Mary J. Benner Faculty Profile

Mary J. Benner
Assistant Professor of Management

PhD, Columbia University, 2002; MPhil, Columbia University, 1999; MBA, Stanford University, 1989; BS, University of Minnesota, 1982

Research Areas
Organization theory; strategy; technology and innovation; organizational change; process management

Current Projects
Current research explores how process management practices and institutional pressures affect organizations’ innovation, adaptation, and performance in the face of technological change.

Academic Positions Held
Wharton: 2001-present

Other Positions
Branch General Manager, Honeywell Inc., 1994-96; various management positions, Honeywell Inc., 1989-1994; Consulting Manager, FW Dodge/DRI, 1985-87; Consultant, Data Resources, Inc., 1982-85

Career and Recent Professional Awards; Teaching Awards
Academy of Management Review Best Paper Award, 2004; Wharton Excellence in Teaching Award (Undergraduate Division), 2004; Winner, 2003 Outstanding Dissertation Award, Academy of Management Business Policy and Strategy Division; Outstanding Reviewer Award, 2003, Academy of Management Business Policy and Strategy Division; Finalist, 2003 Best Dissertation Competition, Academy of Management Technology and Innovation Management Division; Winner, 1999 Best Student Paper Award, Academy of Management Technology and Innovation Management Division

Professional Leadership 2005-2009
Representative at Large, Technology and Innovation Management Division of the Academy of Management; Editorial Boards: Organization Science, 2006–present; Administrative Science Quarterly, 2006-present; Academy of Managment Review, 2008; Research Committee, Academy of Management, Business Policy and Strategy division, 2006-2008

Representative Publications
“Securities analysts’ reactions when incumbents respond to radical technological change: Evidence from digital photography and internet telephony.” Organization Science (forthcoming).

(with J. Waldfogel)
“Close to you? Bias and precision in patent-based measures of technological position.” Research Policy (forthcoming).

(with F. Veloso)
“ISO 9000 practices and financial performance: A technology coherence perspective.” Journal of Operations Management (September 2008).

"Financial market reactions following technological discontinuities: A non-event study in two industries." Industrial and Corporate Change 17(1): 109-154 (2008).

“The Incumbent Discount: Stock Market Categories and Response to Radical Technological Change.” Academy of Management Review (July 2007).

“Dynamic or Static Capabilities? Process Management Practices and Response to Technological Change.” Journal of Product Innovation Management (forthcoming).

(with M. Tushman)
"Exploitation, Exploration, and Process Management: The Productivity Dilemma Revisited." Academy of Management Review (April 2003).

(with M. Tushman)
"Process Management and Technological Innovation: A Longitudinal Study of the Photography and Paint Industries." Administrative Science Quarterly (December 2002).