Strengthening Naval Decision-Making and Organizational Effectiveness

Organizational Sciences Academic Group (OSG) at the Naval Postgraduate School applies organizational science to help the Navy understand and improve how complex defense institutions operate. OSG faculty generate new knowledge in leadership, organizational behavior, strategy, and communication. Their research is published in leading peer-reviewed journals and applied to challenges facing naval organizations.

Organizational Science for Complex Defense Institutions

OSG faculty study how people, organizations, and institutions operate in complex defense environments. Drawing on expertise across the organizational sciences, their research and teaching focus on three areas central to the performance of defense organizations.

1. Organizations and Leadership
Developing the principles and practices of leading and organizing in complex defense institutions.
Topics include leadership, motivation, organizational culture, ethics, communication, teams, and command climate.

2. Decision-Making and Innovation
Improving decision processes and supporting innovation adoption in complex operational environments.
Topics include decision-making under uncertainty, organizational learning, innovation adoption, and operational adaptation.

3. Strategy and Institutional Change
Analyzing how defense institutions interact with industry, technology ecosystems, and broader strategic environments.
Topics include the defense industrial ecosystem, industry partnerships, technology systems, and institutional adaptation.
 

Naval Applications

OSG faculty conduct mission-relevant research that supports the Navy’s efforts to improve leadership, decision-making, and organizational effectiveness. Faculty collaborate with naval organizations and Department of Defense sponsors to analyze institutional challenges and generate insights that inform policy, strategy, leadership development, and organizational performance.

Academics

OSG faculty teach courses and advise graduate research across multiple degree programs at the Naval Postgraduate School. Courses address leadership, decision-making, organizational strategy, innovation, and communication in complex institutions.

Instruction emphasizes applied analysis and case-based learning. Faculty develop original teaching cases that allow students to analyze real organizational challenges facing defense institutions. Courses draw on current faculty research and real-world institutional problems. OSG faculty also deliver instruction through residential, hybrid, and distance-learning formats that support the needs of naval officers and defense professionals.

• Organizational Leadership and Management
• Ethical Leadership in Public Organizations
• Strategic Management
• Critical Thinking and Decision Making
• Innovation and Design
• Managing Organizational Change
• Strategic Communications for Leadership

OSG Faculty

OSG faculty bring disciplinary expertise in organizational behavior, strategy, leadership, innovation, and communication. Their research and teaching support naval leadership development and institutional effectiveness.

Ned Powley, Chair
Kathryn Aten, Associate Chair
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Mie-Sophia Augier 
Nicholas Dew 
Marco DiRenzo 
Mitchell Friedman  
Deborah Gibbons 
Denny Lester  
Paul Lester 
Alan Nelson 

Knowledge Creation

OSG faculty maintain active research programs in the organizational sciences. Drawing on expertise in leadership, organizational behavior, strategy, innovation, and communication, they generate new knowledge relevant to naval leadership and institutional effectiveness.
This work appears in leading peer-reviewed journals, scholarly books, and edited volumes. OSG faculty publish in journals such as Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Organization Science. Research addressing defense and security institutions also appears in outlets including Defense and Peace Economics, Comparative Strategy, and the Marine Corps University Journal.

According to Google Scholar citation metrics, OSG tenure-track faculty average more than 5,000 citations each, with over 38,000 citations collectively, reflecting the impact of their scholarly contributions.