Faculty Directory
Sydney Finkelstein
Steven Roth Professor of Management
E-Mailsydney.finkelstein@tuck.dartmouth.edu
Phone603-646-2864
DegreeBComm, Concordia University, 1980; MSc, London School of Economics, 1981; PhD, Columbia University, 1988
AREAS OF EXPERTISELeadership and strategy
Current Research Topics
Developing leadership talent, why smart executives fail, early warning signs for corporate disasters, learning from mergers and acquisitions, board of director effectiveness
Selected Publications
With J.B. Quinn and P.C. Anderson, "Managing Professional Intellect: Making the Most of the Best," Harvard Business Review, 74 (March–April), 1996; with A. Mooney, "Not the Usual Suspects: How to Use Board Process to Make Boards Better," Academy of Management Executive, May 2003; Why Smart Executives Fail: And What You Can Learn From Their Mistakes, Portfolio, 2003; with C. Helfat, W. Mitchell, M. Peteraf, H. Singh, D. Teece, and S. Winter, Dynamic Capabilities: Understanding Strategic Change in Organizations, Blackwell Publishing, 2007; with D.C. Hambrick and A. Cannella, Strategic Leadership: Theory and Research on Executives, Top Management Teams, and Boards, Oxford University Press, 2008; with J. Whitehead and A. Campbell, Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How to Keep It From Happening to You, Harvard Business School Press, 2009; with J. Kim, "The Effects of Strategic and Locational Complementarity on Acquisition Performance: Evidence from the U.S. Commercial Banking Industry, 1989-2001," Strategic Management Journal, 30, 2009; with A. Campbell and J. Whitehead, "Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions," Harvard Business Review, February, 2009; How to Avoid a Bad Call, FT Press, 2010; with J. Kim and J. Haleblian, “When Firms Become Desperate to Grow via Acquisition: The Effect of Growth Patterns and Acquisition Experience on Acquisition Premiums," Administrative Science Quarterly, 2011
Awards
Best Article of 1997, Academy of Management Executive; Academy of Management George R. Terry Award nominee, 1998, 2010; Honorable Mention, McKinsey & Company Strategic Management Society Best Conference Paper, 2002; finalist, Best Article of 2004, Academy of Management Executive; elected as a Fellow, Academy of Management
Professional Activities
Academic positions: Assistant Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California, 1987–93; Tuck School of Business, 1993–present
Board memberships: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Assembly of Overseers, Kimball Union Academy
Editorial positions: Editorial Boards, Journal of Business Strategy, Journal of Strategy and Management
Research & Teaching Summary
Sydney Finkelstein’s approach to leadership and strategy has focused recently on the strengths and weaknesses of executive talent. His widely read research has analyzed how capable leaders make bad decisions and, ultimately, fail. Professor Finkelstein teaches the core course Analysis for General Managers and the elective Top Management Teams.