Samer Faraj
Canada Research Chair in Technology, Innovation & Organizing
Associate Member, Department of Social Studies of Medicine
Director, Institute for Transforming Healthcare
BSc Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
SM Technology & Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
PhD Management, Boston University
Samer Faraj holds the Canada Research Chair in Technology, Innovation & Organizing at the Desautels Faculty of Management, 黑料网爆吃瓜. He is the founding director of the 黑料网爆吃瓜 Institute for Transforming Healthcare, associate member of the Department of Social Studies of Medicine, and head of the research group on Complex Collaboration (). He has recently completed 10 years as the Director of the Faculty鈥檚 PhD program. His current research focuses on complex collaboration in settings as diverse as healthcare organizations, knowledge teams, and online communities. He is also interested in how emergent social technologies are transforming organizations and allowing new forms of coordination and organizing to emerge. He currently serves as the Chair of the Scientific Committee of the Institut National de Sant茅 et Services Sociaux (INESSS).
He has published over 160 journal articles, refereed proceedings, and book chapters in outlets such as: Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Management Science, Organization Science, MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of AIS, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Annals of Emergency Medicine. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Cambridge Judge Business School, a Fellow at the Cambridge University Digital Innovation Center and has been a visiting professor at HEC-Paris, VU University, and a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the American University of Beirut. He is one of the highly cited Management scholars in Canada recognized by 5 ISI Highly Cited Papers awards and more than 11K citations in Web of Science and 33K Google Scholar citations. He is Fellow at the Royal Society of Canada, was the 2022 Distinguished speaker of the CTO division of the Academy of Management and has won more than 15 best paper awards, including recently, in the AOM Healthcare division (2018), the AOM OCIS division (2021, 2018, 2016); the French FNEGE 2018 Prix Acad茅mique de la Recherche en Management, the AIS 2012 Best Published Paper Award as well as being selected best doctoral mentor at Desautels in 2013 and 2022. He has served as Associate Editor at Organization Theory and as Senior Editor at Organization Science and at Information Systems Research. Institutions such as SSHRC, NSF, IBM, the Fulbright foundation, and the Government of Quebec have funded his research.
Emerging technologies: organizing and societal stakes
Some of my favourite papers
听
Sayegh, K., Langley, A. and Faraj, S. (2025) 鈥淯nsettling Settled Knowing: Reconciling differences in expert practice鈥�. Organization Science.
Faraj, S., Perez-Torrents, J., Mantere, S., & Bhardwaj, A. (2025). A time for monsters: Organizational knowing after large language models.听Strategic Organization,听0(0).听
Abrams, E.; Leone, P. V.; Cambrosio, A., and Faraj S. (2025). 鈥淭he governance of open science: a comparative analysis of two open science consortia鈥�. Research Policy 54 .
Yeow, Adrian; Lim, Wee-Kiat; and Faraj, Samer (2025) "Digital Infrastructure Development Through Digital Infrastructuring Work: An Institutional Work Perspective". Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 26(1): 66-94.
Cornelissen, J., H枚llerer, M.A., Boxenbaum, E., Faraj, S., & Gehman, J. (2024) 鈥淟arge Language Models and the Future of Organization Theory鈥�. Organization Theory 5 (1), 26317877241239056
Faraj, S. and Leonardi, P. (2022) 鈥淪trategic Organization in the Digital Age: Rethinking the Concept of Technology鈥�. Strategic Organization. 20(4): 771-785.
Bailey, D., Faraj, S., Hinds, P., von Krogh, G. & Leonardi P. (2022) 鈥淲e Are All Theorists of Technology Now: A Relational Perspective on Emerging Technology and Organizing鈥�. Organization Science. 33(1): 1-18.
Leone, P. V., Mantere, S., & Faraj, S. (2021). Open Theorizing in Management and Organization Studies. Academy of Management Review. 46(4): 725-749.
Faraj, S. & Pachidi S. (2021). 鈥淏eyond uberization: the co-constitution of technology and organizing鈥�. Organization Theory. 2: 1-14
Safadi, H., Johnson S. and Faraj, S. (2021) 鈥淐ore-Periphery Tension in Online Innovation Communities鈥� Organization Science. 32(3): 752-775 .
Pachidi, S., Berends, H., Faraj, S., and Huysman, M. (2021) "Make way for the algorithms: Symbolic actions and change in a regime of knowing," Organization Science. 32(1): 18-41.
Bourgoin, A., Bencherki, N. and Faraj, S. (2020) 鈥淎nd who are you? A performative perspective on authority in organizations鈥� Academy of Management Journal. 63(4): 1134-1165.
Sergeeva, A., Faraj, S. and Huysman, M. (2020) 鈥淟osing Touch: An embodiment perspective on coordination in robotic surgery鈥� Organization Science. 31(5): 1248-1271.
Faraj, S., Pachidi, S. and Sayegh, K. (2018) 鈥淲orking and Organizing in the Age of the Algorithm鈥� Information and Organization. 28: 62-70.
Faraj, S., von Krogh, G., Monteiro, E. & Lakhani, K. (2016) 鈥淥nline Community as Space for Knowledge Flows鈥� Information Systems Research, 27(4): 668-684.
Schakel, J-K, von Fenema, P., and Faraj, S. (2016) 鈥溾�橲hots Fired!鈥� Switching Practices in Police Work鈥� Organization Science, 27 (2): 391-410
Faraj, S., Kudaravalli, S., and Wasko, M. (2015). 鈥淟eading Collaboration In Online Communities.鈥� MIS Quarterly, 39(2) 393-412.
Johnson, S., Safadi, H., and Faraj, S. (2015). 鈥淭he Emergence of Online Community Leadership鈥�. Information Systems Research, 26(1): 165-187.
Faraj, S. and Johnson, S. 鈥淣etwork exchange patterns in online communities鈥� (2011) Organization听Science, 22(6): 1464-1480
Faraj, S., Jarvenpaa S. and Majchrzak, A. (2011) 鈥淜nowledge Collaboration in Online Communities鈥澨�Organization Science, 22(5): 1224-1239.
Faraj, S. and Yan, A. (2009) 鈥淏oundary Activities of Knowledge Teams鈥� Journal of Applied听Psychology, 94(3): 604-617.
Xiao, Y., Schenkel, S., Faraj, S., Mackenzie, C. and Moss, J (2007) 鈥淲hat an operating room听whiteboard can teach us about emergency department communication鈥� Annals of Emergency听Medicine. 50(4): 387-395.
Zammuto, R., Griffith, T., Majchrzak, A., Dougherty, D., Faraj, S. (2007) 鈥淚nformation Technology and听the Changing Fabric of Organization鈥� Organization Science. 18(5): 1-14.
Faraj, S. and Xiao, Y. (2006) 鈥淐oordination in fast response environments鈥� Management Science,听52(8): 1155-1169.
Wasko, M. and Faraj, S. (2005) 鈥淲hy should I share? Examining knowledge contribution in electronic听networks of practice.鈥� MIS Quarterly. 29(1): 35-58.
Faraj, S. and Sproull, L. (2000). 鈥淐oordinating expertise in software development teams.鈥澨�Management Science, 46: 1554-1568.
听
Recent听Chapters in Books
Faraj, S., Renno, W., and Bhardwaj, A. (2022) 鈥淎I and Uncertainty in Organizing鈥�. In Griffin, M. and Grote, G. (Eds.) Oxford University Handbook on Uncertainty Management. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press.
Safadi, H., Boudreau, M-C. and Faraj, S., (January 4, 2021). One Picture to Study One Thousand Words: Visualization for Qualitative Research in the Age of Digitalization in the Cambridge University Press Handbook of Qualitative Research in the Age of Digitalisation, Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.
Faraj, S., & Shimizu, T. (2018, February 26). Online Communities and Knowledge Collaborations. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management. Ed. Retrieved 13 Nov. 2018, from .
Faraj, S., Sayegh, K., and Rouleau, L. (2017) 鈥淜nowledge Collaboration in Organizations: From Information Processing to Social Knowing.鈥� In Galliers, R. and Stein, M. C., The Routledge Companion to Management Information Systems, 370-386. London; Taylor & Francis Group.
Majchrzak, A., Jarvenpaa, S., and Faraj, S. (2017) 鈥淭heorizing Knowledge Collaboration in Online Communities鈥� 1-27. In Argote, L. and Levine, J. Oxford Handbook of Group and Organizational Learning. Oxford University Press.
Sims, H., Faraj, S., Yun, S. and Pearce, C. (2013) 鈥淯niversity of Maryland Shock trauma center rotates shared leadership in crisis situations, depending on skill level and crisis severity.鈥� In Pearce, C.L., Manz, C.M. & Sims, H.P. (Eds) Share, Don鈥檛 Take the Lead, 15-27. Information Age Publishing.
Faraj, S. and Azad B. (2012). 鈥淭he Materiality of Technology: An Affordance Perspective.鈥� In Leonardi, P., B. Nardi, Y. Kallinikos (Eds) Materiality in Organizing: Social Interaction in a Technological World, 237-258, Oxford University Press.
听
Selected Awards
鈥⑻�Best Paper Award 2024 from the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) for 鈥淭he work of rules: how organizations negotiate rules to address disruptions鈥� with Karla Sayegh and Xian Zhu.
鈥⑻�Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (2023). Inducted to the Academy of Social Science.
鈥⑻�Distinguished Scholar Award, 2022, from the Academy of Management Communication, digital Technology, and Organization (CTO) division
鈥� Listed among the Stanford/Elsevier's Top 2% Scientist Rankings (2020-2024). See
鈥� Listed in the 2022-2024 Research.com鈥檚 Best Scientists ranking (the top 1% of leading scientist in the field of Business and Management). See
鈥� Listed in the AD Top Scientists List, World Scientist and University Rankings 2023-2025. See
鈥⑻�Best Article Finalist 2022 for the Academy of Management Review published paper with Leone, P. and Mantere, S. 鈥淥pen Theorizing in Management and Organization Studies鈥�
鈥⑻�Best Published Paper 1st runner up at the 2022 Academy of Management Communication, digital technology, and organization (CTO) division for 鈥渨ho contributes knowledge? Embeddedness and marginality in online communities.鈥� with Hani Safadi and Steven Johnson.
鈥⑻�Henry Mintzberg PhD Teaching and Mentorship Award 2022. Desautels Faculty of Management.
鈥⑻�Best published paper award 2021 from the Academy of Management OCIS division for the Sergeeva, Faraj, & Huysman paper in Organization Science.
鈥� Best Theory to Practice paper award at the 2018 Academy of Management (AOM) Conference from the Health Care Management Division, with PhD student Carla Sayegh
鈥� Best Conference Paper at the 2018 Academy of Management (AOM) OCIS division for 鈥渨ho contributes knowledge? Embeddedness and marginality in online communities.鈥� with Hani Safadi and Steven Johnson.
鈥� Winner of the FNEGE 2018 Prix Acad茅mique de la Recherche en Management for the Kudaravalli, S., Faraj, S., Johnson, S. (2017) 鈥淎 Configural Approach to Coordinating Expertise in Software Development Teams鈥� MIS Quarterly 41(1): 43-64.
鈥� Best Student-led paper at the 2018 Organizational Behavior and Health Care (OBHC) Conference, coauthored with (黑料网爆吃瓜) PhD student Karla Sayegh for 鈥淲ait, the baby could die! Integrating expertise differences in a hospital merger,鈥� Montreal, Canada.
鈥� Runner up for Best Student led-paper at the 2018 Organizational Behavior and Health Care (OBHC) Conference with (U. Cambridge) student Stavros PolyKarpou and Michael Barrett for "Pebble in Still Water: How Implementing 3D Printing Reconfigures Boundary Relations" Montreal, Canada.
鈥� Best published paper award 2016 from the Academy of Management OCIS division for the Johnson, Safadi and Faraj paper in MISQ.
鈥� Finalist for the 2015 CIONET European Research Paper of the Year, for Emergence Of Power Laws In Online Communities: The Role Of Social Mechanisms And Preferential Attachment.
鈥� Information Systems Research 2014 Meritorious Service Award for service as senior editor 2012-2014
鈥� Best doctoral advisor award (2013) from the Doctoral Student Association, Desautels faculty of management, 黑料网爆吃瓜.
鈥� Association of Information Systems (AIS) Best Publication award (2012) for the Faraj et al., 鈥淜nowledge collaboration in online communities鈥� Organization Science article.
鈥� Most highly cited paper award in 2012 at the Journal of Strategic Information Systems in celebration of JSIS's 20th anniversary for the 2000 article: "鈥橧t is what one does鈥�: Why people participate and help others in electronic communities of practice.鈥�
鈥� Organization Science 2012 Service Award for extraordinary service as senior editor 2006-2012.
鈥� Highlight Paper Award (best paper), 2011 ASQ-HEC-OMT Coordination Conference, Paris France.
鈥� Best paper award, 2008 OCIS division, Academy of Management.
鈥� INFORMS 2010 service award for role as Senior Editor at Organization Science.
鈥� 2nd rank on Scopus TOP CITED articles in the fields of Business, Management and Accounting (1st in information systems) for last 5 years (2005 - 2009) for 鈥淲hy should I share?鈥� 2005 MISQ article ( site visited April 26, 2009).
鈥� Runner up, Best Paper International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) 2008, Paris.
鈥� Emerald Literati Highly Commended Award for Excellence, 2005, for Information Technology and People article 鈥淐ontested artifact: technology sensemaking, actor networks, and the shaping of the Web browser.鈥�
听
Grants
听
$13.6M (not including collaborator/member role). Summary: 1 institute, 2 CRC, 9 SSHRC, 3 NSF and a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award听
听
