About

JoAnne Yates is the Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management, Emerita, and Professor Post Tenure of Work and Organization Studies and Managerial Communication at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She developed MIT Sloan's Managerial Communication curriculum starting in 1980 and served as Deputy Dean for programs from 2007 to 2012. Her research is both historical and contemporary, focusing on the evolution of management practices, communication, and information technologies. Her notable historical works include 'Control through Communication: The Rise of System in American Management' and 'Engineering Rules: Global Standard Setting Since 1880,' which explore the development of communication systems and global standardization. She has also studied the use of communication and information technologies in organizations, collaborating with colleagues and students on research involving electronic mail, instant messaging, and corporate blogging. Yates holds a BA from Texas Christian University and an MA and PhD from the University of North Carolina.

Research topics

• Business
• Marketing
• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Radiology
• Economy
• Geology
• Economics
• Medical physics
• Operations management

Selected publications

• 63 Lung Nodule Management: Working beyond the imaging report

  Lung Cancer · 2025-02-01

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  PublisherDOI

• Through the looking glass: using mirroring and reverse mirroring to work with challenging emotions

  Patient Education and Counseling · 2025-07-15

  article
  PublisherDOI

• A nurse navigator led lung nodule service; creating a gold standard in education and patient safety

  Lung Cancer · 2024

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Medicine

  <bold>Background:</bold> In November 2022, with project funding from the Thames Valley Cancer Alliance, an Incidental Pulmonary Nodule Service (IPNS) team of nodule navigators, chest radiologists and respiratory physicians was established. The service now manages approximately 2000 patients under nodule surveillance. To ensure a safe and reliable service, we designed a novel educational package for navigators to learn to triage and manage referrals, using a clinical simulation platform, <italic><bold>www.raiqc.com</bold></italic>, a web-based PACS simulator which can host diagnostic quality CT scans and allows creation of structured reporting templates which can be used for training and assessment purposes. <bold>Methods:</bold> An educational package was created, comprising of: 1.A teaching module 2.A training module (comprising 58 CT cases with clinical vignettes) requiring the user to categorise incidental pulmonary nodules (IPNs) and recommend next steps, with immediate feedback provided on each case. 3. An assessment module (comprising 111 cases) where users test and evidence how well they can categorise solid IPNs, with a summary of their accuracy provided on module completion. Alongside the training package, the navigators received weekly teaching sessions with a thoracic radiologist for 4 months, including training on the indications and use of nodule volumetry software. <bold>Figure 1</bold> shows a screenshot of the teaching package platform. <bold>Results:</bold> Outlined in Table 1 <bold>Conclusions:</bold> This is the first educational package to our knowledge to standardise teaching and training for IPNs. The package can be used by allied health care, trainee and non-thoracic radiologists and physicians to create a gold standard in nodule assessment and management.

  PublisherDOI

• Developing a Pulmonary Nodule Service: Outcomes, Challenges and Future Aspirations

  Lung Cancer · 2024-09-14

  article1st authorCorresponding

  <bold>Introduction:</bold> In November 2022 we developed a dedicated incidental pulmonary nodule (IPN) service, led by two specialist lung nodule navigators working alongside respiratory physicians and thoracic radiologists. This project was funded by the Thames Valley Cancer Alliance, identifying IPN services as a regional risk. Data presented after 6 months of the project showed significant improvements in patient management and timely investigation for growing nodules,(BTOG 2023). Here we present further developments and improvements made. <bold>Methods:</bold> We prospectively recorded service performance metrics and compared them to pre- service. Costings were calculated using 2022/2023 tariffs. <bold>Results:</bold> Table 1 compares outcomes pre and post October 2022, showing: · Reduction in time from CT scan reporting to patient communication. · Increase in patients discharged at point of referral using navigator-obtained volumetry measurements and retrospective cross-sectional imaging analysis. · Cost benefits of the service, including an approximate cost saving of approximately £174 000/annum from moving from a Consultant- led to Specialist Nurse led service. Furthermore, we have: · Improved patient safety proactively reviewing all CT scans reporting a pulmonary nodule. · Created a standardised electronic patient referral pathway within the Trust and in primary care. · Created a bespoke teaching package for clinicians managing IPNs <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Our future work involves training our navigators to act as first readers for CT scans, report volumetry and to conduct face to face patient assessment. This work is supervised by respiratory physicians and radiologists and demonstratates that multdisciplinary collaboration improves patient outcomes.

  PublisherDOI

• P91 What do we do when incidental nodules grow? Experiences from a virtual nodule clinic

  2024-11-01

  article

  <h3>Introduction</h3> In our Trust patients with incidental pulmonary nodules (IPNs) are followed up by a dedicated, nurse- led virtual nodule clinic (VNC). When the nodule grows and or changes in morphology, the patient is referred to the Respiratory Early Diagnostic Service (REDS). The aim of this work was to gain a better understanding of the numbers of patients referred to REDS from the VNC and ascertain how many were diagnosed and then treated for early-stage lung cancer. <h3>Methods</h3> A retrospective analysis of all patients who were referred to and or underwent follow-up under the VNC was carried out between February 2023 and February 2024. Patient records were reviewed to ascertain how many patients were referred to REDS and the subsequent investigations, diagnoses and treatments they had. <h3>Results</h3> 970 new and follow-up patients were managed by the VNC over the time period. During this time, 41 patients were identified as having a growing IPN or an IPN that had significantly changed in morphology to raise concern about malignancy. A summary of the subsequent management of these patients is shown in figure 1. 33 of the 41 patients were referred directly for PET-CT. Of the patients who had a CT guided biopsy, 13 were diagnosed with malignancy (10 adenocarcinomas, 2 squamous cell carcinomas and 1 carcinoid tumour). All patients with a histological diagnosis of malignancy were referred for surgical resection. Those with a Herder score of ≥70% and who did not have a biopsy (n=9) were referred for stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) or microwave ablation. The prevalence of early- stage cancer in this cohort of patients with IPNs is 22/970 (2.3%). <h3>Conclusion</h3> This is one of the largest cohort studies to demonstrate the prevalence of lung malignancy in an incidentally detected PN population in the UK. The study demonstrates the importance of establishing VNCs that can identify growing nodules in a timely manner¹ and robust pathways for transfer of care between VNC and two week wait pathways. <h3>Reference</h3> <i>J Yates, et al. Developing a pulmonary nodule service. Lung Cancer</i>;<b>190</b>(1).

  PublisherDOI

• Incidental pulmonary nodules; eliminating the risk of missing early lung cancer

  Lung Cancer · 2024-09-14

  article

  <bold>Introduction:</bold> Managing incidental pulmonary nodules (IPNs) requires dedicated resources to ensure early lung cancers are identified. In 2022 we developed a bespoke IPN service, with part of its aim being to assess how many IPNs were not referred and or managed as per the BTS Pulmonary Nodule Guidelines. <bold>Methods:</bold> We audited our radiology workflow system (CRIS) to identify patients between January 2018 and October 2022 who should have been referred to the IPN service. It was felt that a patient would have presented acutely or have been diagnosed with malignancy if they had a clinical significant IPN identified prior to 2018. <bold>Results:</bold> 705 patients were identified, with their records being reviewed and classified into the categories detailed in Table 1. This allowed us to prioritise their management accordingly and apply duty of candour. We identified 2 patients with a missed lung cancer or who had died as a direct result of not being referred to our service. The four main clinical areas where patients were not referred from included Surgical Specialties (n=42); Emergency Medicine (n=38); Acute and general medicine (n=18) and Cardiology (n=16). <bold>Conclusions:</bold> We have now been able to determine the extent of how many IPNs were not managed appropriately prior to setting up our service. Consequently, we are now proactively auditing CRIS monthly to ensure patients are appropriately referred. We also have developed an electronic internal referral proforma directly to the service. Referrals to our service will be audited quarterly to ensure improvements in patient safety and will be shared with our trust’s clinical governance.

  PublisherDOI

• Genre Change Around Teaching in the COVID-19 Pandemic

  The WAC Clearinghouse; University Press of Colorado eBooks · 2023-02-14

  book-chapterOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The Perspectives on Writing series addresses writing studies in a broad sense.Consistent with the wide ranging approaches characteristic of teaching and scholarship in writing across the curriculum, the series presents works that take divergent perspectives on working as a writer, teaching writing, administering writing programs, and studying

  PublisherDOI

• A Quality Improvement Project to Improve the Efficiency of Pulmonary Nodule Service at a Tertiary Centre

  Lung Cancer · 2023 · 1 citations

  • Medicine
  • Medical physics
  • Operations management
  PublisherDOI

• Introduction: Standards and the Global Economy

  The Business History Review · 2022 · 10 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Economics

  An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content.

  PublisherDOI

• MEMOS

  Princeton University Press eBooks · 2021-01-26

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Wanda J. Orlikowski

  46 shared

• Peter Alexander

  University of Edinburgh

  36 shared

• Smith Paul

  University Hospitals of Cleveland

  36 shared

• Ken Lipartito

  Hagley Museum and Library

  36 shared

• Robert E. Weems

  Calvert Marine Museum

  36 shared

• Roland Marchand

  36 shared

• Naomi R. Lamoreaux

  36 shared

• Naomi Lamoureaux

  Hagley Museum and Library

  36 shared

Labs

• MIT Center for Collective IntelligencePI

Awards & honors

• Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management