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Amir Goldberg
Amir Goldberg
Assistant Professor, Organizational Behavior
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AmirGoldberg
Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior
Assistant Professor of Sociology (by courtesy), School of Humanities and Sciences
Academic Area: 
Organizational Behavior

Research Statement

Amir Goldberg’s research lies at the intersection of organization studies, cultural sociology and network science. He is interested in understanding how social meanings emerge and solidify through social interaction, and what role network structures play in this process. He uses and develops computationally intensive network-based methods to study how new cultural and organizational categories take form as people and organizational actors interact. His current work demonstrates that similar, fundamental social dynamics shape how people consume music and invest in the stock market.

Bio

Professor Goldberg received bachelors’ degrees in Computer Science and Film Studies from Tel Aviv University, and an MA in Sociology from Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Before pursuing a PhD in Sociology at Princeton University, he worked for several years as a software programmer, an IT consultant and a technology journalist. An Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior in Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, his research projects all share an overarching theme: the desire to understand the social mechanisms that underlie how people construct meaning, and consequently pursue action. His work has been published in the American Journal of Sociology, and awarded Princeton University’s Harold W. Dodds Honorific Fellowship.

Academic Degrees

  • PhD Sociology, Princeton University
  • MA Sociology, Goldsmiths College, University of London
  • BA Computer Science & Film Studies (double major), Tel Aviv University

Academic Appointments

  • At Stanford University since 2011

Awards and Honors

  • MBA Class of 1969 Faculty Scholar, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2014-2015
  • Harold W. Dodds Honorific Fellowship, Princeton University

Publications

Journal Articles

What Does It Mean to Span Cultural Boundaries? Variety and Atypicality in Cultural Consumption
Amir Goldberg, Michael T. Hannan, Balazs Kovacs. American Sociological Review. April 2016.
In Defense of Forensic Social Science
Amir Goldberg. Big Data & Society. December 2015, Vol. 2, Issue 2.
Sociology in the Era of Big Data: The Ascent of Forensic Social Science
Daniel McFarland, Kevin Lewis, Amir Goldberg. American Sociologist. 2015.
Neither Ideologues, nor Agnostics: Alternative Voters’ Belief System in an Age of Partisan Politics
Amir Goldberg, Delia Baldassarri. American Journal of Sociology. July 2014, Vol. 120, Issue 1, Pages 45-95.
Mapping Shared Understandings Using Relational Class Analysis: The Case of the Cultural Omnivore Reexamined
Amir Goldberg. American Journal of Sociology. March 2011, Vol. 116, Issue 5, Pages 1397–1436.

Working Papers

Enculturation Trajectories and Individual Attainment: An Interactional Language Use Model of Cultural Dynamics in Organizations | PDF
Amir Goldberg, Sameer B. Srivastava, V. Govind Manian, Christopher Potts, December 82015
Fitting in or Standing Out? The Tradeoffs of Structural and Cultural Embeddedness | PDF
Amir Goldberg, Sameer B. Srivastava, V. Govind Manian, Will Monroe, Christopher Potts, September 152015
Spillovers inside Conglomerates: Incentives and Capital | PDF
Ran Duchin, Amir Goldberg, Denis Sosyura, March 202015

Courses Taught

Degree Courses

2015-16

OB 637: Modeling Culture

What is culture, and how can we model it? This course will survey theoretical frameworks for studying culture from a multidisciplinary perspective, ranging from evolutionary biology through sociology to economics. We will explore various methods...

2014-15

STRAMGT 207: Strategic Leadership

This course examines fundamental issues of general management and leadership within an organization. You will learn about setting an organization's strategic direction, aligning structure to implement strategy, and leading individuals within the...

STRAMGT 527: Product Entrepreneuring

What distinguishes conventional products from hits? The class builds a framework for taking instincts through to idea phase and finally to creation of breakthrough products in creative and online markets. It will begin by dissecting the mechanics...

STRAMGT 533: Strategizing in Creative Industries

Creative success is highly unpredictable; but creativity is increasingly becoming a source of competitive advantage in a variety of markets, from music and film, to new media, video games and software. Creative competitiveness brings with it a...

Insights by Stanford Business

writtenAmir Goldberg: Cracking the Cultural Genome
May 15, 2014
Every decision we make is deeply rooted in our social identity. A researcher explains a new, networked approach to understanding our cultural traits.
writtenResearchers: How Polarized Are U.S. Voters?
April 16, 2014
A pair of sociologists finds the answer — and uncovers political subcultures in the process.

Companies & Organizations

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