Online PhD Defence Somendra Narayan
In his dissertation 'Essays on Managerial Cognition, Diversity and Business Model Innovation’, Somendra Narayan claims that as the business environment becomes increasingly disruptive, an important question arises: how do differences among decision makers affect a company’s ability to reimagine their disrupted business model? Somendra Narayan defended his dissertation on Thursday, 28 May 2020 at 13:30h. His supervisors were Prof. dr. Henk W. Volberda and Prof. dr. Jatinder S. Sidhu.
About Somendra Narayan
Somendra Narayan (Jaipur, 21st December 1989) received his Master of Science degree in Management of Technology with a specialization in Supply Chain Management from the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands and Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from the Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT – Surat) in India before starting his PhD in Strategic Management at the Rotterdam School of Management. His research encompasses business model innovation & digital transformation, managerial cognition, top management team research, strategic decision-making, social innovation, machine learning in management research, predictive analytics, and mixed-methods analysis.
Somendra has presented his research at major international conferences, such as the Academy of Management (AOM), Strategic Management Society (SMS), European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS), and the European Academy of Management, (EURAM) among others. At the time of writing, he also serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Organizational Change Management, the Asian Academy of Management and the European Academy of Management. Somendra is actively engaged in organizing sessions in academic conferences as well as in developing research proposals for national and European grants. He has taught several courses and supervised student thesis both at the bachelors and master’s level. Further, Somendra believes in making scientific research approachable for the general populace. In the past he has also worked with the Erasmus Research Institute in Management (ERIM) and Theatre in Context – Rotterdam to translate complex insights drawn from empirical research into an accessible form with the help of art, animation, and social media.
Thesis Abstract
As the business environment becomes increasingly disruptive, an important question arises: how do differences among decision makers affect a company’s ability to reimagine their disrupted business model? Addressing this question, this dissertation explores the nuances of the relationship between diversity (cognitive, ideological, socio-economic, and cultural) and organizational change processes (such as business model innovation, digital transformation, incubation of social enterprises, and evolution of a new industry). Ranging multiple contexts, including publishing and printing, legal-tech, and sustainable forest management, the four studies comprising this dissertation explore the following research questions. How does cognitive diversity influence the decision making and its implementation, particularly in the context of business model innovation? How does this contrast with the diversity of ideology? How do team structural characteristics (such as formal hierarchy, task dependence, co-dependent rewards, and team longevity) influence this relationship? What influence do team members who are social or professional outsiders have on the successful incubation of co-creative business models? And, what are the differences between insiders' and outsiders' perception of a firm's business model? For this purpose, the dissertation utilises various analyses techniques, including Computer Aided Text Analysis, Generalised Estimating Equations, Multiple Correspondence Analysis, K-means and hierarchical clustering, cognitive mapping and network analysis.
