Tom Lawrence appointed as inaugural W.J. VanDusen Professor at Beedie School of Business

Tom Lawrence, a professor at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, has been appointed as the school’s inaugural W.J. VanDusen Professor.

The newly-created professorship focuses on scholarship that is relevant to the growth, renewal and diversification of business and economic activity in British Columbia – and outreach activities that disseminate academic research.

“In addition to being a great scholar, Tom is an outstanding teacher and colleague,” said Daniel Shapiro, Dean of the Beedie School of Business. “I am delighted that Tom will serve in this role – one that is a testament to his impressive track record of research and academic impact.”

The W.J. VanDusen Professorship is supported by the W.J. VanDusen Endowment Fund — established in 1987 with donations from the W.J. VanDusen Foundation, the Vancouver Foundation, other private donors, and with a grant from the provincial government of British Columbia. The professorship will expand on the original purpose of the endowment fund by attracting and retaining academic experts who will contribute to a deeper understanding of the British Columbia business and economic environment.

An award-winning scholar and teacher, Lawrence’s research focuses on the dynamics of power, change and institutions in organizations and organizational fields. His studies have drawn from a diverse range of social and economic settings, from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Sound, the backdrop of the so-called “War of the Woods” forestry conflict.

His numerous academic awards have included the 2010 Greif Research Impact Award, awarded by the Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California; and the 2003-04 Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize, awarded to the outstanding Sloan Management Review article on planned change and organizational development.

He was also named a “Rising Star” by Sciencewatch.com, based on Thomson Scientific’s Essential Science Indicators, and placed in the Top 1 percent in terms of total citations in the field of Economics and Business, according to Thomson Scientific’s Essential Science Indicators from 1997-2007.

Lawrence is also a past recipient of the Research Excellence Award awarded by the Beedie School of Business, which honours an outstanding senior scholar for research achievement over the past three years.
In addition to the W.J. VanDusen Professorship, Lawrence acts as the Director of the CMA Centre for Strategic Change and Performance Measurement, and serves as the Academic Director of the Beedie School of Business PhD Program.

Lawrence joined the Beedie School of Business in 2002 from the University of Victoria. He has also taught as a visiting scholar at a number of universities, including the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, McGill University, Royal Roads University, and the University of British Columbia. In 2001, Tom’s work was recognized with an Ascendant Scholar award from the Western Academy of Management.