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Dr Sam MacAulay
Dr

Sam MacAulay

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Overview

Background

My research informs and transforms how we understand the strategic organisation of innovation. I do this through research addressing the foundations of strategy and innovation. Empirically, my research focuses on complex, project-based forms of organising commonly found in infrastructure, engineering, and resources, to develop better explanations for how organisations innovate and adapt. Scholars of strategy and innovation have traditionally paid less attention to these organisational forms. And yet they are a central feature of many economies, including Australia. Theoretically, my research makes contributions to The Behavioral Theory of the Firm (e.g. developing new, more socialised models of organisational search and innovation), the Resource-based View of the Firm (e.g. how engineering and design can be used to protect innovation knowledge from imitation), and Project Organising (e.g. developing new frameworks for managing innovation in projects). I am currently bringing this research together to study the innovation in the context of artificial intelligence used in medical imaging with colleagues at UQ's ARC Training Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology. My research has been published or is forthcoming in a wide variety of top journals ranging from MITSloan Management Review and the Academy of Management Review through to Transportation Research Part A and EMBO Reports.

Availability

Dr Sam MacAulay is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • The Organization of Innovation

    I study how innovation is shaped by organizational design, how new products and services are created, and the role of competition in knowledge production.

  • Carnegie School organizational theory

    My research here is twofold. I study how better socialized theories of organizational search can improve explanations of organizational adaptation and learning. And I am also branching out to study how organizational slack influences this process.

  • Construction, Infrastructure, and Mining

    Construction, infrastructure, and mining, have all traditionally received little attention in mainstream research on innovation, management, and strategy. I am doing research that tries to change this.

  • Project-based organizations

    My research investigates the strategic organization of project-based organisational forms, ranging from the delivery models of complex infrastructure projects through to service providers in mining.

Research impacts

I am passionate about doing research that has a positive impact on our economy and society. My research seeks to improve what we know about how organizations work. The hope is that by better understanding organizations, we'll be better equipped to understand why they function as they do, and thus make better decisions about how they should function.

Works

Search Professor Sam MacAulay’s works on UQ eSpace

30 works between 2008 and 2023

1 - 20 of 30 works

2023

Journal Article

On the trajectory of discrimination: a meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions

Schaerer, Michael, Plessis, Christilene Du, Nguyen, My Hoang Bao, Aert, Robbie C.M. Van, Tiokhin, Leo, Lakens, Daniel, Clemente, Elena Giulia, Pfeiffer, Thomas, Dreber, Anna, Johannesson, Magnus, Clark, Cory J., Uhlmann, Eric Luis, Abraham, Ajay T., Adamus, Magdalena, Akinci, Cinla, Alberti, Federica, Alsharawy, Abdelaziz M., Alzahawi, Shilaan, Anseel, Frederik, Arndt, Felix, Balkan, Binnur, Baskin, Ernest, Bearden, Carrie E., Benotsch, Eric G., Bernritter, Stefan, Black, Sheila R., Bleidorn, Wiebke, Boysen, Andrew P., Brienza, Justin P. ... Zolopa, Camille S. (2023). On the trajectory of discrimination: a meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 179 104280, 1-26. doi: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2023.104280

On the trajectory of discrimination: a meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions

2023

Book Chapter

From "lonely projects" to orchestrating project innovation ecosystems

MacAulay, Samuel C., Davies, Andrew and Dodgson, Mark (2023). From "lonely projects" to orchestrating project innovation ecosystems. Handbook on Innovation and Project Management. (pp. 294-307) Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing.

From "lonely projects" to orchestrating project innovation ecosystems

2023

Book Chapter

Minimum viable governance for data science initiatives

Mathur, Sandeep, Sankaran, Shankar, MacAulay, Sam and Tsang, Ivor (2023). Minimum viable governance for data science initiatives. Research handbook on the governance of projects. (pp. 445-456) edited by Ralf Müller, Shankar Sankaran and Nathalie Drouin. Cheltenham, Glos., United States: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781802208078.00045

Minimum viable governance for data science initiatives

2023

Other Outputs

Digital Service Transformation: Pathways to human and economic wellbeing White Paper

Andreassen, Tor W., Archibald, Gordon, Beekhuyzen, Jenine, Bongiovanni, Ivano, Brea, Edgar, Breidbach, Christoph, Burchill, Keith, Burgers, Henri, Cao, Selina, Coote, Len, Coram, Brendan, Cunningham, Claire, Feast, George, Field, Mitch, Ford, Jerad, Fouche, Leon, Gain, Alexandria, Gooding, Glen, Goyeneche Ramirez, David, Green, Teegan, Gschwind, Daniel, Hall, Thomas, Hartley, Nicole, Heinz, Daniel, Hine, Damian, Indulska, Marta, Kapernick, Brett, Kastelle, Tim, Ko, Ryan ... Zhang, Wenlu (2023). Digital Service Transformation: Pathways to human and economic wellbeing White Paper. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland Business School - Service Innovation Alliance. doi: 10.14264/aed4918

Digital Service Transformation: Pathways to human and economic wellbeing White Paper

2023

Journal Article

Valuing theory and practice: using a portfolio lens to publish research on projects

Davies, Andrew and MacAulay, Samuel C. (2023). Valuing theory and practice: using a portfolio lens to publish research on projects. Project Management Journal, 54 (3), 211-218. doi: 10.1177/87569728231173647

Valuing theory and practice: using a portfolio lens to publish research on projects

2022

Other Outputs

Interviews

Oyola Lozada, Giuliana, Jenkins, Anna, Pregelj, Lisette and MacAulay, Sam (2022). Interviews. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/4ef737d

Interviews

2022

Conference Publication

MINIMUM VIABLE GOVERNANCE FOR DATA SCIENCE INITIATIVES A TRANSPORT FOR NSW CASE STUDY

Mathur, Sandeep, Transport for NSW, Australia, Sankaran, Shankar, MacAulay, Samuel, Tsang, Ivor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Australia, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia and Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Australia (2022). MINIMUM VIABLE GOVERNANCE FOR DATA SCIENCE INITIATIVES A TRANSPORT FOR NSW CASE STUDY. International Project Management Association, Serbian Project Management Association. doi: 10.56889/vjtu9918

MINIMUM VIABLE GOVERNANCE FOR DATA SCIENCE INITIATIVES A TRANSPORT FOR NSW CASE STUDY

2022

Journal Article

Design as an Isolating Mechanism for Capturing Value from Innovation: From Cloaks and Traps to Sabotage

Sharapov, Dmitry and MacAulay, Samuel C. (2022). Design as an Isolating Mechanism for Capturing Value from Innovation: From Cloaks and Traps to Sabotage. Academy of Management Review, 47 (1) amr.2018.0413, 139-161. doi: 10.5465/amr.2018.0413

Design as an Isolating Mechanism for Capturing Value from Innovation: From Cloaks and Traps to Sabotage

2020

Journal Article

The search environment is not (always) benign: reassessing the risks of organizational search

MacAulay, Samuel C., Steen, John and Kastelle, Tim (2020). The search environment is not (always) benign: reassessing the risks of organizational search. Industrial and Corporate Change, 29 (1), 1-23. doi: 10.1093/icc/dtx045

The search environment is not (always) benign: reassessing the risks of organizational search

2019

Journal Article

Delivery model innovation: insights from infrastructure projects

Davies, Andrew, MacAulay, Samuel C. and Brady, Tim (2019). Delivery model innovation: insights from infrastructure projects. Project Management Journal, 50 (2), 119-127. doi: 10.1177/8756972819831145

Delivery model innovation: insights from infrastructure projects

2019

Book Chapter

Collective action under the shadow of contractual governance: the case of a participatory approach to upgrade Cairo's 'garbage cities'

Gil, Nuno and MacAulay, Samuel C. (2019). Collective action under the shadow of contractual governance: the case of a participatory approach to upgrade Cairo's 'garbage cities'. Duality by design: the global race to build Africa's infrastructure. (pp. 284-312) edited by Nuno Gil, Anne Stafford and Innocent Musonda. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108562492.011

Collective action under the shadow of contractual governance: the case of a participatory approach to upgrade Cairo's 'garbage cities'

2018

Journal Article

Transparency on scientific instruments

Bergenholtz, Carsten, MacAulay, Samuel C., Kolympiris, Christos and Seim, Inge (2018). Transparency on scientific instruments. EMBO reports, 19 (6) e45853. doi: 10.15252/embr.201845853

Transparency on scientific instruments

2018

Book Chapter

Understanding the innovation ecosystem in mining and what the digital revolution means for it

Steen, John, Macaulay, Sam, Kunz, Nadja and Jackson, John (2018). Understanding the innovation ecosystem in mining and what the digital revolution means for it. Extracting innovations: mining, energy, and technological change in the digital age. (pp. 3-26) edited by Martin J. Clifford, Robert K. Perrons, Saleem H. Ali and Tim A. Grice. New York, United States: CRC Press.

Understanding the innovation ecosystem in mining and what the digital revolution means for it

2018

Journal Article

Hiding in plain sight

Bergenholtz, Carsten, MacAulay, Sam and Seim, Inge (2018). Hiding in plain sight. Biologist, 65 (4).

Hiding in plain sight

2017

Journal Article

Five rules for managing large, complex projects

Davies, Andrew, Dodgson, Mark, Gann, David M. and MacAulay, Samuel C. (2017). Five rules for managing large, complex projects. MIT Sloan Management Review, 59 (1), 72-78.

Five rules for managing large, complex projects

2017

Other Outputs

How do you prepare for tomorrow's mine today?

Mitchell, Paul, Steen, John, Sartorio, Afonso, Bolton, Wayne, MacAulay, Samuel C., Higgins, Louise, Kunz, Nadja, Yameogo, Theo, Hoogedeure, Wim and Jackson, John (2017). How do you prepare for tomorrow's mine today?.

How do you prepare for tomorrow's mine today?

2016

Other Outputs

How do you prepare for tomorrow’s mine today?

Mitchell, Paul, Steen, John, Sartorio, Afonso, Bolton, Wayne, MacAulay, Samuel C., Higgins, Louise, Kunz, Nadja, Yameogo, Theo, Hoogedeure, Wim and Jackson, John (2016). How do you prepare for tomorrow’s mine today?. : EYGM.

How do you prepare for tomorrow’s mine today?

2015

Journal Article

Innovation strategy in new transportation systems: the case of Crossrail

Dodgson, Mark, Gann, David, MacAulay, Sam and Davies, Andrew (2015). Innovation strategy in new transportation systems: the case of Crossrail. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 77, 261-275. doi: 10.1016/j.tra.2015.04.019

Innovation strategy in new transportation systems: the case of Crossrail

2015

Journal Article

Making innovation happen in a megaproject: London's crossrail suburban railway system

Davies, Andrew, MacAulay, Samuel, DeBarro, Tim and Thurston, Mark (2015). Making innovation happen in a megaproject: London's crossrail suburban railway system. Project Management Journal, 45 (6), 25-37. doi: 10.1002/pmj.21461

Making innovation happen in a megaproject: London's crossrail suburban railway system

2015

Journal Article

Mantra to method: lessons from managing innovation on Crossrail, UK

DeBarro, Tim, MacAulay, Samuel, Davies, Andrew, Wolstenholme, Andrew and Gann, David (2015). Mantra to method: lessons from managing innovation on Crossrail, UK. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering, 168 (4), 171-178. doi: 10.1680/jcien.15.00008

Mantra to method: lessons from managing innovation on Crossrail, UK

Funding

Past funding

  • 2016 - 2017
    The perception and management of uncertainty in megaprojects: the role of domain decisions
    Project Management Institute, Inc
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Dr Sam MacAulay is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Disruptive innovation: How can it be valued and priced? A case of novel theranostics in oncology

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Lisette Pregelj, Dr Anna Jenkins

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Artificial intelligence in medical imaging: understanding the frames that influence the adoption and integration of new technology

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Anna Jenkins

  • Doctor Philosophy

    How to enhance the probability of success in a complex project via Risk Leadership

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Michael Collins

Media

Enquiries

Contact Dr Sam MacAulay directly for media enquiries about:

  • collaboration
  • management of innovation
  • megaprojects
  • organisational design
  • organizational design
  • research and development
  • social networks

Need help?

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communications@uq.edu.au