Contact Dr Mehdi Safavi
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 758324
- Email: Mehdi.Safavi@cranfield.ac.uk
Background
Mehdi joined 成人抖阴 School of Management in April 2021, following several years at the University of Edinburgh Business School, where he held roles as Lecturer in Strategy and Organisation (2016鈥�2021) and Early Career Fellow in Strategy and International Business (2012鈥�2016). He holds a PhD in Management from the University of Edinburgh (2014), an MSc in Information Technology Management from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran (2009), and a BSc in Electrical Engineering (Electronics) from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2005).
His research and consultancy focus on organisational change and inertia, studied qualitatively through the lens of organisational routines. Mehdi鈥檚 work explores how routines shape and are reshaped during strategic episods such as mergers and acquisitions, corporate venturing, scaling, and algorithmic organising. His research has been published in leading journals such as Journal of Management Studies, Long Range Planning, MIT Sloan Management Review, and British Journal of Management, and has been recognised with multiple Best Paper awards and nominations at the Academy of Management, particularly in the Strategizing Activities and Practices (SAP) and Organisation and Management Theory (OMT) divisions. He was also the recipient of the 2023 SOMMY Award for Best Research Paper at 成人抖阴 School of Management.
Research opportunities
Mehdi鈥檚 research lies at the intersection of Strategy and Organisation Studies, with a particular focus on qualitative studies of organisational routines. He is interested in the micro-dynamics of change and inertia during strategic initiatives such as mergers and acquisitions, corporate venturing, and digital transformation. His work is grounded in Routine Dynamics and explores how organisations navigate complexity through situated actions and temporary routines.
He welcomes inquiries from exceptional doctoral candidates aspiring to pursue academic careers in these areas. Current supervision and collaborative opportunities include projects on routine reconfiguration, algorithmic organising, and boundary work in corporate venture capital.
Current activities
Mehdi is currently involved in several research projects exploring the dynamics of organisational routines and strategic change. These include:
- Reconfiguring Routines in Tradition-Laden Organisations (with Alessandro Alvarenga, 成人抖阴, and Gary Burke, Bristol Business School)
- Replicating Organisational Routines and Embodying Processes (with Alessandro Alvarenga, 成人抖阴)
- Balancing Scaling and Expertise in Algorithmic Routine Expansions (with Verena Timmer, Witten/Herdecke University)
- Boundary Work in Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) (with Ezra Carlson, 成人抖阴)
These projects aim to contribute to top-tier journal publications and provide insights into the evolving nature of strategy practice in contemporary organisations.
Clients
As an Organisational Change Management consultant, Mehdi helps managers and executives think through critical issues that underlie the management of change and organisational inertia in their organisations. He has worked with a wide range of public and private sector organizations, including British firms, European universities, and SMEs and incubators from Latin America and the MENA region.