A revered yet humble teacher whose research profoundly impacted many disciplines, he found exquisite beauty in both math and poetry.
By Helen K. Chang
James March held professorships at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Graduate School of Education, and School of Humanities
James Gardner March died on September 27 at his Portola Valley home one month after the death of his wife of 71 years. An interdisciplinary scholar, his contributions were both deep and broad.
He is best known for his research on organizations, organizational decision-making and organizational behavior. A trilogy of works published within a span of seven years led to the opening of an entirely new and broad field of study. His seminal book, Organizations, written jointly with Herbert A. Simon in 1958, and five years later, Behavioral Theory of the Firm with Richard M. Cyert in 1963, and the edited volume, Handbook of Organizations, injected uncertainty and internal resource allocation problems, among other complexities. The book coauthored with Cyert challenged prevailing assumptions that firms exist to maximize profit and have perfect knowledge. His later research focused on understanding risk-taking, decision-making, learning, and leadership, drawing lessons from literature and literary classics.
March held professorships at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), Graduate School of Education (GSE) and School of Humanities and Sciences. He is credited with transforming the fields of political science, economics, management, psychology, sociology and education.
In addition to his prolific academic writing, he authored 11 books of poetry and two films. Throughout his career, he remained an inspirational teacher, winning Stanford’s Walter J. Gores Award for excellence in teaching in 1995.
“The scope of Jim’s research interests was breathtaking, as was his passion for teaching,” said Jonathan Levin, Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business. “He was determined to break down interdisciplinary walls, insisting that as a condition of accepting the job offer to come to the GSB in 1970 his courses be open to students from any department of the university. As a result, he probably had more students in his classes from outside the GSB than inside.” At the GSB, March was Jack Steele Parker Professor of International Management, Emeritus.
In the School of Humanities and Sciences, he was Professor of Political Science and of Sociology, Emeritus. “Jim March was an amazing scholar focused on understanding how organizations work. He was well known for using Don Quixote and War and Peace in his classes to help students understand the complexity of leadership, the importance of strategic timing, and the nature of motivation,” said Debra Satz, Vernon R. and Lysbeth Warren Anderson Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences, and Marta Sutton Weeks Professor in Ethics in Society.
Geoffrey Lawrence Cohen, who holds the James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business at Stanford GSE, had just visited him a few months ago. “‘Understand Don Quixote’ was the last piece of advice he gave me,” he said. “He was the epitome of a gentleman — patient, sweet, wise, with a sparkling intellect that lit up his eyes when he talked. I feel lucky that our paths crossed, if only for just a little while. Jim had a style and soul that will always stay with me as the perfect example of what we mean by a ‘gentleman and scholar.’ I miss him. Every time I remember Jim, I smile.”
“Jim March was a towering figure in the field of organizations, easily the most influential scholar of the second half of the 20th century,” said Walter W. Powell, “Woody,” Professor of Education at GSE whom March hired to continue his organizations courses. “Yet his extraordinary record of scholarship and teaching was exceeded by his wisdom, warmth, and humanity. Above all, Jim was a marvelous person who welcomed everyone, and his infectious manner always made people laugh and smile.”
