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Valerie Sy

Assistant Professor of Global Strategy Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Phoenix
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Biography

Valerie Sy is an assistant professor of global strategy innovation and entrepreneurship with the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Sy earned her doctorate in strategic management and entrepreneurship from Texas A&M University and holds a master's degree in business administration and a bachelor's of science degree in electrical and computer engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining academia, Sy worked for 17 years in various management roles at 3M in strategy, business development, sales operations, marketing services and information technology.

Sy has published in Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, and The Handbook of Research on Human Capital Resource Emergence. Her current research explores interfirm strategic networks, technological strategy change over time and the impact of gender on invention teams. Sy teaches courses on global innovation and entrepreneurship, bringing her extensive corporate experience to the classroom which enables her to connect with students on their real world business management predicaments.

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Education

    • Ph.D. Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, Texas A&M University 2022
    • M.B.A., McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin 2007
    • B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin 1999

Research

Research Interests

Organizations, Knowledge, Innovation, Technology, Interorganizational Networks, Strategic Entrepreneurship

Google Scholar URL

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jHqRZMIAAAAJ&hl=en

Publications

Howard, M.D., Kolb, J.S., & Sy, V.A., 2021. Founder CEO passion in selling the IPO. Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Exchange, https://eixchange.com/content/founder-ceo-passion-in-selling-the-ipo.


Howard, M.D., Kolb, J.S., & Sy, V.A., 2020. Entrepreneurial identity and strategic disclosure: Founder CEOs and new venture
media strategy. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 15(1): 3-27.


Cannella, A.A. & Sy, V.A., 2019. Human capital resource emergence: A commentary. In Moliterno, T.P. and Nyberg, A.J.,
(Eds.). Handbook of Research on Strategic Human Capital Resources, Ch. 7: pp. 130-142.


Cannella, A.A. & Sy, V.A., 2018. The two sides of CEO pay injustice: A commentary. Management Research: Journal of
the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, 16(1): 90-96.


UNDER REVIEW
Sy, V.A. and Howard, M.D. **Title Omitted**. 1st review at Journal of Business Venturing.
Howard, M.D. and Sy, V.A. **Title Omitted**. 1st review at Research Policy.


IN PROGRESS
Sy, V.A., Kolb, J.S., & Howard, M.D. Institutional isomorphism and stakeholder responses. Lead author; preparing manuscript for submission to JIBS in Fall 2023.

Sy, V.A. Strategic renewal: Learning, unlearning, and organizational wisdom. Dissertation; preparing three separate studies for submission to AMJ and OrgSci in 2023.


Howard, M.D., Sy, V.A., & Tihanyi, L. Toward a theory of competitive dynamics between strategic networks: Evidence
from the smartphone industry. Preparing manuscript for submission to AMA in Fall 2023.


Sy, V.A., Dwivedi, P., Cox-Pahnke, E., & Howard, M.D. Female innovators and commercialization. Lead author; preparing
manuscript for submission to JOM in Fall 2023.


Sy, V.A., Dwivedi, P., Cox-Pahnke, E., & Howard, M.D. Female inventors and knowledge diffusion. Network analysis
proposal received Texas A&M McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship recognition and was presented at BCERC with summary published in Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research. Developing manuscript for submission to SMJ.


Li, T., Sy, V.A., & Howard, M.D. Network resilience in the oil and gas industry. Data collection complete.


Sy, V.A. Network abuse: Collaboration and competition in standard-setting organizations. Proposal development.


Sy, V.A. Network management: Up, down, and across. Proposal development.


Sy, V.A. Radical discovery and incremental creation: Opportunity development in corporate entrepreneurship. Proposal
development.


Sy, V.A. Teaching old dogs new tricks: Centurions in the Digital Age. Proposal development.

Teaching

Fall 2022 and Fall 2023

Course Number Course Title
TGM 586 Global Entrepreneurship
TGM 598 Building a Global Startup
TGM 598 Global Innovation

Spring 2023 and Spring 2024

Course Number Course Title
TGM 598 Global Social Enterprise
TAM 534 Global Venture Creation

Public Work

Professional Associations

Academy of Management (STR, ENT, TIM), Academy of International Business, Strategic Management Society

Industry Experience

Industry Positions

3M, Austin, TX and Saint Paul, MN 1999-2016
3M is a $32.8 billion international conglomerate with operations in 70 countries producing more than 55,000 products
spanning 46 technology platforms, including adhesives, abrasives, electronics & software, micro-replication, nanotechnology
and nonwoven materials.

  • Senior Manager: Business Services, Strategic Business Development 2013-2016
  • Manager: Sales and Marketing Operations, Business Intelligence, and Analytics 2011-2013
  • Project Manager: IT Infrastructure, R&D Applications, and Pricing IT 2001-2011
  • Network Engineer: 3M Austin Telecommunications and Data Center 1999-2001
ASU University Technology Office Arizona State University.
Thunderbird School of Global Management

401 North 1st Street Phoenix, AZ 85004

Phone: 602-496-7000

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