Seminar by Prof. Neil Pollock, University of Edinburgh
Event details
| Date | 18.09.2015 |
| Hour | 16:00 › 17:30 |
| Speaker | Prof. Neil Pollock, University of Edinburgh |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
"How Industry Analysts Shape the Digital Future"
Abstract:
Industry analysts are in the business of shaping the technological and economic future. They attempt to 'predict' what will become the next big thing; to spot new emerging trends and paradigms; to decide which hi-tech products will win out over others and to figure out which technology vendors can deliver on their promises. In just a few short years, they have developed a surprising degree of authority over technological innovation. Yet we know very little, if anything about them. This seminar seeks to explain how this was achieved and on what this authority rests. Who are the experts who increasingly command the attention of vendor and user communities? What is the nature of this new form of technical and business knowledge? We have conducted the first fine grained study into this rarely scrutinized form of business expertise. From a small group of mainly North American players which arose in the 1970s, Gartner Inc. has emerged as clear leader of a $6 billion industry that involves several hundred firms worldwide. Through interviews and observation of Gartner Inc. and other industry analyst firms, the seminar explores how these firms create their predictions, market classifications and rankings, as well as with how these outputs are assessed and consumed. The talk asks why many social scientists have ignored the proliferation of these new forms of management and technical expertise. In some cases scholars have 'deflated' this kind of business acumen, portraying it as arbitrary knowledge whose methods and content do not deserve enquiry. The valuable exception here has been the path-breaking work on the 'performativity' of economic, financial or accounting knowledge. Drawing upon recent performativity arguments, the seminar argues the case for a Sociology of Business Knowledge.
Bio
Neil Pollock, who was originally trained in computing and Science & Technology Studies, is Professor of Innovation and Social Informatics at the University of Edinburgh Business School where he heads the Entrepreneurship and Innovation academic subject group. As well as leading a department of faculty specialising in the innovation and commercialisation of new technologies, he is also a founding member of the Edinburgh Social Informatics Cluster. He is primarily known for his interdisciplinary research on IT that sits at the intersection between Information Systems, Innovation Studies and Economic Sociology. Neil has published in the highest rated academic journals which includes MIS Quarterly, Organization Studies, Information Systems Research, Accounting, Organizations & Society, Organization Studies, Social Studies of Science and Science, Technology & Human Values. He is a senior editor of the journal Information and Organization and associate editor of New Technology, Work and Employment.
Twitter: @neilpollock
Website: http://www.peelpollock.moonfruit.com/
Abstract:
Industry analysts are in the business of shaping the technological and economic future. They attempt to 'predict' what will become the next big thing; to spot new emerging trends and paradigms; to decide which hi-tech products will win out over others and to figure out which technology vendors can deliver on their promises. In just a few short years, they have developed a surprising degree of authority over technological innovation. Yet we know very little, if anything about them. This seminar seeks to explain how this was achieved and on what this authority rests. Who are the experts who increasingly command the attention of vendor and user communities? What is the nature of this new form of technical and business knowledge? We have conducted the first fine grained study into this rarely scrutinized form of business expertise. From a small group of mainly North American players which arose in the 1970s, Gartner Inc. has emerged as clear leader of a $6 billion industry that involves several hundred firms worldwide. Through interviews and observation of Gartner Inc. and other industry analyst firms, the seminar explores how these firms create their predictions, market classifications and rankings, as well as with how these outputs are assessed and consumed. The talk asks why many social scientists have ignored the proliferation of these new forms of management and technical expertise. In some cases scholars have 'deflated' this kind of business acumen, portraying it as arbitrary knowledge whose methods and content do not deserve enquiry. The valuable exception here has been the path-breaking work on the 'performativity' of economic, financial or accounting knowledge. Drawing upon recent performativity arguments, the seminar argues the case for a Sociology of Business Knowledge.
Bio
Neil Pollock, who was originally trained in computing and Science & Technology Studies, is Professor of Innovation and Social Informatics at the University of Edinburgh Business School where he heads the Entrepreneurship and Innovation academic subject group. As well as leading a department of faculty specialising in the innovation and commercialisation of new technologies, he is also a founding member of the Edinburgh Social Informatics Cluster. He is primarily known for his interdisciplinary research on IT that sits at the intersection between Information Systems, Innovation Studies and Economic Sociology. Neil has published in the highest rated academic journals which includes MIS Quarterly, Organization Studies, Information Systems Research, Accounting, Organizations & Society, Organization Studies, Social Studies of Science and Science, Technology & Human Values. He is a senior editor of the journal Information and Organization and associate editor of New Technology, Work and Employment.
Twitter: @neilpollock
Website: http://www.peelpollock.moonfruit.com/
Practical information
- General public
- Free