INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The Strategic Management Society (SMS) recently elected as president Marjorie Lyles, professor of international strategic management at the Kelley School of Business and OneAmerica Chair in Business Administration. Lyles will be the first female president in the society’s 33-year history.
“It was an election of the membership, which is quite an honor,” said Lyles, of the 3,000-member international society, with members from more than 80 countries and which publishes the highly influential Strategic Management Journal (SMJ), as well as numerous other publications. “I am looking forward to proudly representing the Kelley School of Business in this leadership role.”
The first female management professor at the Kelley School of Business, Lyles has authored more than 100 articles and chapters. Sun Yat-sen University in China recently nominated Lyles for the prestigious Chang Jiang Scholar Award, the Chinese government’s highest award to scholars. In 2011, she received from Indiana University the John W. Ryan Award for her distinguished contributions to international programs, teaching and research.
“Professor Lyles has built her career on in-depth knowledge of business in countries across the globe,” said Idalene Kesner, interim dean of the Kelley School and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. “Her extensive contributions to strategic management and international business have furthered the Kelley brand. As a member of the Strategic Management Society, I am particularly enthusiastic about the fact that the first female president is from the Kelley School of Business.”
“Professor Lyles is truly an asset to the school and all of Indiana University,” said Philip Cochran, associate dean of Indianapolis operations, the Thomas Binford Chair in Corporate Citizenship and professor of management at the Kelley School. “Her overseas research and student consulting trips bring a wealth of knowledge into our classrooms, to the benefit of all Kelley students.”
Having served on the SMJ editorial board for two decades, Lyles is the first woman to serve on SMS’s executive committee. She takes the helm at SMS at a time when the organization is working to expand into a broader governance structure.
“I am fortunate to be succeeding a group of presidents who have had the vision to grow SMS from a relatively small organization to a worldwide organization impacting international business strategies in a dynamic climate of change,” said Lyles.
Among the first U.S. business scholars to focus on China, Lyles has been involved in an extensive array of projects beginning in 1986, when she consulted for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Dalian, China.
“I enjoy dealing with China and emerging economies because we are witnessing change and growth in terms of years instead of decades,” said Lyles. “It’s also the added complexity of doing business in China that appeals to me. I think it’s quite an enjoyable challenge to figure out how strategic decisions are being formulated in a very complicated environment with implications not just for China, but now for most international economies including the United States.”
Her considerable experience in China makes Lyles an ideal president for the SMS, as it expands its international audience and focus.
“It’s very exciting to see SMS holding conferences in such diverse locations this year as China, Lithuania and Scotland,” said Lyles. “We have emerged as a more inclusive organization, which means more academics and associate members worldwide can get involved, learn from and contribute to the exceptional SMS professional community.”