Sandford Borins

Biography
Sandford Borins is Professor Emeritus of Strategic Management in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough, where he served as its founding Chair from 1991 to 2003. He held graduate appointments at the Strategic Management area at the Rotman School of Management, the School of Public Policy and Governance, and the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto.
His research focuses on narrative and innovation. His books include “Negotiating Business Narratives” (2018), "The Persistence of Innovation in Government" (2014), "Governing Fables: Learning from Public Sector Narratives" (2011) and "Innovating with Integrity" (1998). He is currently working on a sequel to Governing Fables dealing with narratives about politics in Canada, the US, and the UK.
Professional Experience:
President, Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration, 2003-07
Scholar in Residence, Cabinet Office, Government of Ontario, 2003-04
Chair, Department of Management, U of T Scarborough, 1991-2003
Visiting Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley, 1999
Director, Ontario Transportation Capital Corporation, 1995-98
Visiting Professor, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 1993-94
Education
PhD, Harvard University
MPP, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
BA, Harvard University
Research Interests
- Narratives About Management
- Public Sector Innovation
Awards & Grants
2021 |
Pierre Decelles Award for Excellence in Teaching Public Administration, given by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada |
2021 | The Sandford Borins Digital Communications Fund is established to honour Prof. Borins's service as a faculty member of UTSC Management from 1990 to 2020 and as the Department's founding chair |
2003 to present | Fellow; Royal Society for the Arts (UK) |
1986-Present | Listed in Canadian Who's Who |
1990 | Social Science Federation of Canada Certificate of Merit for The Language of the Skies; Judged one of the twenty best books written in English with the support of the Aid to Scholarly Publications programme |
1971 | Woodrow Wilson Fellowship |
1971 | Elected to Phi Beta Kappa |