Strategic Management (Managerial Strategy)

Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University

Advancing research and teaching on how organizations formulate, implement, and renew strategy in dynamic, volatile, and uncertain environments.

Where Strategy Meets Insight

The Department of Strategic Management (Managerial Strategy) at the Coller School of Management is a leading academic hub that integrates macro-level strategic perspectives with micro-level organizational and behavioral foundations. Our research spans multiple levels of analysis—from individuals and top management teams, through firms and strategic business units, to inter-organizational networks and global competitive systems.
Anchored in the core domains of the Strategic Management Society, our work addresses the most pressing questions facing organizations today

Research Pillars

PILLAR ONE

How do organizations learn and innovate to sustain competitive advantage?

A defining strength of our department lies in understanding organizational learning and knowledge creation as foundations of strategy. We investigate how organizations access, integrate, and recombine knowledge to support innovation, growth, and strategic renewal—examining learning as a core mechanism through which strategies are enacted and sustained over time.

KEY RESEARCH AREAS
Knowledge access, exchange, and integration
Organizational learning from experience and partners
Exploration–exploitation dynamics
Creativity, innovation, and strategic renewal
The role of structures, networks, and work environments

PILLAR TWO

How do firms build, sustain, and renew competitive advantage?

Our research addresses how firms compete and interact within industries and ecosystems, examining the strategic choices that shape competitive positioning and corporate scope. We bridge classic and contemporary strategy perspectives to explain firm heterogeneity and long-term performance differences, focusing on both business-level and corporate-level strategic decisions. Our research addresses how firms compete and interact within industries and ecosystems, examining the strategic choices that shape competitive positioning and corporate scope. We bridge classic and contemporary strategy perspectives to explain firm heterogeneity and long-term performance differences, focusing on both business-level and corporate-level strategic decisions.

KEY RESEARCH AREAS

Firm interactions within product and factor markets

Resources, capabilities, and strategic positioning

Corporate scope, diversification, and vertical integration

Mergers and acquisitions as strategic tools

Governance mechanisms and value creation

PILLAR TREE

How do firms create value across organizational boundaries?

We examine cooperative strategies and inter-organizational relationships, exploring how collaboration and competition jointly shape strategic outcomes. Our research investigates strategic alliances, joint ventures, networks, and other forms of inter-organizational cooperation—shedding light on governance, knowledge transfer, and value creation across firm boundaries

KEY RESEARCH AREAS
When and why firms engage in cooperative strategies
Governance and management of strategic alliances
Knowledge transfer and learning across boundaries
Coordination, trust, and control mechanisms
Value creation through collaboration

PILLAR FOUR

How are opportunities identified, shaped, and exploited in entrepreneurial contexts?

We maintain a strong emphasis on strategic entrepreneurship, bridging strategy and entrepreneurship by examining entrepreneurial behavior across organizational contexts—from new ventures to established firms. Our research explores how entrepreneurial action drives innovation and competitive advantage, addressing both corporate entrepreneurship initiatives and the strategic management of emerging technologies.

KEY RESEARCH AREAS
Founder-CEOs and founding teams
Entrepreneur-investor relationships
Corporate entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives
Strategic responses to technological discontinuities
Scaling and managing entrepreneurial growth

PILLAR FIVE

How do cognition, leadership, and organizational processes shape strategic outcomes?

A central pillar examines strategy as a behavioral and organizational process. We explore how bounded rationality, cognition, emotions, and social dynamics shape strategic decision-making, with particular attention to CEOs, founders, top management teams, and boards of directors as key actors in strategy formation and execution. This research helps explain why firms differ in their strategic choices and performance, even when facing similar environments.

KEY RESEARCH AREAS
Strategic decision-making under uncertainty and risk
Executive cognition, values, and leadership behaviors
Top management team and board dynamics
Governance, power, and politics in strategy
Learning, adaptation, and strategic renewal

PILLAR SIX

How do firms adapt and compete in a globalized, rapidly changing world?

A distinctive pillar focuses on global strategy, organizational agility, and adaptability of both multinational corporations and small-to-medium enterprises. We explore how firms navigate internationalization, manage globally dispersed operations, and respond to cultural, regulatory, and institutional challenges. This research emphasizes strategic adaptability as a critical capability in uncertain and volatile environments.

KEY RESEARCH AREAS
Internationalization strategies and global expansion
Managing globally dispersed organizations
Cultural, regulatory, and institutional challenges
Organizational agility and strategic renewal
How local firms respond to global competition

Research Environment and Teaching

The department fosters a rigorous and pluralistic research environment, employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Our vibrant seminar series (in collaboration with the OB/HR unit) and strong international collaborations support ongoing scholarly exchange.
Research insights directly inform teaching across undergraduate, MBA, and doctoral programs, ensuring that students develop strategic thinking skills grounded in cutting-edge research.
We are committed to becoming a globally engaged, intellectually diverse, and forward-looking hub for strategic management scholarship.

Department of Strategic Management
Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University
Contact Us