Ph.D. in Management Areas of Research

Faculty-student collaboration on research is the cornerstone of the Ph.D. in Management program. Doctoral students have the opportunity to work with some of the top researchers who have expertise in a variety of areas encompassed by organizational behavior, strategic management and human resource management.

Specializations

Organizational Behavior

For students interested in specializing in organizational behavior, our faculty have expertise in the following research areas, among others:

Conflict and negotiation
Decision making
International organization behavior
Leadership
Mood and emotion
Motivation
Organizational justice
Power and status
Proactive behavior
Stress and well-being
Team decision-making and performance

Strategic Management

For students interested in specializing in strategic management, our faculty have expertise in the following research areas, among others:

Competitive dynamics
Executive compensation and corporate governance
Innovation and entrepreneurship
Mergers and acquisitions
Organizational learning and change
Resources and capabilities
Risk taking and risk management
Strategic decision making

Human Resource Management

For students interested in specializing in human resource management, our faculty have expertise in the following research areas, among others:

Career development
International human resource management
Job analysis and design
Organizational socialization
Selection

Publications

Below are some recent publications that have resulted from collaborations between faculty and doctoral students, with current Ph.D. students’ and graduates’ names in bold.

Mah, J., Kolev, K., McNamara, G., Pan, L., & Devers, C. (In press). Women in the C-Suite: A Review of Predictors, Experiences, and Outcomes. Academy of Management Annals.

Matusik, J. G., Mitchell, R. L., Hays, N. A., Fath, S., Hollenbeck, J. R. (2022). The highs and lows of hierarchy in multiteam systems. Academy of Management Journal, 65(5), 1571-1592

Li, Y., Koopmann, J., Lanaj, K., & Hollenbeck, J.R. (2022). An integration-and-learning perspective on gender diversity in self-managing teams: The roles of learning goal orientation and shared leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107, 1628-1639.

Guo, A., Heidl, R. Hollenbeck, J.R., Howe, M.D. and Yu, A. (2022). When discretionary boundary relationships cease becoming discretionary: The impact of closed ties on informal leadership perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107, 598-917.

Lennard, A. C., Matta, F. K., Lin, S., Koopman, J., & Johnson, R. E. (2022). The dynamism of daily justice: A person-environment fit perspective on the situated value of justice. Organization Science, 33, 1523-1553.

Matusik, J. G., Ferris, D. L., & Johnson, R. E. (2022). The PCMT model of organizational support: An integrative review and reconciliation of the organizational support literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107, 329-345.

Lee, H. W., Hays, N. A., & Johnson, R. E. (2021). To thine own (empowered) self be true: Aligning social hierarchy motivation and leader behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(7), 1033-1048

Scott, B. A., Lennard, A. C., Mitchell, R., & Johnson, R. E. (2020). Emotions naturally and laboriously expressed: Antecedents, consequences, and the role of valence. Personnel Psychology, 73: 587-613.

Scott, B. A., Awasty, N., Johnson, R. E., Matta, F. K., & Hollenbeck, J. R. (2020). Origins and destinations, distances and directions: Accounting for the journey in the emotion regulation process. Academy of Management Review, 45: 423-446.

Gamache, D., McNamara, G., Graffin, S., Haleblian, J., Kiley, J., & Devers, C. (2019). Impression offsetting as an early warning signal of low CEO confidence in acquisitions. Academy of Management Journal. 62: 1307-1332.

Gamache, D. & McNamara, G. (2019). Responding to bad press: How CEO temporal focus influences the sensitivity to negative media coverage of acquisitions. Academy of Management Journal. 62: 918-943.

Jennifer Nahrgang

Associate Professor
W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University

Fully prepared

After working in the corporate world for five years, Michigan State University was a new beginning for me both personally and professionally. I realize now the strong foundation that Michigan State provided for me to have a bright career as a professor. As a new professor, I feel fully prepared to face the challenges of research, teaching and earning tenure due to my mentoring and education at Michigan State. Michigan State takes the preparation and mentoring of its doctoral students seriously and continues to produce leading scholars in the field on a consistent basis. The network of successful Michigan State alumni is second to none, and one in which you can join as well!

Although earning a Ph.D. was extremely intense and intellectually challenging, the culture of Michigan State also made it very fun as well. Over my five years at Michigan State, I developed life-long friendships with both faculty and students. Due to the collegial atmosphere, I always felt extremely supported by the faculty and fellow students at Michigan State as I worked through classes, research projects and the dissertation process. I am certain you will have as many Spartans cheering for your success as I had (and still have) cheering for me.

There is no doubt that I made a great decision when I chose to earn my Ph.D. at Michigan State, and I certainly have no regrets. Go Green! Go White!

Dr. Nahrhang’s current research interests focus on leadership processes and their development over time, leadership in teams, and team processes and performance.