Strategy - PhD in Management

Faculty members of the Strategy area are concerned with the foundations of sustainable superior firm performance. Research in the strategic management area stems primarily from two intellectual traditions. One stream of thought is rooted in economics and uses insights about firms and industries gleaned from neoclassical, evolutionary, and institutional economics as a basis for understanding business strategy. In contrast, the other tradition in strategic management combines strategy and organisational theory. It focuses on the study of the leadership and the management of organisational processes that generate superior enterprise strategies.

The Strategy area boasts a strong faculty representation in both intellectual traditions. Thus, it provides a diverse research environment, exposing students to a stimulating breadth of theory and evidence on strategic management. Among the current research streams of the faculty are:

• A resource-based view of the firm
• Industry and competitive analysis
• Interactions between product and financial markets
• Mergers, acquisitions, alliances and corporate strategy
• Strategy and organisation of multi-national companies
• Corporate governance and strategic leadership
• Technology strategy and innovation
• Real options theory and strategy
• Organisation design and structure
• Micro-foundations for strategic management
• Post-acquisition integration processes
• Corporate transformation processes
• Resource deployment in horizontal acquisitions
• Knowledge management and organisational learning

Visit the Strategy Academic Area Page

Download the Strategy Course Template

The dissertation is the culmination of your doctoral studies, representing independent and original research work of a publishable standard. In this PhD Research Series, students talk about their research or dissertation in a nutshell as a way of showcasing their ability to articulate their research to the viewing public. 

Go the PhD Candidate's Research Series 

INSEAD doctoral students bring the academic community closer to esteemed scholars who have contributed a significant foundational body of work at the intersection of strategy, knowledge and innovation through an interview series. The interview series usually occurs in conjunction with the Annual Strategy Management Society (or SMS) Conferences. In addition, it is part of their requirement in Professor Gabriel Szulanski and Guoli Chen's class "Foundations in Strategy and Organisation".

Go to the Strategy Foundations Series

The Strategy group at INSEAD has a strong reputation as one of the best in the discipline. With over 25 permanent faculty members, the group is remarkably diverse and has correspondingly eclectic interests and influences. Potential research interests of applicants could include (but are not limited to) competitive strategy, mergers and acquisitions, alliances, international management, innovation and knowledge management, strategy formulation and execution, organisational design, strategic leadership and corporate governance. In addition, the area is open to research in strategy content and strategy process, using a wide range of theoretical lenses such as economics, sociology, and psychology.

Strategy PhD students come from various backgrounds, like economics, engineering, information systems, technology, business and management. Some of our students come directly from undergraduate, while some have several years of industry experience. Moreover, having some research and methodology skills are helpful.

Since the PhD Programme is inherently interdisciplinary, working across areas is encouraged - Strategy PhD students collaborate across areas like Organisational Behaviour, Entrepreneurship, and Technology and Operations Management, among others.

Download the Call for Applications 2025 intake.

Here are some of our Strategy PhD students' backgrounds:

• Bachelor of Technology and MBA
• BSc Technology and Management, and MA Strategy and International Management
• BSc and MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management
• BSc Physics and MBA
• BA Business Administration and MA Business Administration
• BS Management Information Systems, and MS Management Science and Engineering
• BA and MA Economics

View the current Strategy PhD students' profiles

Strategy PhD graduates have achieved remarkable placements in leading academic institutions and programmes worldwide. Notable posts include prestigious schools like The Wharton School, Boston College, HEC (Paris), IESE, Purdue, The University of California at Irvine, and the National University of Singapore, among many others.

To learn more about the incredible 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