ALEX JAMES WILSON
100 Fuqua Drive ∙ Durham, NC 27708
(919) 381-2055 ∙ alex.j.wilson@duke.edu ∙ alexjameswilson.com
EDUCATION
DUKE UNIVERSITY, Fuqua School of Business – Durham, NC
Doctor of Philosophy, Strategy Ph.D. Candidate
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Member: Strategic Management Society, Academy of Management
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Ad hoc reviewer, Research Policy, Advances in Strategic Management
May 2016 (Expected)
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA – Philadelphia, PA
May 2008
Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business (class of 53 students)
The Wharton School: B.S.E Economics, concentration in Finance, Magna cum Laude
The College of Arts and Sciences: Honors B.A. International Studies (Target Language: Spanish), Hispanic
Studies, Magna cum Laude
DISSERTATION
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Wilson, A.J. Drivers of New Practice Adoption: Predicting the Gap between Routine "as Designed"
and Routine "as Realized." Job Market Paper.
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This paper addresses the question of what drives the adoption of new routines. The adoption
of new routines is described in the literature as difficult or imperfect, and the degree to
which firms are successful in adopting new or changing existing routines varies considerably.
In this study, to explain new routine adoption, I consider how beliefs about the impact of the
new practices will shape the extent to which change is perceived as aligned with
professional norms, and subsequently, degree of adoption. My empirical analysis employs a
sample consisting of a survey to 1,248 healthcare professionals about their beliefs regarding
the expected impact of a new EHR system and 32,460 patient encounters following the
launch of the system, where each encounter reflects the set of medical activities
undertaken by a care unit (i.e., physicians and nurses) responsible for the care of a patient
for a given admission. I find that belief that the EHR system will improve patient care, an
outcome aligned with professional norms, will reduce the size of the gap between routine as
designed and routine as realized. My results also indicate that this relationship is strongest for
highly experienced units with low variation in beliefs. This study contributes to literature in
organizational routines by providing insight into how beliefs shape the interpretation and
realization of particular routines and the ultimate impacts of these beliefs on the firm’s ability
to engage in change.
PUBLICATIONS
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A.J. Wilson and Joseph, J. “Organizational Attention and Technological Search in the Multibusiness
Firm: Motorola 1974-1997,” Forthcoming, Advances in Strategic Management, Cognition and
Strategy.
o We test a theory of attentional specialization and coupling by applying a probabilistic topic
model to all Motorola patents issued from 1974 to 1997. Our results suggest that (a) subunits
with specialized attention are not myopic but instead explore broadly and (b) tight
attentional coupling across units increases the breadth of search. This study contributes to
attention-based views of the firm and to studies on organizational design and search.
PAPERS UNDER REVIEW / ADVANCED WORKING PAPERS
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J. Joseph, R. Klingebiel, and A.J. Wilson. “Organizational Structure and Performance Feedback:
Centralization, Aspirations, and Product Phase-Out Decisions.” Organization Science, Revise and
Resubmit (2rd Round).
o This study examines the effects of organizational structure and performance feedback on
product phase-out decisions. Using quarterly product-level data on the top five mobile
handset manufacturers for the period 2004–2009, we analyze how a firm’s response to
product-level feedback is shaped by organizational structure—in particular, the extent to
which decision making is centralized. We argue that such structure affects phase-out in two
ways: directly through information processing and indirectly by conditioning the
interpretation of performance feedback. We find that deviations from performance
aspirations decrease the rate of phase-out and centralization increases the rate of phaseout. We also find that centralization amplifies the effects of performance above aspirations
(decreasing the rate of phase-out) but attenuates the effects of performance below
aspirations (increasing the rate of phase-out).
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J. Joseph, and A.J. Wilson. “An Attention-Based Theory of Firm Growth.” Strategic Management
Journal, Revise and Resubmit.
o While theories of growth assume the focus and limits of managerial attention are central to
creating resources, the role of attention has remained largely implicit. In contrast, our
research considers more explicitly the micro-foundations of growth—specifically, the
processes that direct attention to growth initiatives, away from routine operations. Our thesis
is that attention to new problems and opportunities is an engine of growth, but attentional
overload, conflict, and fragmentation create limits. An attentional structure for growth
requires pairing specialized attention within organizational units with shared attention across
units. This attentional engagement influences how managers interpret and respond to new
issues, and manage divergent interests, which affects growth. We illustrate using an example
from Motorola and topic modeling of technology issues drawn from firm patents.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS & CONSORTIA
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Invited presenter at the Consortium on Competitiveness and Cooperation Doctoral Conference
2015. New York University, New York.
“Organizational Architecture and Problem Solving in the Multibusiness Firm: A Topic Modeling
Approach to New Problem Attention at Motorola from 1975-1997.” Academy of Management
Meeting 2014. Philadelphia, PA.
“Organizational Structure and Technological Search.” Strategic Management Society Special
Conference 2014. Tel Aviv, Israel.
Presented as part of showcase symposium “Organizational Structure and Cognition.“ Academy of
Management Meeting 2013. Lake Buena Vista, FL.
“Centralization, Learning and Launch: The Effects of Organizational Structure and Experience on
Global Product Strategy.” Strategic Management Society Meeting. October 2013. Presenter.
Mack Institute Emerging Scholars Workshop: Evolutionary Perspectives in Strategic Management.
Wharton School. Philadelphia, PA. Invited Participant.
Trans-Atlantic Doctoral Consortium. London Business School. May 2013. Presented “Situated
Selection: Organizational Structure, Performance Feedback, and Persistence in Product Phase-Out
Decisions.”
OMT Doctoral Consortium. Academy of Management Meeting 2012. Boston, MA. Invited
Participant.
Presented as part of symposium “The Architecture of Adaptation: The Role of the Corporate Office in
Adaptation of the Multi-business Firm.” Academy of Management Meeting 2012. Boston, MA.
Presenter / Organizer.
“Understanding Product Phase-outs: The Effects of Learning from Performance Feedback.” Strategic
Management Society Meeting. October 2011. Presenter. Nominated for Best Paper.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
FOUNDATIONS OF STRATEGY
2010 - Present
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Head TA in core course for Ashish Arora, Victor Bennett, Ronnie Chatterji, John Joseph
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Co-author on case: “Siemens Healthcare: Diagnostic Imaging in Brazil, 2012”
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Assisted in preparation of classroom materials (exercises and presentations)
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Led review sessions, managed Ph.D. TA team
APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS II – (Jeffrey Edwards, Ph.D. – University of North Carolina)
Fall 2012
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Ph.D. research methods course for Management & Strategy students for UNC / Duke students
ENTREPRENEURIAL STRATEGY– (Ashish Arora, Ph.D., Wes Cohen, Ph.D. – Duke University)
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Teaching assistant / grader for 2nd year MBA, Executive MBA elective course
EMERGING MARKETS STRATEGY– (Ashish Arora, Ph.D.,– Duke University)
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Teaching assistant / grader for 2nd year MBA, Executive MBA elective course
Fall 2011, 12, 13, 14
Fall 2013
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP – Atlanta, GA
2008 - 2010
Associate
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Consistently ranked in top 10% of Associates in North America (“1” on BCG 5-point scale)
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Rewrote inventory management system for multi-billion dollar Medical Device firm and managed rollout to US distribution network. This resulted in a 20% decrease in current inventory levels and a
$500MM reduction in future product launch cost estimates.
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Independently developed quantitative financial diagnostic tool in Singapore and Hong Kong for
Professional Services firm, interacting with senior clientele unsupervised on a daily basis. The tool
facilitated strategic portfolio decision making in the medium-term and generated $3MM in cash
savings immediately.
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Designed growth strategy for Atlanta hospital group, comprising competitive assessment of factors
affecting patient choice spanning multiple years and millions of cases
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Crafted change management and communication materials for a major reorganization in a multibillion dollar Human Resource consultancy, resulting in only one senior manager leaving firm (of >600)
and no loss of business
ADDITIONAL
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Statistics: Highly proficient with STATA; Proficient with Mathematica, LISREL, R
Computer: Highly proficient with MS Office Suite and Visual Basic for Applications in Excel, Python
GMAT: 750, SAT: 1520 (800M / 720V), SAT II: Math (800)