Assistant Professor, Organization & Strategy
University of California, Irvine

Phone:   (949) 824-3238
E-mail:   dobstfel@uci.edu
Website:   http://web.gsm.uci.edu/~dobstfel/

Research interests:
knowledge management; knowledge creation; innovation; social networks; entrepreneurship

Professor Obstfeld’s research examines how the knowledge-intensive social processes that result in organizational change and innovation unfold at the local and firm levels. Currently, his interests focus on how combinatorial action, knowledge articulation, creative projects, and collective action yield new insights for strategy, organization theory, and leadership.

His publications include "Social Networks, The Tertius Iungens Orientation, and Involvement in Innovation"(Administrative Science Quarterly); "Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking," with Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe (Organization Science); “The role of affect in creative projects and exploratory search.” with Paul Adler (Industrial and Corporate Change, forthcoming); “Social Capital by Design: Structures, Strategies, and Institutional Context,” with Wayne Baker in Corporate Social Capital and Liability; and“Organizing for High Reliability: Processes of Collective Mindfulness,” in Research in Organizational Behavior with Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe.

Recently, Professor Obstfeld received a $322,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study organizational innovation. Entitled “Brokerage, Social Networks, Knowledge-Based Innovation,” it is sponsored by the Innovation and Organizational Change, Sociology, and Law and Social Science directorates of the NSF.

Dr. Obstfeld received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Prior to embarking on an academic career, he served as Director of Training and Development at The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae).