Building the Future of Organizational Science
A new scientific discipline based on systematic study of organizational mortality. Join us in creating the infrastructure for Organizational Biology, Health, and Medicine.
Explore Our Resources
We're building a comprehensive research infrastructure for the study of organizational mortality. These resources are designed to support researchers, educators, and practitioners.
Bibliography
Curated publications on organizational mortality. Searchable, filterable, and integrated with Zotero.
Research Atlas
Interactive visualization of scholars working on organizational mortality.
Dataset Registry
Catalog of existing data sources on organizational mortality from government registries to academic datasets.
Lexicon
Coming SoonEncyclopedia of terms and concepts in organizational mortality research. A unified language for the emerging field.
Pathology Classification
Systematic classification of organizational diseases — ICD analog for organizations. SOIL-PC v0.1.
Research Gaps
Coming SoonMap of unexplored research territories in organizational mortality. Opportunities for collaboration.
Why This Research Matters
Every year, millions of organizations die. Startups, NGOs, agencies, ventures of all kinds - they close, dissolve, or simply fade away. Yet unlike medicine, which has centuries of autopsy data informing how we understand human health, organizational science has almost no systematic data on organizational death.
No Systematic Study
Organizations close every day, yet there is no systematic approach to studying why and how they end. Each closure is treated as an isolated event.
Fragmented Knowledge
What we know about organizational closure is scattered across anecdotes, case studies, and personal stories - never aggregated or analyzed at scale.
Missing Data Approach
Organizational theory lacks the structured data collection methods that transformed other fields. We need a systematic framework to understand patterns.
Infrastructure for a New Discipline
Target: 20,000 Autopsies
Comprehensive organizational autopsies to build statistical power for pattern recognition and predictive modeling.
Worldwide Coverage
Data collection across all countries, regions, and cities for truly representative insights.
Open Access
Anonymized datasets available to qualified researchers worldwide.
Systematic Data Collection
- Structured organizational autopsies
- Full organizational state capture
- Functional structure analysis
- Environmental context mapping
Framework-Agnostic Methodology
- No predetermined theoretical lens
- Neutral data collection formats
- Multi-framework post-hoc analysis
- Pattern-driven theory development
Scale and Depth
- Thousands of comprehensive cases
- Statistical power for patterns
- Predictive modeling capability
- Intervention design foundation
What We're Exploring
Our research agenda focuses on fundamental questions that have never been systematically addressed in organizational science.
What are the common failure modes across organizational types?
Can we identify early warning signals that predict organizational mortality?
How do different functional systems (financial, operational, cultural) interact in organizational decline?
What environmental conditions correlate with higher mortality rates?
Do existing organizational frameworks (McKinsey 7S, Porter's Five Forces, etc.) predict failure better than alternatives?
Can we develop diagnostic tools for organizational health?
Collaboration Opportunities
We believe in open science and collaborative research. Join us in building a new field.
Data Access Partnership
Academic researchers can apply for access to anonymized SOIL datasets for scholarly research. We prioritize projects that advance fundamental understanding of organizational mortality.
Methodology Co-Development
We're actively seeking input on our data collection instruments, analytical frameworks, and research protocols. Published methodological papers will include academic co-authors.
Joint Publications
We welcome collaboration on peer-reviewed publications. Our commitment: rigorous methods, transparent limitations, and contribution to open science.
Visiting Researcher Program
Coming SoonSpend time with the SOIL team, work directly with emerging data, and contribute to building the field.
What Makes SOIL Different
We're not just studying failure differently - we're building the infrastructure for an entirely new approach to organizational science.
| Traditional Failure Research | SOIL Approach |
|---|---|
| Case studies of notable failures | Systematic data across hundreds/thousands of organizations |
| Post-hoc narrative reconstruction | Structured data collection with consistent methodology |
| Single theoretical framework | Multi-framework analysis, letting data reveal patterns |
| Focus on what went wrong | Comprehensive organizational state at peak and decline |
| Anecdotal lessons | Statistical patterns and predictive models |
Our Commitments
Building trust through transparency and ethical practice.
Research Integrity
- •Transparent methodology, publicly documented
- •Honest about limitations and selection biases
- •Peer review for all major publications
- •No predetermined conclusions
Data Ethics
- •Founder consent and control over their data
- •Anonymization by default for research use
- •No harmful applications (discrimination, exploitation)
- •Clear separation between research and commercial operations
Open Science
- •Methodological papers publicly available
- •Anonymized datasets released for replication
- •Research findings shared with academic community
Ground Floor of a New Field
SOIL is in active development. This is the ground floor of a new field. The foundational papers haven't been written. The canonical datasets don't exist. The theoretical frameworks haven't been tested.
We are currently:
Research Advisory Board
We are actively forming our research advisory board. If you're a senior scholar in organizational studies, entrepreneurship, or related fields and interested in shaping a new discipline, we'd welcome a conversation.
Advisory positions forming
To Be Announced
/ Organizational Studies /
To Be Announced
/ Entrepreneurship /
To Be Announced
/ Systems Theory /
Join the Research Community
We're building something new. If you're interested in being part of it, reach out.