Assistant Professor
Department of Management

Jay O'Toole

757-683-3263
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2048 CONSTANT HALL
NORFOLK, 23529

Professor O'Toole earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a Bachelor of Science from Miami University. He studies improvisation, entrepreneurship, and innovation. His research focuses on how teams and organizations can quickly coordinate collective actions by leveraging knowledge-based resources. His industry experience comes primarily from his work as an entrepreneur and consultant. He started his first business, a web design consultancy, while an undergraduate before working for Deloitte Consulting and later joining a startup CRM company. Jay is a former member of Teach For America, through which he taught high school mathematics in Greenville, MS. Shortly after that, he started his second business, a nonprofit devoted to closing the opportunity gap in the United States, and began a career in education consulting through his work with the Institute for Research and Reform in Education (IRRE). During his time working with the IRRE, Jay delivered professional development workshops on how to increase classroom teaching and learning efficacy, and he also helped develop technological systems and tools to gather, analyze, and report data used to guide school and district leadership decisions on how best to deploy resources to improve learning outcomes.

Research Interests

Professor O’Toole studies improvisation, entrepreneurship and innovation and has strong interests in understanding how we can all work together to close the opportunity gap in the United States and beyond. Much of this research focuses on how teams and organizations can quickly coordinate collective actions by leveraging knowledge-based resources.

Articles

O'Toole, J., Ciuchta, M., Neville, F. and Lahari, A. (2022). Transactive memory systems, temporary teams, and conflict: Innovativeness during a hackathon.
O'Toole, J., Gong, Y., Baker, T., Eesley, D. and Miner, A. (2021). Startup responses to unexpected events: The impact of the relative presence of improvisation. Organization Studies.
Ciuchta, M., O'Toole, J. and Miner, A. (2021). The organizational improvisation landscape: Taking stock and looking forward.. Journal of Management.
O'Toole, J. and Ciuchta, M. (2020). The liability of newer than newness: Aspiring entrepreneurs and legitimacy. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research.
Ciuchta, M. and O'Toole, J. (2018). Buy local? Organizational identity and identification in the localism movement. Business and Society.
Ciuchta, M., Miner, A., Kim, J. and O'Toole, J. (2018). Founding logics, technology validation, and the path to commercialization. International Small Business Journal.
Neville, F., Forrester, J., O'Toole, J. and Riding, A. (2018). Why even bother trying?” Examining discouragement among Racial-Minority Entrepreneurs. Journal of Management Studies.
Matherne, B. and O'Toole, J. (2017). Uber: Aggressive management for growth. The CASE Journal.
Ciuchta, M. and O'Toole, J. (2016). Looks and linguistics: Impression formation in online exchange marketplaces. The Journal of Social Psychology.

Book Chapters

Miner, A. and O'Toole, J. (2020). Organizational learning and organizational improvisation Handbook of Group and Organizational Learning.
Miner, A., Gong, Y., Baker, T. and O'Toole, J. (2011). How does TMT prior experience shape strategy? A routine based framework based on evidence from founding teams Handbook of Top Management Team Research.

Presentations

Chaker, N., Epler, R., McDougal, E., Amiri, D., Moreno, G. and O'toole, J. ( 2023). A Review and Analysis of the Adaptive Selling Literature Paper Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference New Orleans, LA.
Carpenter, M., O'Hallarn, B., O'toole, J. and Morehead, C. ( 2023). Helping student athletes navigate NIL: Preliminary findings from initial project and survey of marketing majors Paper American Marketing Association International Collegiate Conference New Orleans, LA.
O'Hallarn, B., Morehead, C., Carpenter, M. and O'toole, J. ( 2023). The NIL Knowledge Hub: Building awareness and understanding of new opportunities for college athletes Paper Collegiate Sports Research Institute Conference on College Sport Columbia, SC.
Darden, T. and O'Toole, J. ( 2022). The social exchange nature of relationships between racial minority small business owners and small business support organizations: Evidence from a qualitative study Other 2022 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Seattle, WA.
Darden, T. and O'Toole, J. ( 2022). Minority small business owners and small business support organizations Other E. W. Kauffman Foundation sponsored Transitional Entrepreneurship Colloquium Norfolk, VA.
Miner, A., Mendonca, D., Posen, H. and O'Toole, J. ( 2021). Using quantitative research strategies to extend theory on organizational improvisation Other 2021 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Virtual.
O'Toole, J. ( 2021). Black entrepreneurship, code switching, and cultural authenticity Other E. W. Kauffman Foundation sponsored Transitional Entrepreneurship Colloquium Norfolk, VA.
Ciuchta, M. and O'Toole, J. ( 2020). Sticking with the team: Identification and switching costs in emerging entrepreneurial teams Paper 2020 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Annual Conference New Orleans, LA.
O'Toole, J., Choo, A. and Xia, Y. ( 2019). Rapid prototyping: Vicarious learning in hackathons Paper 2019 Meeting of the Southern Management Association Norfolk, VA.
O'Toole, J. ( 2018). Project abandonment in startups Paper 2018 Meeting of the Southern Management Association Lexington, KY.
Darden, T., Lambert, L. and O'Toole, J. ( 2017). Team member contributions and innovative behavior Paper 2017 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Atlanta, GA.
O'Toole, J., Ciuchta, M., Neville, F. and Lahiri, A. ( 2017). Transactive memory systems and innovation: The moderating influence of team conflict Paper 2017 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Atlanta, GA.
Corner, A., Nikos, D. and O'Toole, J. ( 2017). Unpacking the give and take of team member exchange Paper 2017 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Atlanta, GA.
O'Toole, J. and Neville, F. ( 2015). Strategy formation, dynamic capabilities, and firm performance Paper 2015 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Vancouver, BC.
Ciuchta, M. and O'Toole, J. ( 2015). Staying with the team: Identification and switching costs in the entrepreneurial process Paper 2015 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference Wellesley, MA.
O'Toole, J. and Ciuchta ( 2015). Dynamic capabilities, transactive memory systems, and rapid prototype development Paper 2015 Strategic Management Society Annual Conference Denver, CO.
Matherne, B., O'Toole, J. and Zha, L. ( 2015). Uber’s managerial approach to growth Paper 2015 Strategic Management Society Annual Conference Denver, CO.
O'Toole, J. ( 2014). Abandoned video games: Organizational knowledge in new product development Paper 2014 Industry Studies Conference Portland, OR.
O'Toole, J. and Neville, F. ( 2014). Path dependent effects of a firm’s initial strategy adoption and implementation Paper 2014 Strategic Management Society Annual Conference Madrid, Spain.
Ciuchta, M. and O'Toole, J. ( 2012). Organizational identify and identification: Implications in the localism movement. Paper 2012 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Boston, MA.
Schwab, A., O'Toole, J. and Miner, A. ( 2012). Population level learning: Industry-level variability of learning outcomes from innovations. Paper 2012 INFORMS Annual Meeting Phoenix, AZ.
Ciuchta, M. and O'Toole, J. ( 2012). Herding in peer-to-peer lending networks Paper 2012 Strategic Management Society Annual Conference Prague, Czech Republic.
Devers, C., Carpenter, M., O'Toole, J. and Graffin, S. ( 2011). Beyond me, myself, and I: An upper echelon perspective on CEO humility Paper 2011 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management San Antonio, TX.
O'Toole, J. and Ciuchta, M. ( 2011). Unpacking the liability of newness: Resource providers and the nascent entrepreneur Paper 2011 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management San Antonio, TX.
O'Toole, J. and Ciuchta, M. ( 2011). Mitigating the liability of newness: Entrepreneurs in an online peer-to-peer lending market Paper 2011 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference Syracuse, NY.
Miner, A. and O'Toole, J. ( 2011). Improvisation and routines in new organizations Paper 2011 INFORMS Organization Science Winter Conference Steamboat Springs, CO.
O'Toole, J. and Ciuchta, M. ( 2010). Peer-to-peer lending: The power of positive word use Paper 2010 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Montreal, Canada.
Kim, J., Kim, P. and O'Toole, J. ( 2008). Bounded by legacy: Prior experience and the emergence of market logics in the U.S. wholesale electric power market Paper 2008 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management Anaheim, CA.
  • 2023: ODU Student-Athlete Academic Services Game Day Professor, Old Dominion University
  • 2022: Best Reviewer Award, Southern Management Association, , Organizational Theory / International Management / Management History Program
  • 2022: John R. Broderick Diversity Champion Award, Old Dominion University
  • 2022: Strome College of Business Outstanding Teaching Award, Old Dominion University
  • 2022: Strome College of Business Outstanding Teaching Award, Strome College of Business, Old Dominion University
  • 2022: Themed Semester Funding, Old Dominion University
  • 2021: Research Grant to Study Minority Entrepreneurship in Virginia, Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network
  • 2021: Strome College of Business Research Grant, Strome College of Business
  • 2021: Strome College of Business Teaching Enhancement Grant, Strome College of Business
  • 2021: Transitional Entrepreneurship Summer Research Grant, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Old Dominion University
  • 2018: Sustainability Faculty Scholar, Elon University
  • 2017: Certificate of recognition for outstanding teaching performance, Georgia State University
  • 2016: Certificate of recognition for outstanding teaching performance, Georgia State University
  • 2015: Best Reviewer Award, Knowledge & Innovation Group Program of 2015 SMS International Conference
  • 2015: Certificate of recognition for outstanding teaching performance, Georgia State University
  • 2015: Wells Fargo Alumni Impact Award, Teach For America – Metro Atlanta
  • 2014: Certificate of recognition for outstanding teaching performance, Georgia State University
  • 2012: Dissertation Proposal Competition (finalist), Organization Science / INFORMS
  • 2012: Dissertation Proposal Competition in New Product Development and Innovation Management (winner), PDMA
  • 2010: Graduate School Research Competition Award (with Anne Miner), University of Wisconsin
  • 2010: PhD Research Competition Award, Wisconsin School of Business
  • 2010: Robert W. Pricer PhD Award in Entrepreneurship, Wisconsin School of Business
  • 2009: PhD Research Competition Award, Wisconsin School of Business
  • 2008: Graduate School Research Competition Award (with Anne Miner), University of Wisconsin
  • 2008: PhD Research Competition Award, Wisconsin School of Business

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