Harbir Singh

Harbir Singh
  • Mack Professor
  • Professor of Management
  • Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management
  • Faculty Director, Huntsman Program

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    3456 SH-DH
    3620 Locust Walk
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Research Interests: corporate strategy, corporate acquisitions, strategic alliances, corporate restructuring, choices in interorganizational relationships, corporate governance

Links: CV

Overview

Education

PhD, University of Michigan; MBA, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; BTech, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Academic Positions Held

Faculty Director, Huntsman Program, 2018-present; Vice Dean for Global Initiatives, The Wharton School, 2008-2018; Chairperson, Management Department, 1998-2001;  Chairperson, Management Department, 2007-2008; Co-Director, Mack Institute for Innovation Management, 2001-present; named Edward H. Bowman Professor of Management, 1999-2005.

Other Positions

Sales Management, Madura Coats, Ltd., 1978-79; Sales Officer, Philips India, Ltd., 1975-76

Professional Leadership

Editorial Board, Strategic Management Journal, 1989-present; Editorial Board, Academy of Management Review, 1993-present

Selected Publications

Building Capabilities Through Learning: The Role of the Alliance Learning Process in Alliance Capability and Success, (with P. Kale). Strategic Management Journal, forthcoming.

Splitting the Pie: Rent Distribution in Alliances and Networks, (with J. Dyer and P. Kale). Managerial and Decision Economics, forthcoming.

Organizing for Innovation: Managing the Coordination-Autonomy Dilemma in Technology Acquisitions, (with P. Puranam and M. Zollo). Academy of Management Journal 49:2, 2006.

When to Ally and When to Acquire? (with J. Dyer and P. Kale), Harvard Business Review, 2004.

Deliberate Learning in Corporate Acquisitions: Post-Acquisition Strategies and Integration Capability in US Bank Mergers, (with M. Zollo), Strategic Management Journal, 25:13, 2004.

A Bird in Hand? Integration Tradeoffs in Technology-Grafting Acquisitions, (with P. Puranam and M. Zollo), European Management Journal, 2003.

Interorganizational Routines and Performance in Strategic Alliances, (with J. Reuer and M. Zollo), Organization Science 13:6, 2002.

Alliance Capability, Stock Market Response and Long-Term Alliance Success: The Role of the Alliance Function, (with P. Kale and J. Dyer), Strategic Management Journal 23:8, 2002.

Post-Formation Dynamics in Strategic Alliances, (with M. Zollo and J. Reuer), Organization Science 23:2, 2002.

Value Creation and Success in Strategic Alliances: Alliancing Skills and the Role of the Alliance Function and Systems, (with J. Dyer and P. Kale), European Management Journal 19:5, 2001.

How To Make Strategic Alliances Work, (with P. Kale and J. Dyer), Sloan Management Review 42:4, 2001.

Corporate and Industry Effects on Business Unit Competitive Position, (with S.J. Chang), Strategic Management Journal 21:7, 2000.

Acquisition of Physician Group Practices by For-Profit and Not-For-Profit Organizations, (with R.L. Burns and R.A. DeGraaf), Quarterly Journal of Economics and Finance 39:4, 1999.

Complementarity, Status Similarity and Social Capital as Drivers of Alliance Formation, (with S. Chung and K. Lee), Strategic Management Journal, 2000.

The Architecture of Cooperation: Coordination Costs and the Governance of Strategic Alliances, (with R. Gulati), Administrative Science Quarterly, 1999.

When Does Corporate Restructuring Improve Economic Performance? (with E.H. Bowman, M. Useem and R. Bhadury), California Management Review, 1999.

Relational Advantage: Relational Rents and Sources of Interorganizational Advantage, (with J. Dyer). Academy of Management Review 23:4, 1998.

National Culture Distance and Cross-Border Acquisition Performance, (with P. Morosini and S. Shane), Journal of International Business Studies, 1998.

Asset Redeployment, Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy in Declining Industries, (with J. Anand), Strategic Management Journal, 1997.

Corporate Restructuring: A Symptom of Poor Governance or a Solution to Past Managerial Mistakes? (with C. Markides), European Management Journal 15:3, 1997.

 

 

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Research

  • Constance Helfat, Aseem Kaul, David Ketchen, Jay Barney, Olivier Chatain, Harbir Singh (2023), Renewing the Resource Based View: New Contexts, New Concepts, and New Methods, Strategic Management Journal.

    Abstract: The resource-based view is an enduring and impactful mainstay of research within strategic management and beyond. This editors' introduction to the special issue on “new directions for the resource-based view” accomplishes two main tasks. First, we describe the contributions offered by the seven articles contained in the special issue. Second, we explain the potential value to research of incorporating into resource-based inquiry new contexts (artificial intelligence and digitization, distributed organizations, and stakeholders and sustainability); new concepts (resource redeployment, market shaping through resources and capabilities); and new methods (text analysis and machine learning, formal models, policy capturing). The overall aim of this introduction is to help invigorate the resource-based view by spotlighting a series of promising new directions.

  • Harbir Singh and Michael Useem, The Strategic Leader’s Roadmap: Learning to Think and Act Strategically (: Wharton Digital Press, 2021)

  • Harbir Singh and Patia McGrath (2018), Post-Acquisition Management, .

  • Aseem Kaul, Paul Nary, Harbir Singh (2018), Who Does Private Equity Buy: Evidence on the Role of Private Equity from Buyouts of Divested Businesses, Strategic Management Journal, 30.

    Abstract: We examine the role of nonventure private equity firms in the market for divested businesses, comparing targets bought by such firms to those bought by corporate acquirers. We argue that a combination of vigilant monitoring, high‐powered incentives, patient capital, and business independence makes private equity firms uniquely suited to correcting underinvestment problems in public corporations, and that they will therefore systematically target divested businesses that are outside their parents’ core area, whose rivals invest more in long‐term strategic assets than their parents, and whose parents have weak managerial incentives both overall and at the divisional level. Results from a sample of 1,711 divestments confirm these predictions. Our study contributes to our understanding of private equity ownership, highlighting its advantage as an alternate governance form.

    Description: Private equity firms are often portrayed as destroyers of corporate value, raiding established companies in pursuit of short‐term gain. In contrast, we argue that private equity investors help to revitalize businesses by enabling investments in long‐term strategic resources and capabilities that they are better able to evaluate, monitor, and support than public market investors. Consistent with these arguments, we find that when acquiring businesses divested by public corporations, private equity firms are more likely to buy units outside the parent's core area, those whose peers invest more in R&D than their parents, and those whose parents have weak managerial incentives, especially at the divisional level. Thus, private equity firms systematically target those businesses that may fail to realize their full potential under public ownership.

  • Michael Useem, Harbir Singh, Neng Liang, Peter Cappelli, The Fortune Makers: The Leaders Creating China’s Great Global Companies (: Wharton Digital Press, 2017)

  • Shiva Agarwal, Harbir Singh, Vikas A. Aggarwal (2015), Partnering in a haze: Interdependence mis-specification and firm performance in strategic alliances, .

    Abstract: We examine the firm performance implications of managers having an incorrect representation of their inter-firm task interdependencies in the context of alliance relationships. Although uncertainty regarding inter-firm interdependence is common in practice when structuring alliances, prior literature provides limited evidence on the firm performance implications of such “misspecifications.” We employ a computational model to examine firm performance in an alliance context where firms have either under- or over-specified views of their inter-firm interdependencies. We find that firm performance declines with greater misspecification, with variation in this effect across alliance governance modes and across levels of actual interdependence. In addition, we find that interdependence misspecifications have differing effects on exploration and coordination, leading to tradeoffs between performance and these other non-performance alliance objectives.

  • Michael Useem, Harbir Singh, Peter Cappelli, Jitendra Singh (2015), Indian Business Leadership: Broad Mission and Creative Value, The Leadership Quarterly .

    Abstract: While general models of business leadership have drawn extensively on American companies, we find that two distinctive leadership principles have emerged among Indian companies. We conducted interviews in 2007–09 with top executives, primarily the chief executive, of 102 of the 150 largest companies listed on the Mumbai stock exchange. Though aware of Western leadership principles and applying some of them, Indian business leaders have developed their own guiding principles that emphasize 1) broad mission and purpose, servicing the needs of stockholders but also focusing on family prosperity, regional advancement, and national growth; and 2) creative value propositions, devising new products and services to meet the needs of large numbers of low-income consumers with extreme efficiency. Business leaders in the U.S. have long stressed total shareholder return, and while business leaders in India also focus on owner interests, Indian business leaders have embraced goals extending beyond their company's financial calculus.

  • Vikas Aggarwal, Nicolaj Siggelkow, Harbir Singh (2011), Corporate Development Choices and Interdependence: Strategic Tradeoffs and Performance Implications, Strategic Management Journal, 32: 705-730.

  • Jitendra Singh, Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, Michael Useem, The India Way: How India’s Top Business Leaders are Revolutionizing Management, Harvard Business Press (:, 2010)

  • Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, Jitendra Singh, Michael Useem (2010), Leadership Lessons From India, Harvard Business Review, 90-97.

    Abstract: The article discusses research on performance management and leadership strategy which resulted in competitive advantages for companies that are based in India. The so-called Indian business model at companies such as Infosys, Reliance Industries, and Aventis Pharma is mentioned. The skills that Indian executives consider most valuable include strategic thinking and communication of an organizational vision. The characteristics of leaders that are considered valuable include being accountable and being an inspirational role model. Organizational transparency, employee empowerment, and investment in training are part of the corporate culture.

Teaching

Current Courses (Fall 2024)

  • INSP1001 - Huntsman Seminar

    This is a course for first-year students in their first semester. Will be required for, and limited to, incoming students in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, which is a coordinated dual-degree program jointly administered by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School. The course is being offered for the first time in Fall 2020 and will be co-taught by the Huntsman Faculty Directors, Professor Rudra Sil (Department of Political Science, School of Arts & Sciences) and Professor Harbir Singh (Management Department, Wharton School). The course offers a shared understanding of some fundamental concepts, theoretical frameworks, and long-term historical trends that relate to both the study of business on a global scale and the social scientific analysis of contemporary issues. The first section (module) of the course, to be led by Professor Sil, will provide a broad overview of the evolution of global political economy across diverse historical eras, from the Industrial Revolution to the challenges of economic governance in the post-World War II era to the emergence of (and questioning of) the "Washington Consensus" in the post-Cold War era. Throughout, students will learn about varied developmental pressures and shifting international environments within which the relationships between markets and governments have been organized. The second section (module), to be led by Professor Singh, will delve into the complex challenges and opportunities faced by firms and businesses operating on a global scale. With the aid of case studies, this section will address approaches to decisions and processes that affect the rise and fall of comparative advantage, while paying attention to evolving organizational structures, business strategies, the emergence of inter-firm networks and large business organizations, including multi-national corporations. In the third part of the course, students are expected to use what they learn and engage each other through the presentation of team projects on a major contemporary issue of global significance. These projects will incorporate discussion of some of the research being done by Penn faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences as well as the Wharton School, thereby helping to familiarize students with some of the disciplines and scholarly traditions covered in the two schools. The weekly three-hour sessions will typically include lectures, discussions of assigned readings, small-group work and question-and-answer periods. Following an introductory session in the first week, the course will consist of three modules. Prerequisites: Admission to Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business

    INSP1001001

  • MGMT2490 - Mergers & Acquisitions

    This interactive, applied, and case-based course explores the various modes of corporate development available to managers to drive firm growth and change, including alliances, outsourcing, corporate venturing, and particularly mergers and acquisitions. The objectives are three-fold: (1) to arm the student with a set of tools to facilitate the selection of the appropriate growth strategy in a given situation; (2) to provide insights as to how to manage partnerships like alliances, outsourcing, and corporate venturing; and, (3) to develop a comprehensive framework for executing M&As, from initiation to implementation. The emphasis is on strategic and operational aspects of these transactions, rather than financial considerations. Please note that you must fulfill the prerequisites in order to enroll in this class.

    MGMT2490001 ( Syllabus )

All Courses

  • INSP1001 - Huntsman Seminar

    This is a course for first-year students in their first semester. Will be required for, and limited to, incoming students in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, which is a coordinated dual-degree program jointly administered by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School. The course is being offered for the first time in Fall 2020 and will be co-taught by the Huntsman Faculty Directors, Professor Rudra Sil (Department of Political Science, School of Arts & Sciences) and Professor Harbir Singh (Management Department, Wharton School). The course offers a shared understanding of some fundamental concepts, theoretical frameworks, and long-term historical trends that relate to both the study of business on a global scale and the social scientific analysis of contemporary issues. The first section (module) of the course, to be led by Professor Sil, will provide a broad overview of the evolution of global political economy across diverse historical eras, from the Industrial Revolution to the challenges of economic governance in the post-World War II era to the emergence of (and questioning of) the "Washington Consensus" in the post-Cold War era. Throughout, students will learn about varied developmental pressures and shifting international environments within which the relationships between markets and governments have been organized. The second section (module), to be led by Professor Singh, will delve into the complex challenges and opportunities faced by firms and businesses operating on a global scale. With the aid of case studies, this section will address approaches to decisions and processes that affect the rise and fall of comparative advantage, while paying attention to evolving organizational structures, business strategies, the emergence of inter-firm networks and large business organizations, including multi-national corporations. In the third part of the course, students are expected to use what they learn and engage each other through the presentation of team projects on a major contemporary issue of global significance. These projects will incorporate discussion of some of the research being done by Penn faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences as well as the Wharton School, thereby helping to familiarize students with some of the disciplines and scholarly traditions covered in the two schools. The weekly three-hour sessions will typically include lectures, discussions of assigned readings, small-group work and question-and-answer periods. Following an introductory session in the first week, the course will consist of three modules. Prerequisites: Admission to Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business

  • MGMT2490 - Mergers & Acquisitions

    This interactive, applied, and case-based course explores the various modes of corporate development available to managers to drive firm growth and change, including alliances, outsourcing, corporate venturing, and particularly mergers and acquisitions. The objectives are three-fold: (1) to arm the student with a set of tools to facilitate the selection of the appropriate growth strategy in a given situation; (2) to provide insights as to how to manage partnerships like alliances, outsourcing, and corporate venturing; and, (3) to develop a comprehensive framework for executing M&As, from initiation to implementation. The emphasis is on strategic and operational aspects of these transactions, rather than financial considerations. Please note that you must fulfill the prerequisites in order to enroll in this class.

  • MGMT6110 - Managing Est Enterprise

    This course is about managing large enterprises that face the strategic challenge of being the incumbent in the market and the organizational challenge of needing to balance the forces of inertia and change. The firms of interest in this course tend to operate in a wide range of markets and segments, frequently on a global basis, and need to constantly deploy their resources to fend off challenges from new entrants and technologies that threaten their established positions. The class is organized around three distinct but related topics that managers of established firms must consider: strategy, human and social capital, and global strategy.

  • MGMT6130 - Manag Estab Enterprise

  • MGMT7210 - Corp Dev: Merg & Acquis

    This interactive, applied, and case-based course explores the various modes of corporate development available to managers to drive firm growth and change, including alliances, outsourcing, corporate venturing, and particularly mergers and acquisitions. The objectives are three-fold: (1) to arm the student with a set of tools to facilitate the selection of the appropriate growth strategy in a given situation; (2) to provide insights as to how to manage partnerships like alliances, outsourcing, and corporate venturing; and, (3) to develop a comprehensive framework for executing M&As, from initiation to implementation. The emphasis is on strategic and operational aspects of these transactions, rather than financial considerations. Please note that you must fulfill the prerequisites in order to enroll in this class.

  • MGMT8970 - Global Modular Course A

    Special course arranged for Wharton MBA students, focused on global business, management and innovation.

  • MGMT9250 - Sem Corp Strategy

    This course explores current research on corporate strategy. Over the past two decades, research in the area of corporate strategy has evolved considerably. The fundamental focus of the field has been on sources of competitive advantage at the of the firm, and the process of building and maintaining competitive advantage. In this class, we explore current research articles that best represent the development of rent-generating resources at the level of the firm. Topics addressed include the concept of strategy, research on the evolution of firm capabilities, competitive interaction, top management teams and strategy formation, and changes in firm scope through acquisitions, divestitures and alliances.

  • MGMT9260 - Sem Strat & Org Des

    This half-semester course examines one of the foundational questions in strategy: the role of organizational structure in both supporting and shaping strategy. As Winston Churchill famously said: "We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us." This course examines this proposition from two traditions, the "institutional economics" and "information processing" schools of organizational design. We will examine foundational works from both schools, such as Coase, Williamson, Simon, March, and others, and then proceed to recent work in the area. Some of the questions that we will explore in the class are: why do firms exist? What determines their boundaries? What determines formal and informal structures within firms? How does the strategic context shape the answers to these questions? How might the nature of the firm and its boundaries relate to innovation, human capital, and knowledge creation? The aim of this class is to provide students with a grounding in the fundamental questions and contributions in this area, and to spark ideas for research in their own graduate work.

  • PPE3999 - Independent Study

    Student arranges with a faculty member to pursue a research project on a suitable topic. For more information about research and setting up independent studies, visit: https://ppe.sas.upenn.edu/study/curriculum/independent-studies

Awards and Honors

  • Strategic Management Society Distinguished Scholar- Practitioner Award in honor of C.K. Prahalad. Career award for influential research., 2020
  • Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2018
  • Dean of the Fellows of the Strategic Management Society, 2014
  • Elected Fellow of Strategic Management Society, 2012
  • Distinguished Alumni Award, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, 2010
  • Journal of International Business Studies Decade Award for the most influential article in International Business, published in JIBS, 1998
  • Miller-Sherrerd MBA Core Teaching Award, 1993

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Constance Helfat, Aseem Kaul, David Ketchen, Jay Barney, Olivier Chatain, Harbir Singh (2023), Renewing the Resource Based View: New Contexts, New Concepts, and New Methods, Strategic Management Journal.
All Research

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