Miguel Pina e Cunha

Miguel Pina e Cunha is a Full Professor at NOVA School of Business and Economics (NOVA SBE), NOVA University Lisbon, where he teaches Organizational Behavior, Leadership, Change Management, and Positive Organization Theory. He also collaborates with the Angola Business School and has held leadership roles including Academic Director of the undergraduate program and The Lisbon MBA, Associate Dean for graduate programs, and currently heads the Faculty Council at NOVA SBE.

His research spans Organization Studies, with a focus on process-based views of organizations, paradoxes in organizing, and the dual nature of leadership—both virtuous and toxic. He explores how positive and genocidal forms of organization unfold, drawing on improvisation, creativity, and spontaneity. His work appears in leading journals such as Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, and Organization Studies, and he has co-edited influential books including Organizational Improvisation and The Virtues of Leadership.

The recent publications show a strong thematic continuity in leadership, organizational paradoxes, and authenticity in organizational contexts, with interdisciplinary reach into tourism, ethics, and history. His research integrates psychological, sociological, and managerial perspectives to understand complex organizational phenomena.

• Best Paper Award (July 2018)
• EURAM Best Book Award 2022 (co-recipient)
• EURAM Best Book Award - Runner up (June 2022, co-recipient)
• "That's promising" (December 2018, Other distinction)

He has supervised and mentored numerous students and researchers, though specific names are not listed. He has received teaching awards as best professor in both undergraduate and MBA programs, reflecting his excellence in pedagogy. His research is supported by extensive publication output and active collaboration with scholars such as Stewart Clegg and Arménio Rego. He is involved in significant editorial and academic leadership, including serving on the Scientific and Pedagogical Councils at NOVA SBE.

Miguel Pina e Cunha leads and contributes to research groups focused on organizational improvisation, leadership ethics, and paradox theory. His work is embedded in international networks, with collaborations across Europe and Africa, particularly through the Angola Business School. His recent editorial in Business History on organizing through time highlights his engagement with historical and temporal dimensions of organizational life.