Cyndi Man Zhang

Cyndi Man Zhang serves as Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Academic Director of the Chinese EMBA at Singapore Management University's Lee Kong Chian School of Business. Holding a Ph.D. from INSEAD and a B.A. from Peking University, her research examines behavioral strategy through the lens of institutional complexity and coalition dynamics in organizational decision-making.

Education

• Ph.D. in Management (Strategy), INSEAD (2012)
• B.A. in Business Administration, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University (2007)

Professor Zhang's work investigates how multiple institutional logics and competing goals shape strategic choices in mergers, acquisitions, and innovation processes. Her research emphasizes power struggles within upper-echelon teams and the impact of bounded rationality on organizational performance, with recent expansion into digital transformation frameworks. She employs behavioral theory of the firm methodologies to analyze decision-making under institutional complexity, particularly in Chinese state-owned enterprises.

Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals consistent focus on behavioral strategy in SOE contexts, evolving from foundational work on institutional logics (2015-2018) toward contemporary examinations of digital transformation and goal prioritization (2022-2025). Her research demonstrates methodological diversity across qualitative case studies, large-N quantitative analyses, and theoretical frameworks.

Awards and Recognition

• Lee Kong Chian Fellowship (2020, 2022)
• Dean's Teaching Honour List (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024)
• DRUID Asia Conference Best Paper (2016)
• AOM TIM Division Best Paper (2015)
• Management and Organization Review Outstanding Editorial Service (2018)

As Associate Editor of Academy of Management Journal and editorial board member for Strategic Management Journal, Professor Zhang mentors emerging scholars while advising DBA candidates Baoping Liu and Xueyan Luo. Her leadership in the Chinese EMBA program drives executive education focused on Asian growth strategies and digital transformation initiatives.

Professor Zhang directs research initiatives examining SOE evolution in China's institutional landscape, collaborating with international scholars through editorial networks and special journal issues on Chinese corporate governance.