Stephen Zhang

Professional Summary

Stephen X. Zhang is the Maness Chair of Entrepreneurship at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. Prof. Zhang has previously worked in the University of Adelaide, the University of Sydney, the Catholic University of Chile, and the National University of Singapore, and has founded several startups. His research investigates how entrepreneurs and top executives make strategic decisions under uncertainty. His work has been widely cited (citation count >7,000; h-index = 42) and appears in top outlets across entrepreneurship and management. He develops theories, frameworks, and practical tools to help entrepreneurs and executives to achieve strategic and operational excellence.

Education

• 2010 – PhD, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
• 2004 – Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Courses

• ENT 3315 - Starting and Managing a Business

Research Interests

• Behavioral Entrepreneurship
• Field Experiment
• Executive Mental Health and Well-Being

Selected Publications

1. Zhang, S. X., & Ertug, G. (2025). Organization research as an applied science: Lessons from fields that shape practice and policy. Organization Science.
2. Chin, M. K., Zhang, S. X., Afshar-Jahanshahi, A., & Nadkarni, S. (2021). The effect of two dimensions of CEO political ideology on corporate entrepreneurship. Academy of Management Journal, 64(4), 1213–1235.
3. Tang, S., Nadkarni, S., Wei, L.-Q., & Zhang, S. X. (2020). Balancing the yin and yang: TMT gender diversity, psychological safety, and firm strategic orientation in Chinese high-tech SMEs. Academy of Management Journal.
4. Zhang, S. X., Gao, R., Odeh, N., & Leatherbee, M. (2020). A micro-foundational model of real options reasoning: The roles of individual search propensity and perceived uncertainty. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.
5. Zhang, S. X., & Cueto, J. (2017). The study of bias in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(3), 419–454.