Nicole Woolsey Biggart is an American sociologist, organizational theorist, and academic known for her expertise in economic and organizational sociology, management of innovation, and energy efficiency.[1]
She is a Professor Emerita at the University of California, Davis, where she has had a career, including serving as Dean of the Graduate School of Management from 2003 to 2009.[2] Biggart has also held the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency and directed the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center from 2010 to 2015. [3]
Biography
She was born in Brooklyn NY on June 7, 1947 and grew up in Paramus, New Jersey. As a high school student was selected as an American Field Service exchange student where her experience of living with a Muslim family in Turkey was one of several that turned her interests toward sociology.[4] Another was her work among the personal staff of the Postmaster General during the Nixon administration.[5] The post office, the largest non-military organization in the world, was undergoing dramatic political and industrial change during her tenure. Biggart wrote her PhD dissertation “The Magic Circle: Personal Staffs in Public Bureaucracies” during the post-Watergate era.[6]
She received her Ph.D. in economic sociology from the University of California, Berkeley with a dissertation titled The Magic Circle: A Study of Personal Staffs in the Administrations of Governors Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown,[7] M.A. in sociology from the University of California, Davis, and a B.A. in communication from Simmons College.[8]
Biggart joined UC Davis in 1981 as one of the founding faculty members of the Graduate School of Management.[8] She held various academic positions, ultimately becoming a professor of management. In 2003, she was appointed Dean of the Graduate School of Management, a role she held until 2009. [9]
During her tenure, she oversaw the school's strategic planning, curriculum development, and research activities. [10]
From 2010 to 2015, Biggart held the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency and directed the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.[11] In 2015, she became Professor Emerita, marking the conclusion of her active academic career at UC Davis.[12]
Other activities
In addition to her academic contributions, Biggart has held leadership positions in several professional organizations, including the Academy of Management, the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, and the American Sociological Association.[2]
Biggart also served on the scientific advisory board for the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies in Cologne, Germany. [13]She currently serves on board of Inventopia (inventopia.org) and Sierra Energy (sierra energy.com).[10] In addition to Fellow of the AAAS, she was Chair of the Section on Social, Economic and Political Sciences.[3]
She has studied a wide array of sectors, organizations, and markets globally, including the automotive industries of South Korea, Taiwan, Spain, and Argentina, the U.S. commercial building industry, and management strategies in Japan. [16]
Biggart's research has explored topics, including labor and leisure sociology, organizational change, and the sociological explanations behind organizational scandals. [10] Among her notable works is Charismatic Capitalism: Direct Selling Organizations in America (1989), which examines direct selling organizations,[17] and Economic Sociology: A Reader (2001), a key textbook in the field.[18] She has also contributed extensively to reports and studies, including work for the National Research Council on organizational performance and human enhancement.[19]
Hamilton, Gary G.; Biggart, Nicole Woolsey (1984). Governor Reagan - Governor Brown: a sociology of executive power. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN978-0-231-05903-9.
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