Organisational Behaviour - PhD in Management

Organisational behaviour is a core field of study at INSEAD. The OBH area draws upon psychology, anthropology, sociology and economics and examines how the organisational, social, and economic context influences behaviour and how, in turn, behaviour influences context.

The OBH area's diverse research interest includes leadership, group and team dynamics, identity, discrimination, negotiations, power and influence, virtual communication, ethics, decision-making, creativity, networks, organisational ecology, institutions and organisations, and careers. The area employs various research methodologies to address these topics, including large-scale field studies, randomised experiments and qualitative methods.

Organisational Behaviour faculty regularly publish in the top disciplinary and applied journals in the field, including the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Journal of Applied Psychology. In addition, many faculty members serve on the editorial boards of these journals.

Visit the Organisational Behaviour Academic Area Page

 Download the Organisational Behaviour Course Template

Faculty members primarily seek intellectually curious candidates with excellent academic records. As the field draws from a broad range of disciplines, the Organisational Behaviour area in the PhD Programme values applicants' social sciences, psychology, sociology, and economics backgrounds. Background in statistics and research methodology is also crucial, and having some research experience is helpful. Those who do not have a background in the social sciences will undergo rigorous training to gain an expanded knowledge of fundamental study in core areas. Others can build upon previous work to build a programme of study that reflects their experience.

During the programme, we expect students to develop a broad knowledge of topics in the area and more specialised knowledge of a subset of the field while developing their research interests and a unique professional identity by the end of the programme.

Since a PhD in Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD takes place within a school of business and administration, there is an expectation that students will also develop an understanding of essential business disciplines, such as marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship, among others.

Download the Call for Applications 2025 intake.

Here are some of our students' backgrounds:

BA Decision Sciences
BA Philosophy and Political Science, MAT Secondary Education, and MA Applied Development and Educational Psychology
BA Economics and MS Quantitative Economics
LLB, Maitraise de Droit, LLM European Law, and MBA
BA Psychology, and MA Social-Organisational Psychology
BA Sociology and VES, and MSc Theory and History of International Relations
BS Business, and BA Theater (Performance Studies)
BBA Finance and MBA

View the current Organisational Behaviour PhD Students' profiles

Graduates of the Organisational Behavior PhD have accomplished exceptional initial placements in renowned business schools and programmes across the globe and continue to advance their careers in these esteemed institutions. Some noteworthy posts are Harvard University, McGill University, Rice University, London Business School, Imperial College of London, IESE, Tilburg University, HKUST and Keio University, among others.

To learn more about these achievements of our Global PhD Alumni Community, please visit our website.

We encourage prospects to plan for their application for the PhD in Management. Application for the following year's intake starts in the early Fall of the current year, with a preferred deadline of mid-December.

Go to the Admissions and Financing page

Moreover, we encourage prospects to attend our upcoming recruitment events or register below to receive the URLs of the Special Area Webinars we have conducted over the years.

Registration Link