Reader in Strategy & Policy
Academic Director, Centre for Strategic Philanthropy (CSP)
Race & Inclusion Champion, University of Cambridge
Fellow of Homerton College
PhD (McGill University)
Research interests
Strategy in highly turbulent and disruptive competitive environments; positioning in ecosystems; platform-based strategy; business models; economic development and national competitiveness.
Subject group: Strategy & International Business
Professional experience
Dr Kamal Munir has been teaching at Cambridge Judge Business School since 2000. Dr Munir’s research focuses on technological and business model disruptions at the corporate and societal levels. His research also spans the competitive advantage of nations.
Dr Munir has published several articles in leading organisational and technology journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Industrial and Corporate Change, Organization Studies and Research Policy, and presented his work at numerous international conferences. At the same time, he has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines including the Financial Times, The Guardian, Dawn and Economic and Political Weekly. His work has been quoted and cited in several forums, including BBC’s Hard Talk, World Economic Forum, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired magazine, and BusinessWeek among many others. He is the founder of OTREG, an international discussion forum for organisational theorists, a Senior Editor of Organization Studies, an Associate Editor of the Journal of Management Inquiry, and serves on the Editorial Board of Academy of Management Review.
Dr Munir has consulted for the State Bank of Pakistan, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. He has also been a consultant to the governments of UK, Pakistan and Nigeria. In the private sector he served as a consultant and trainer for several leading organisations and regularly conducts Strategy Offsites for wide ranging firms. He is frequently invited internationally to speak on issues related to social, technological and economic change. Dr Munir is a Visiting Professor in Economic Sociology at LUMS, Pakistan, where he served as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2015/16.
Previous appointments
From 1996 to 2000, Kamal taught at McGill University in Canada.
Awards & honours
- Listed on #ThinklistAmplify, a list of the top influential thinkers in the domain of responsible business, University of Bath, 2020
- Winner, Best PhD Paper Prize (with Maima A. Syakhroza), Strategic Management Society Annual Conference, 2016
- Runners-Up, Best Paper Prize, Strategic Management Society Annual Conference, 2016
- Best International Symposium Award, for Symposium on University-Industry Collaborations, Academy of Management Conference, Chicago, USA, 2009
Selected publications
Here are a selection of Kamal Munir’s publications. Please see the “Selected publications” tab above for a more comprehensive list.
Munir, K., Ansari, S. and Brown, D. (2020) “From Patanjali to the ‘gospel of sweat’: yoga’s remarkable transformation from a sacred movement into a thriving global market.” Administrative Science Quarterly (forthcoming)
Radic, M., Ravasi, D. and Munir, K. (2020) “Privatization: implications of a shift from state to private ownership.” Journal of Management (forthcoming)
Amis, J.M., Mair, J. and Munir, K. (2020) “The organizational reproduction of inequality.” Academy of Management Annals, 14(1): 195-230 (DOI: 10.5465/annals.2017.0033)
Syakhroza, M.A., Paolella, L. and Munir, K. (2019) “Holier than thou? Identity buffers and adoption of controversial practices in the Islamic banking category.” Academy of Management Journal, 62(4): 1252-1277 (DOI: 10.5465/amj.2016.1017)
Amis, J.M., Munir, K.A., Lawrence, T.B., Hirsch, P. and McGahan, A. (2018) “Inequality, institutions and organizations.” Organization Studies, 39(9): 1131-1152 (DOI: 10.1177/0170840618792596)
Dacin, M.T., Munir, K. and Tracey, P. (2010) “Formal dining at Cambridge colleges: linking ritual performance and institutional maintenance.” Academy of Management Journal, 53(6): 1393-1418
Journal articles
Dougherty, D., Borrelli, L., Munir, K. and O’Sullivan, A. (2000) “Systems of organizational sensemaking for sustained product innovation.” Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 17(3-4): 321-355 (DOI: 10.1016/S0923-4748(00)00028-X)
Munir, K.A. (2002) “Being different: how normative and cognitive aspects of institutional environments influence technology transfer.” Human Relations, 55(12): 1403-1428 (DOI: 10.1177/001872602128782204)
Munir, K.A. and Phillips, N. (2002) “The concept of industry and the case of radical technological change.” Journal of High Technology Management Research, 13(2): 279-297 (DOI: 10.1016/S1047-8310(02)00046-9)
Munir, K., with Garud, R. (2003) “Snap decisions.” Business Life, Sep: 18
Munir, K. (2003) “Flaws at the core.” Business Life, Oct: 18
Munir, K.A. (2003) “Competitive dynamics in face of technological discontinuity: a framework for action.” Journal of High Technology Management Research, 14(1): 93-109 (DOI: 10.1016/S1047-8310(03)00006-3)
Munir, K. (2004) “Saving big blue: case study IBM.” Business Life, May: 16
Pittaway, L., Robertson, M., Munir, K., Denyer, D. and Neely, A. (2004) “Networking and innovation in the UK: a systematic review of the literature: report prepared for the DTI and ESRC.” International Journal of Management Reviews, 5-6(3-4): 137-168 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-8545.2004.00101.x)
Munir, K.A. and Jones, M. (2004) “Discontinuity and after: the social dynamics of technology evolution and dominance.” Organization Studies, 25(4): 561-581 (DOI: 10.1177/0170840604040676)
Munir, K. (2005) “Act of man.” The Guardian, 11 November 2005
Munir, K.A. (2005) “The social construction of events: a study of institutional change in the photographic field.” Organization Studies, 26(1): 93-112 (DOI: 10.1177/0170840605049463)
Munir, K.A. and Phillips, N. (2005) “The birth of the Kodak moment: institutional entrepreneurship and the adoption of new technologies.” Organization Studies, 26(11): 1665-1687 (DOI: 10.1177/0170840605056395)
Khan, F., Munir, K. and Willmott, H. (2007) “A dark side of institutional entrepreneurship: soccer balls, child labour and postcolonial impoverishment.” Organization Studies, 28(7): 1055-1077 (DOI: 10.1177/0170840607078114)
Ansari, S. and Munir, K. (2008) “How valuable is a piece of the spectrum? Determination of value in external resource acquisition.” Industrial and Corporate Change, 17(2): 301-333 (DOI: 10.1093/icc/dtn004)
Garud, R. and Munir, K. (2008) “From transaction to transformation costs: the case of Polaroid’s SX-70 camera.” Research Policy, 37(4): 690-705 (DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2007.12.010)
Runde, J., Jones, M., Munir, K. and Nikolychuk, L. (2009) “On technological objects and the adoption of technological product innovations: rules, routines and the transition from analogue photography to digital imaging.” Cambridge Journal of Economics, 33(1): 1-24 (DOI: 10.1093/cje/ben023)
Dacin, M.T., Munir, K. and Tracey, P. (2010) “Formal dining at Cambridge colleges: linking ritual performance and institutional maintenance.” Academy of Management Journal, 53(6): 1393-1418
Munir, K.A. (2011) “Financial crisis 2008-2009: what does the silence of institutional theorists tell us?” Journal of Management Inquiry, 20(2): 114-117 (DOI: 10.1177/1056492610394739)
Munir, K. and Khalid, S. (2012) “Pakistan’s power politics.” Economic and Political Weekly, 47(25): 24-27
Ansari, S., Munir, K. and Gregg, T. (2012) “Impact at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’: the role of social capital in capability development and community empowerment.” Journal of Management Studies, 49(4): 813-842 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01042.x)
Munir, K.A. and Khalid, S. (2012) “Pakistan’s power crisis: how did we get here?” The Lahore Journal of Economics, 17(SE): 73-82
Herzog, J.O., Munir, K.A. and Kattuman, P. (2013) “The King and I: monarchies and the performance of business groups.” Cambridge Journal of Economics, 37(1): 171-185 (DOI: 10.1093/cje/bes032)
Munir, K. and Naqvi, N. (2013) “Pakistan’s post-reforms banking sector: a critical evaluation.” Economic and Political Weekly, 48(47): 38-42
Munir, K.A., Naqvi, N. and Usmani, A. (2015) “The abject condition of labor in Pakistan.” International Labor and Working-Class History, 78: 174-183 (DOI: 10.1017/S0147547914000283)
Munir, K. and Naqvi, N. (2018) “Privatization in the land of believers: the political economy of privatization in Pakistan.” Modern Asian Studies, 51(6): 1695-1726 (DOI: 10.1017/S0026749X16000585)
Munir, K., Ayaz, M., Levy, D.L. and Willmott, H. (2018) “The role of intermediaries in governance of global production networks: restructuring work relations in Pakistan’s apparel industry.” Human Relations, 71(4): 560-583 (DOI: 10.1177/0018726717722395)
Amis, J.M., Munir, K.A., Lawrence, T.B., Hirsch, P. and McGahan, A. (2018) “Inequality, institutions and organizations.” Organization Studies, 39(9): 1131-1152 (DOI: 10.1177/0170840618792596)
Syakhroza, M.A., Paolella, L. and Munir, K. (2019) “Holier than thou? Identity buffers and adoption of controversial practices in the Islamic banking category.” Academy of Management Journal, 62(4): 1252-1277 (DOI: 10.5465/amj.2016.1017)
Amis, J.M., Mair, J. and Munir, K. (2020) “The organizational reproduction of inequality.” Academy of Management Annals, 14(1): 195-230 (DOI: 10.5465/annals.2017.0033)
Munir, K.A. (2020) “Inequality in the time of corona virus.” Journal of Management Studies (DOI: 10.1111/joms.12674) (published online Nov 2020)
Munir, K.A. (2020) “Challenging institutional theory’s critical credentials.” Organization Theory (DOI: 10.1177/2631787719887975) (published online Dec 2019)
Munir, K., Ansari, S. and Brown, D. (2020) “From Patanjali to the ‘gospel of sweat’: yoga’s remarkable transformation from a sacred movement into a thriving global market.” Administrative Science Quarterly (forthcoming)
Radic, M., Ravasi, D. and Munir, K. (2020) “Privatization: implications of a shift from state to private ownership.” Journal of Management (forthcoming)
Special issues of journals
Lawrence, T.B., Amis, J.M., Munir, K.A., Hirsch, P. and McGahan, A. (eds.) (2018) “Special issue on inequality, institutions and organizations.” Organization Studies, 39(9)
Books, monographs, reports & case studies
Birdi, K., Denyer, D., Munir, K., Neely, A. and Prabhu, J. (2003) Post Porter: where does the UK go from here? Summary report from the AIM Management Research Forum June 2003. London: AIM (Advanced Institute of Management).
Pittaway, L., Robertson, M., Munir, K., Denyer, D. and Neely, A. (2004) Networking and innovation in the UK: a systematic review of the literature. London: Advanced Institute of Management Research.
Burki, A.A., Munir, K., Khan, M.A., Khan, U., Faheem, A., Khalid, A. and Hussain, S.T. (2011) Industrial policy, its spatial aspects and cluster development in Pakistan: a report commissioned by the World Bank and the Ministry of Industries and Production. Islamabad: Government of Pakistan
Burki, A.A., Munir, K.A., Khan, M.U., Noorani, T., Khan, S.H. and Akhtar, M. (2011) National industrial policy 2011: implementation framework. Islamabad: Ministry of Industries and Production, Government of Pakistan.
Book chapters
Dougherty, D., Borrelli, L., Munir, K. and O’Sullivan, A. (1998) “Interpretive flexibility of an organization’s technology as a dynamic capability.” In Baum, J. (ed.): Advances in strategic management: vol.15: Disciplinary roots of strategic management research. Stamford, Conn.: JAI Press, pp.169-204
O’Sullivan, A., Munir, K. and Dougherty, D. (1998) “Building organizational capabilities for product innovation.” In Kanungo, B. (ed.): Entrepreneurship and innovation: models for development. New Delhi: Sage, pp.265-286
Munir, K. (1998) “Product innovation in a non-Western context: bridging organizations and society.” In Serapio, M. (ed.): Research in international business and international relations: vol.7: international organizational behavior. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press, pp.141-161
Munir, K.A. and Phillips, N. (2003) “The concept of industry and the case of radical technological change.” In Zedtwitz, M. von, Haour, G., Khalil, T.M. and Lefebvre, L.A. (eds.): Management of technology: growth through business innovation and entrepreneurship: selected papers from the Tenth International Conference on Management of Technology. London: Pergamon, pp.217-237
Jones, M., Orlikowski, W. and Munir, K. (2004) “Structuration theory and information.” In Mingers, J. and Willcocks, L. (eds.): Social theory and philosophy for information systems. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, pp.297-328
Munir, K., Ansari, S. and Gregg, T. (2010) “Beyond the hype: taking business strategy to the ‘bottom of the pyramid’.” In Baum, J.A.C. and Lampel, J. (eds.): The globalization of strategy research. (Advances in Strategic Management Series, vol.27) Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.247-276
Ansari, S. and Munir, K. (2010) “Letting users into our world: some organizational implications of user-generated content.” In Griffiths, D., Phillips, N. and Sewell, G. (eds.): Technology and organization: essays in honour of Joan Woodward. (Research in the Sociology of Organizations Series, vol.29) Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.79-105
Amis, J.M., Munir, K.A. and Mair, J. (2017) “Institutions and economic inequality.” In: Greenwood, R., Oliver, C., Lawrence, T. and Meyer, R. (eds.) The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2nd edition. (forthcoming)
Quinn, Q. and Munir, K. (2017) “Hybrid categories as political devices: the case of impact investing in frontier markets.” In: Durrand, R., Granqvist, N. and Tyllström, A. (eds.) From categories to categorization: studies in sociology, organizations and strategy at the crossroads (Research in the Sociology of Organizations). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing, pp.113-150 (DOI: 10.1108/S0733-558X20170000051002)
Conference papers
Dougherty, D., Munir, K. and Subramaniam, M. (2002) “Managing technology flows in practice: a grounded theory of sustained innovation.” In Academy of Management (eds.): Building effective networks: Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (62nd), 11-14 August 2002, Denver, Colorado, USA. [Published on CD-ROM], pp. TIM:E1-E6
Garud, R. and Munir, K.A. (2003) “Breaking through and breaking apart: learning from Polaroid’s development of SX-70.” In: Democracy in a knowledge economy: Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Showcase Symposium on Modular Emergence, 1-6 August 2003, Seattle, WA.
Munir, K.A. and Phillips, N. (2003) “The concept of industry and the case of radical technological change.” In Von Zedtwitz, M., Haour, G., Khali, T.M., Lefebvre, L.A. (eds.): Management of technology: International Conference on Growth through Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 10th, selected papers, March 2001, Lausanne, Switzerland. Toronto, Canada: Pergamon Press, pp.217-237
Garud, R. and Munir, K.A. (2004) “Socio-technical dynamics underlying radical innovation: the case of Polaroid’s SX-70 camera.” In: Creating actionable knowledge: Academy of Management Annual Meeting, 64th, 6-11 August 2004, New Orleans, LA.
Munir, K., Jones, M., Orlikowski, W., Runde, J., and Nikolychuk, L. (2005) “Of continuities of discontinuous institutional change: evidence from technological transformation in the photographic field.” In: Theorizing process in organizational research: Organization Studies Summer Workshop, 12-13 June 2005, Santorini, Greece.
Jones, M., Munir, K., Orlikowski, W. and Runde, J. (2008) “About time too: online news and changing temporal structures in the newspaper industry.” In Boland, R.J., Limayem, M. and Pentland, B. (eds.): ICIS 2008 Proceedings, 14-17 December, Paris, France.
Yin, E., Bao, Y., Munir, K. and Merlo, O. (2008) “Global mindedness and strategic orientation of Chinese small and medium sized enterprises in their international expansion efforts.” In: Proceedings of the Global Marketing Conference, Shanghai, China.
