Biography
Kevin Orr is Professor of Leadership and Governance. He is a Senior Fellow in the Institute for European Studies, University of California, Berkeley . Orr is a Fulbright Scholar and a recipient of the Louis Brownlow Prize from the American Society for Public Administration for work on academic-practitioner collaborative research. His scholarship engages with theories at the intersections of organisational studies, public administration and politics. It addresses aspects of leading, managing and organising, most often in political settings.
Kevin's work is connected with international research leadership roles. He is past chair of the Organizational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities research community, and continues to serve on its Executive Board. He is interested in wider intellectual engagement and has carried out research for the International City Managers Association (USA), the British Council, the Scottish Parliament, and a range of public bodies in the UK. He is an experienced university leader, most recently serving as Co-Head of the School of Management at the University of St Andrews.
Teaching
- MN1001 Organisations and Society
- MN3102 Organisation Studies
- MN5002 Contemporary Conceptual Issues in Management
Research areas
Kevin's interpretive research on local governance appears in journals such as Public Administration Review, Organization Studies, Public Administration,British Journal of Politics and International Relations, and Policy and Politics. His work on the politics of academic-practitioner research coproduction can be read in Public Administration Review and Management Learning. He is co-editor of Knowledge and Practice in Business and Organisations, Routledge (2016). His recent ethnographic writing explores organisational ghosts – examining how inheritances of the past haunt the relations and struggles of the present.
PhD supervision
- Archwin Intharasombat
- Aparna Bose
- Hannah Geddes
Selected publications
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Open access
Uncanny organization and the immanence of crisis
Orr, K., 13 Jun 2024, Crisis, junctures, and breaking points : understanding, contextualizing, and overcoming crisis as discourse (book of abstract). Kurtin, P. S., Jarošová, E., Semper, D., Marešová, J. & Ilyefalvi, E. (eds.). Rijeka, Croatia: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, p. 8-9 2 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
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Is local government haunted? Definitely...
Orr, K., 26 Oct 2023, Local Government Information Unit.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
My colleagues (do not) think the same: middle managers’ shared and separate realities in strategy implementation
Schuler, B., Orr, K. & Hughes, J., 1 May 2023, In: Journal of Business Research. 160, 13 p., 113782.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Pragmatism, partnerships, persuasion: theorizing philanthropic foundations in the global policy agora
Petzinger, J. T., Jung, T. & Orr, K., 3 Aug 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Policy and Society. Advance Article, 13 p., puad016.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Strategizing for grand challenges: economic development and governance traditions in Malaysian local government
Hughes, J., Orr, K. & Yusoff, M., Jun 2023, In: International Review of Administrative Sciences. 89, 2, p. 363-380 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Uncanny organization and the immanence of crisis: the public sector, neoliberalism, and Covid-19
Orr, K., 1 Dec 2023, In: Organization Studies. 44, 12, p. 2009-2030 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Élaborer des stratégies pour relever de grands défis: développement économique et traditions de gouvernance au sein des gouvernements locaux de Malaisie
Hughes, J., Orr, K. & Yusoff, M., Apr 2023, In: Revue Internationale des Sciences Administratives. 89, 2, p. 55-74 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Good governance during COVID-19: learning from the experience of Scottish local authorities
Orr, K. & Barr, D., 17 May 2022, Online: is Improvement Service. 41 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
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Editorial A new research agenda for decentering public leadership
Ayres, S., Bevir, M. & Orr, K., 14 Jul 2021, In: International Journal of Public Leadership. 17, 3, p. 209-221 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
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Open access
Imagine there’s no heaven: imaginaries of local government austerity
Orr, K. & Bennett, M., 20 Oct 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Organization. First Online, 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review