Assistant Professor in Organisational Theory and Information Systems
BA (Georgetown University), MA, PhD (University of California Santa Barbara)
My research interests include how organisations anticipate technological change, using digital technologies for prediction, AI and autonomous technologies, digital transformation, infrastructure, ethnography, and social network analysis. I previously worked as a political organiser, fundraiser, and consultant for non-profits and labour organisations in the US and Thailand.
I’m a member of the Organisational Theory and Information Systems subject group at Cambridge Judge Business School, which is engaged with cross-disciplinary themes including leadership.
Professional experience
Virginia is an Assistant Professor in Organisational Theory and Information Systems. Before returning to academia to study technology, work and organisations, Virginia worked for more than a decade as a political organiser, educator, fundraiser, and consultant for non-profits and labour organisations in the US and Thailand. In her previous career she founded several organisations and businesses, including a popular education and retreat centre in rural Virginia and Washington DC-based political consultancy.
Virginia studies the relationship between organisational anticipation and digital technologies. In her research she asks two questions: 1) How do organisations use digital technologies to predict and plan for the future? and 2) How do ideas and information about the future influence organisational structure and action in advance of technological change? Virginia holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Georgetown University, an MA in Sociology from the University of California Santa Barbara, and a PhD in Technology Management from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Publications
Selected publications
- Leonardi, P.M. and Leavell, V. (2024) “How the map becomes the territory: prediction, performativity and the process of taking digital twins for granted.” Journal of Organization Design, 13(3): 101-112 (DOI: 10.1007/s41469-024-00164-2)
News and insight
ESG and sustainability
Can business reset for climate goals, 10 years on?
A decade on from the Paris Agreement, the deepening climate crisis makes business action more critical than ever. Drawing on insights from Cambridge Judge Business School academics, this article highlights practical solutions and systemic changes needed to align business practices with sustainability and drive meaningful progress.
AI and technology
Human brain vs AI: what makes better decisions?
Companies and other organisations are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence to drive strategy and planning. But there’s a key question: does AI actually make better decisions than humans? Academics art Cambridge Judge Business School are using recent research to help answer this question.
AI and technology
Digital twins: the future of predictive modelling
A study co-authored by Dr Virginia Leavell investigates how digital models can shape the future by producing changes in their physical twin.