91³Ô¹ÏÍø

I have always been interested in organizations of all kinds – it is in organizations that we work, learn, heal, play and invent.  My teaching and research focus particularly on how organizations make their strategies, in other words, how they shape their long-term trajectories. The strategies of today’s leading organizations (think of Alibaba, Alphabet or Amazon) impact on us all. Strategy knowledge is important to anyone who seeks leadership positions in organizations and particularly relevant to those starting their careers in management consulting or certain areas of finance.

I took my PhD at the University of Manchester and have held academic posts at Imperial College, the University of Warwick and, since 1996,  91³Ô¹ÏÍø and the Saïd Business School. 

In addition, I have held visiting positions at the Harvard Business School, HEC Paris and the University of Toulouse. I have an honorary Doctorate from the University of St Gallen.

Being in my third decade at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø, I clearly like the place – the best thing is probably that the College manages to be both big and friendly.

Research Interests

My current research interests are: 

• the practice of strategy
• strategy professionals (consultants and strategy officers)
• ‘open’ strategy (strategic transparency and inclusion)

My research has achieved more than 55,000 Google Scholar citations. Open Syallabus.Org ranks my co-authored textbook, Exploring Strategy, as the most recommended strategy textbook worldwide. As of 2025, I am President-elect of the Strategic Management Society and standing Guest Editor of the Strategic Management Journal.

I am an enthusiastic tennis-player with a one-handed backhand and a disappointing serve.

Selected Recent Publications:

• Whittington R, Regner P., Angwin D and Hautz J. (2025), Exploring Strategy, 14th edition, Pearson
• Whittington, R. (2025). Tall or flat: the microfoundational bathtub and the water of practices. Strategic Organization.
• Splitter, V., Seidl, D., & Whittington, R. (2024). Getting heard? How employees learn to gain senior management attention in inclusive strategy processes. Strategic Management Journal, 45(10), 1877-1925.
• Plotnikova, A., Pandza, K., & Whittington, R. (2024). Bending the pipes: Regaining attention through reinvention and renewal. Strategic Organization, 22(1), 165-188.
• Whittington, R. (2024). A Practice Theory Perspective on Open Strategy and Innovation. In The Oxford Handbook of Open Innovation (pp. 653-666). Oxford University Press.