Raymond-Alain Thietart (born 14 January 1944 in Nice, France) is a French business school professor. He is the author of eight books on strategy and management and over a hundred articles in the same field. His research and teaching focus on organization theory and strategic management.
Biography Education Raymond-Alain Thietart graduated in electrical engineering from Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (1967) and is also an alumnus of Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (1969). He received his PhD from Columbia University in 1974.
Professional career Raymond-Alain Thietart is distinguished professor of management at ESSEC Business School (Paris-Singapore) since 2007 and a Fellow of the Academy of Management. In the past, he has been a professor of management at the universities of Caen Normandie (1979–1981), Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense (1981–1984, 1985–1988) and Paris Dauphine (1988–2007). He has also been a visiting professor at the Sloan School of Management at MIT (1984–1985), and an affiliate professor at the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (1978–1982).
Raymond Thietart is a part of the generation of French research professors in Management trained in the US in the early 1970s through the funding support of FNEGE (Fondation Nationale pour l’Enseignement de la Gestion des Entreprises) and the Ford Foundation as part of its "European Doctoral Fellows in Management Education". On his return from the US, where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow and Fulbright Scholar, he devoted a large part of his academic activities to the training of young researchers in Management. He has supervised 35 dissertations and research qualification theses. He has also coordinated doctoral training in several educational institutions, including the one in "Marketing and Strategy" of Université Paris-Dauphine (1988–2007) and the PhD program of ESSEC (2007–2012). Furthermore, he has organized seminars and workshops on doctoral research in France at CEFAG (European Centre for Advanced Training in Management), which he ran from 2001 to 2004 and in Brussels, with Igor Ansoff, within the EIASM (European Institute of Advanced Studies in Management). Alongside his activities of training young scientists, his scientific activities bring together the organization, dissemination and creation of knowledge.
In the area of knowledge organization, he has served in the Council of TIMS (The Institute of Management Science), from 1986 to 1988 (now INFORMS), one of the largest international associations in the field of Management Science. In 1993, he co-founded, with Michel Berry and Jean-Claude Thoenig, the Paris School of Management, a think tank organization, of which he was a vice president until 2000. In 2001, he was elected as the president of AIMS, an association of French-speaking researchers in strategy and management.
In the field of dissemination of knowledge, he actively participates in the editorial boards of journals :Organization Science (where he was senior editor from 1994 to 1998), the Strategic Management Journal (where he has been involved in since its creation in 1980) and the Revue Française de Gestion (where he was part of the editorial board till 2015). In addition, he has been sitting on the boards of Entreprises et Histoire, Long Range Planning, the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, Strategic Organization, Journal of Strategy and Management, Harvard-L’Expansion and M@n@gement. M@n@gement is the first open -access electronic journal in management research, founded by Bernard Forgues, V. Perret and Sandra Charreire. Professor Thietart helped developing the journal in 1997 (along with William H. Starbuck and Andrew Pettigrew who were part of the first "advisory board"). Finally, he also ran a book series for McGraw-Hill in the area of strategy and management.
With respect to knowledge creation, Raymond-Alain Thietart has contributed to the study of complex dynamic systems (Human Dynamics,"Human Dynamics: a Methodological Contribution to Management and Behavioral Sciences", Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Columbia University, 1974."Pour une Approche Dynamique de l'Homme au Travail", Revue Française de Gestion, 10, 1977."Human Dynamics - A New Approach to Human Behavior", OMEGA, The International Journal of Management Science, 5, 3, 1977"Modèle de l'Homme - Problèmes Méthodologiques d'Élaboration", Modélisation et Maîtrise des Systèmes, Tome 2, Paris: Editions Hommes et Techniques, 1977.La Dynamique de l'Homme au Travail - Une Nouvelle Approche par l'Analyse de Systèmes, Préface de J. Lesourne, Paris : Les Editions d'Organisation, 1977. chaotic organizational processes," La Dialectique de l'Ordre et du Chaos dans les Organisations" avec B. Forgues, Revue Française de Gestion, 92, Mars-Avril-Mai, 1993."Chaos Theory and Organization" avec B. Forgues, Organization Science, 6:1, 1995. "Dynamique Non-Linéaires dans les Organisations: Implications pour le Management", avec B. Forgues, in J. Mallet (Ed.), L'Entreprise Apprenante, Paris: Editions de l'Université d'Aix-Marseille, 1996."Complexité: du Vivant au Management", avec L. Langrand-Escure, in Joffre P. et Y. Simon (Eds.), Encyclopédie de Gestion, Paris: Economica, 1997.“Complexity Science and Organization”, avec B. Forgues, in P. Allen, S. Maguire, W.H. McKelvey (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Complexity and Management. London: Sage, 2011"Action, Structure and Chaos", avec B. Forgues, Organization Studies, 18:1, 1997."Théories de la Complexité: Concepts et Théories", in A.C. Martinet et R.A. Thietart (Eds.) Management stratégique : Actualité et Futurs de la Recherche, Paris: Vuibert, 2002."Les Défis de la Complexité", in M. Kalika (Ed.), Les Défis du Management, Rueil-Malmaison: Editions Liaisons, 2002. strategy dynamics"Strategy Dynamics: Agency, Path Dependency, and Self-Organized Emergence" Strategic Management Journal, 2015 ), forms of effective strategies according to their context (life cycle,"An Empirical Investigation of Success Strategies for Businesses along their Life Cycle", avec R. Vivas, Management Science, 30 : 12, 1984."Stratégie de Compétitivité et Cycle de Vie des Activités", avec R. Vivas, in B. Percerou (Ed.), Entreprise, Gestion et Compétitivité, Paris : Economica, 1984. decline,"Des Stratégies pour les Secteurs en Déclin", avec W. Frost, Revue Française de Gestion, 30, 1981."Une Stratégie pour les Activités en Déclin", avec R. Vivas, Revue Française de Gestion, 38, 1982."Success Strategies for Declining Activities, avec R. Vivas, International Studies of Management and Organization, XIII, Winter, 1983-1984."Stratégie de Revitalisation pour les Activités en Difficulté", Revue Française de Gestion, 56-57, 1986."Strategies for Poorly Performing Businesses", Interfaces, 18 : 3, 1988. diversification"La Diversification, Mode ou Nécessité", avec J.M. Choffray, Harvard-l'Expansion, 25, 1982. ), strategic decision making process (decision analyses,"Un Outil pour l'Action : l'Analyse de la Décision", avec J.P. Indjehagopian, Revue Française de Gestion, 3, 1976. mixed strategy,"La Stratégie Mixte et ses Syndromes", Harvard-l'Expansion, 22, 1981 (reprinted English version in International Studies of Management and Organizations 35:3, 2005) role of chance and determinism in strategic decision making,"Responsabilité Stratégique du Dirigeant. Entre hasard, choix et inévitabilité", avec M. De Rond, Revue Française de Gestion, 33: 172, 2007."Choice, Chance and Inevitability in Strategy", avec M. De Rond. Strategic Management Journal, 28: 5, 2007. inter-relational dynamics,"Stradin, une Nouvelle Méthode de Décision", avec M. Bergadaà, Gestion, 14 : 3, 1989."Stradin : a Computer Network-Based Strategic Decision Making Process", avec M. Bergadaà, in Burton R. et B. Obel (Eds), Small Players in a Larger World: Implication of Regulation and Information Changes, Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1992."An Information System Based Strategic Decision Making Process", avec M. Bergadaà, Group Decision and Negotiation Journal, 6, 1996. role of information"Strategic Intelligence Activity : the Management of the Sales Force as a Source of Strategic Information", avec R. Vivas, Strategic Management Journal, 7, 1981.), management of organisationsLe Management, Que sais-je?, Paris : Presses Universitaires de France, 1980 (13ème Ed, 2012)Précis de Direction et de Gestion, avec Y. Enrègle, Paris : les Editions d’Organisation, 1978( managers,“The Dynamics of Power and Control: a Case Study of Bull”, in Thépot J. et R.A.Thietart (Eds), Micro-Economic Contributions to Strategic Management, Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1991"Les Actionnaires face aux Gestionnaires: le Cas d’une Grande Entreprise", Revue Française de Gestion, 87, Janv.-Fév. 1992."Contrôle des Actionnaires et Pouvoir des Gestionnaires: Comment Assurer l'Équilibre?", Revue française de Gestion, 87, Janv.-Fév. 1992."From Hunter-gatherer to Organizational Man: a Morality Tale" avec K. Gordon, in: Moral Foundations of Management Knowledge", ML Djelic and R. Vranceanu (Eds.). Nothampton (USA) : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007 mutual organisation,"Programmes Aérospatiaux : la Stratégie de l'Organisation Mutuelle", avec C. Koenig, Revue Française de Gestion, 62, 1987."Managers, Engineers and Government : the Emergence of the Mutual Organization in the European Aerospace Industry", avec C. Koenig, Technologies in Society, vol. 10, 1988."Technology and Organization : the Mutual Organization in the European Aerospace Industry", avec C. Koenig, International Studies in Management and Organization, Winter 1987-88, vol. XVII, n° 4.The Mutual Organization : a New Form of Cooperation in a High Technology Industry", avec C. Koenig, in R. Loveridge et M. Pitt, (Eds.) The Strategic Management of Technological Innovation, Chichester : Wiley, 1990. management of innovation,"The Effect of Business Interdependencies on Product R & D Intensive Business Performance", avec M. Horwitch, Management Science, 33 : 2, 1987." Uncertainty, Complexity and New Product Performance", avec J.M. Xuereb, in Thomas H., O’Neal D. et M. Ghertman (Eds.), Strategy, Structure and Style, New-York: Wiley, 1997. outsourcing,"Capabilities as shift parameters for the outsourcing decision", avec A. Jain, Strategic Management Journal, 35: 12, 2014"Knowledge based transactions and decision framing in Information Technology Outsourcing", avec A. Jain, Journal of Strategic Information Systems (The), 22: 4, 2014 strategy and structure"Contrôle Limité et Changement dans les Organisations Multidivisionnelles", avec G. Koenig, in A. Noël (Ed.), Perspectives en Management Stratégique, Tome III, Paris: Economica, 1995." Les Nouveaux Problèmes de Structure et de Gestion des Entreprises" avec L. Marmonier, in M. Levy-Leboyer (Ed.), Histoire Industrielle de la France, Paris: Larousse, 1996."Strategy, Management System and Performance", avec J. Horovitz, Strategic Management Journal, 7, 1981.), research methods.Doing Management Research: a Comprehensive Guide, (ed.), Londres : Sage, 2001.Méthodes de Recherche en Management, (ed.), 4ème Ed., Paris: Dunod, 2014.L’Histoire, un Outil pour la Gestion, avec L. Marmonier, Revue Française de Gestion, 70, 1988.
Academic contributions Complex dynamic systems Human dynamics Sources: