSS) community. We examine two kinds of problem/project-behaviors: Individuals can set up projects around the formulation of new problems or join existing projects and define and/or work on sub-problems within an existing problem. The choice between these two behaviors is influenced by the mode of communication. A communication mode with little a priori structure is the best mode for communicating about new problems (i.e. formulating a problem); empirically, it is associated with project launching behaviors. In contrast, more structured communication fits sub-problems better and is related to project joining behaviors. Our hypotheses derive support from data from the FOSS community.
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Organisationer
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Strategic Management Society
Member of the Board of Directors
Flere aktiviteter af Nicolai J.
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Registrations are now open! 👉 https://lnkd.in/ebcrbv4D Speakers include Claude Ménard (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), Pablo Spiller (U. of California…
Registrations are now open! 👉 https://lnkd.in/ebcrbv4D Speakers include Claude Ménard (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), Pablo Spiller (U. of California…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Åben invitation til at deltage virtuelt eller fysisk på fondenes dag 30 September!
Åben invitation til at deltage virtuelt eller fysisk på fondenes dag 30 September!
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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To anmeldelser med fire stjerner. Dagens anmeldelse i Børsen af Christian Groes og Dennis Nørmark: “Gid min chef var høvding – sådan får vi de…
To anmeldelser med fire stjerner. Dagens anmeldelse i Børsen af Christian Groes og Dennis Nørmark: “Gid min chef var høvding – sådan får vi de…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Jeg er startet som journalist på Berlingske Jeg er stoppet på B.T., hvor Joachim B. Olsen nu overtager min stilling som debatredaktør og vært på…
Jeg er startet som journalist på Berlingske Jeg er stoppet på B.T., hvor Joachim B. Olsen nu overtager min stilling som debatredaktør og vært på…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Many of you have asked about the recent tragedy that’s affected our family of faculty and doctoral students at the Department of Management, W. P…
Many of you have asked about the recent tragedy that’s affected our family of faculty and doctoral students at the Department of Management, W. P…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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There is no substitute for reading.
There is no substitute for reading.
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Excuse the self-book-promo but I'm excited that the paperback of 'Credible: the power of expert leaders' has just been released. @johnmurrays Bayes…
Excuse the self-book-promo but I'm excited that the paperback of 'Credible: the power of expert leaders' has just been released. @johnmurrays Bayes…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Happy to share that I have joined the Department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Operations at EDHEC Business School as an Associate Professor. I…
Happy to share that I have joined the Department of Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Operations at EDHEC Business School as an Associate Professor. I…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Wonderfully insightful scholarship by my partner who is laboring to reintegrate anthropological perpectives into management
Wonderfully insightful scholarship by my partner who is laboring to reintegrate anthropological perpectives into management
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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We have just published a new pre-print on arXiv titled "Inventor Mobility After the Fall of the Berlin Wall" (with Ann Hipp). Below is a summary of…
We have just published a new pre-print on arXiv titled "Inventor Mobility After the Fall of the Berlin Wall" (with Ann Hipp). Below is a summary of…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette
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Interesting new QJE paper on the gender pay gap which exploits Hired.com data in a very clever way. Nina Roussille finds a 4.8 % gap in offered…
Interesting new QJE paper on the gender pay gap which exploits Hired.com data in a very clever way. Nina Roussille finds a 4.8 % gap in offered…
Delt af Nicolai J. Foss
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I am happy to share that our new paper on moral forecasting, led by my talented PhD student Simen Bø (currently on a research stay at Berkeley), has…
I am happy to share that our new paper on moral forecasting, led by my talented PhD student Simen Bø (currently on a research stay at Berkeley), has…
Nicolai J. Foss synes godt om dette