Shani, Abraham B. (Rami): A Journey from Action Research and Sociotechnical Systems to Collaborative Management Research and Sustainable Work Systems

Abraham B. (Rami) Shani, a professor of management and organization behavior at the Orfalea College of Business, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, is a recognized scholar in the organization development and change field. The first book that he coauthored with Gervase Bushe, a pioneering articulation of parallel learning structure theory in the Addison-Wesley Organization Development Series, was written at a time when the rapidly growing field was not well understood or well-defined. The book, Parallel Learning Structures: Increasing Innovation in Bureaucracies, was hailed by Richard Beckhard and Edgar Schein as “a seminal theory of large-scale organization change based on the institution of parallel systems as change agents.” The book has been widely quoted in contemporary times in line with new attention to diverse learning mechanisms within the field of organization design. As of this writing, Rami continues to publish and serve as an editor of journal articles, books, and book chapters at a record pace. In 2008, he joined Richard Woodman and William Pasmore in editing the annual volumes of Research in Organizational Change and Development, which establishes a special opportunity for academics and practitioners to share research findings and emerging trends in OD. Over the years, Rami has worked with consultants, scholars, clients, and leaders within the organization development academic community to found the subfield of collaborative management research and to document the evolution of sociotechnical systems theory toward sustainable work systems thinking and the development of new organizational capabilities. The chapter sections below will explore these collaborations and contributions. After a brief look at influences and motivations, the chapter will expand on three contribution categories along with ties to the relevant scholarly literature. It will be noted that beyond a phenomenal publication record and active involvement in organization development research societies and consortiums, Dr. Shani plays a key role in shaping the academic research agenda in action research, collaborative management research, and organization design.