Ian's expertise is in the recruitment, development, and retention of knowledge
workers (e.g., executives, IT workers, consultants, and lawyers). He also examines
recruitment and selection issues in the context of small businesses, how Internet
technologies can enhance firm recruitment outcomes, and the recruitment and retention of
diverse workforces. More recently, his research examines the role of human resource
practices in driving firm innovation. His work has been published in several leading
academic journals (e.g., Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology,
and Journal of Organizational Behavior). 

In 2007 Ian was awarded the best paper prize by the Academy of Management Human Resource
Division for his research examining the effect of employee mobility on firm performance.
Ian also received the 2005 Academy of Management Best Practices Mentoring Award for his
role as the founding President of the Management Faculty of Color Association. In 2002
Williamson received the Academy of Management Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award for
his research examining the top management team (TMT) selection decisions of Fortune 500
firms. Ian currently serves on the editorial board of the journal Academy of Management
Review and is also a Research Fellow of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of
Australia (IPRIA). 

Prior to joining the Melbourne Business School, Ian was on the faculty of the Robert H.
Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, where in 2004 he received the
Robert H. Smith School of Business Krowe Teaching Award. Ian has presented his research
to business executives in many countries, including the United States, Australia, South
Africa, Argentina, Columbia, and China. He has previously provided consultant services in
the areas of employee recruitment and retention, assessment centers, and executive
coaching for such organizations as ANZ, McCormick & Company, Lockheed Martin, and The
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Medical Program. 

Ian's paper titled "The effects of employee mobility between competitors and
cooperators on firm performance" has received the Best Paper Award for the Human
Resource Division of the 2007 Academy of Management Conference. 

This project was supported by research money from the Intellectual Property Research
Institute of Australia (IPRIA).The paper was also accepted for publication in the Academy
of Management Proceedings. The co-authors on the paper are Deepak Somaya (University of
Maryland) and Natasha Lorinkova (University of Maryland).

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“Combining patent law expertise with R&D for patenting performance.” Organization Science, 18, 922-937. (2008)
This paper examines how the combination or bundling of resources influences firm-patenting performance.We examine the...
 

Creating a Culture of Innovation (2008)
As many domestic markets become mature and global competition increases many organizations face the challenge...
 

Defining workplace culture to drive competitive advantage (2008)

The presentation focused on:

• The strategic value of employee retention

• Understanding...

 

Knowledge, Transaction Costs, and Outsourcing in Knowledge-based Services (2008)
We seek to advance our understanding of outsourcing decisions in knowledge-based activities by examining the...
 

Measuring Firm-Employee Relationship Strength (2008)
This  paper  reports the findings from an assessment of a measure used to determine levels of...
 

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