Daniel Albert, PhD | Strategy, Innovation & Organizational Design

Research

My research examines how organizations navigate complex strategic landscapes. I develop computer simulation models to study how firms design their structures, search for innovations, and make decisions under uncertainty. My work bridges strategy, organizational theory, and behavioral science, drawing on insights from psychology and neuroscience to build models of human and organizational learning.

Organizational Design & Structure

How do firms design and reconfigure their organizational architectures? I study modular structures, interfaces, and how structural choices create both capabilities and inertia—with applications in financial services and healthcare.

Empirical Studies of Organizational Reorganization

Using large-scale longitudinal data—including a novel organizational structure database spanning S&P 500 firms over three decades—I study how firms reorganize their structures over time and how top management team compositions reflect and shape high-level organizational design choices.

Strategic Decision-Making & Learning

How do decision-makers learn from experience in noisy, complex environments? My simulation-based research explores mental models, belief updating, and the interplay of optimism and pessimism in shaping strategic search.

US Hospital Pricing & Strategy

Why do hospitals charge vastly different prices for common procedures and services? I examine how organizational characteristics—including functional subgroups at multiple hierarchical levels—shape pricing decisions, exploring the tension between margin-oriented and mission-driven objectives.

Innovation & Search

How do organizations search for new solutions across complex design spaces? I study architectural search strategies, the role of modularity in enabling innovation, and how firms balance exploration and exploitation.

AI & Behavioral Strategy

Can large language models replicate and extend experiments in behavioral strategy? I investigate AI-augmented decision-making, LLMs as research tools, and the implications of AI for organizational categories and strategy.

Publications

Journal Articles

Margin or Mission? Understanding the Relationship Between Multilevel Functional Subgroups and Pricing
Albert, D. & Eklund, J.
Organization Science, 37(1), 323–352 (2026)
A New Organizational Structure Database: Examining Structure through Top Management Team Compositions
Albert, D., Eklund, J. & Tang, L.
Strategic Management Journal, 47(3) (2026)
Rapid Learning and Adaptive Search in Complex Environments: How Underestimating Noise in Performance Feedback Can Leverage and Resolve Errors of Commission
Albert, D.
Strategy Science, 10(4) (2025)
What Do You Mean by Organizational Structure? Acknowledging and Harmonizing Differences and Commonalities in Three Prominent Perspectives
Albert, D.
Journal of Organization Design, 13, 1–11 (2024)
Architectural Search and Innovation
Albert, D. & Siggelkow, N.
Organization Science, 33(1), 275–292 (2022)
Organizational Module Design and Architectural Inertia: Evidence from Structural Recombination of Business Divisions
Albert, D.
Organization Science, 29(5), 890–911 (2018)
Resolving the Paradox of Interdependency and Strategic Renewal in Activity Systems
Albert, D., Kreutzer, M. & Lechner, C.
Academy of Management Review, 40(2), 210–234 (2015) Finalist, AMR Managerial Practice Award

Book Chapters & Proceedings

Reproducing and Extending Experiments in Behavioral Strategy with Large Language Models
Albert, D. & Billinger, S.
Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (2025) Distinguished Paper Award
Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility as Dual-Goal Search
Albert, D. & Csaszar, F.
Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (2023) Distinguished Paper Award
The Power of Open-Minded Simplicity in Mental Models
Albert, D., Martignoni, D., Menon, A. & Siggelkow, N.
Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings (2022) Sumantra Goshal Award
Landscape Models of Complex Change
Albert, D. & Ganco, M.
Oxford Handbook of Organization Change and Innovation, 2nd Ed. (2021)

Papers Under Review

Understanding Corporate Social Responsibility as Dual-Goal Search
Albert, D. & Csaszar, F.
Academy of Management Review 2nd R&R
Interface as a Design Choice: How the Implementation of Interfaces Influences Coordination and Performance in Modular Systems
Albert, D. & Ganco, M.
Strategic Management Journal 2nd R&R
The Power of Initially Broad Generalizations for Second-Order Learning
Albert, D., Martignoni, D. & Siggelkow, N.
Organization Science 2nd R&R
Title removed for peer review
Albert, D.
Academy of Management Review 2nd R&R

Working Papers

Replicating and Extending Experiments in Behavioral Strategy: An Application of Large Language Models
Albert, D. & Billinger, S. SSRN
Artificial Intelligence and Category Dynamics: A Theoretical Framework
Lo, J., Huang, K. & Albert, D.
Insights from Teaching with AI: How ChatGPT Can Enhance Experiential Learning and Assist Instructors
Albert, D. & Li, T. SSRN
Designing Opportunity Landscapes: A New Perspective on the Role of the Strategic Apex
Albert, D. & Kunisch, S.

Teaching

I teach strategy across all program levels at Drexel's LeBow College of Business, with a focus on helping students develop rigorous frameworks for analyzing competitive advantage, organizational design, and strategic decision-making. My courses integrate case analysis, simulation exercises, and—increasingly—generative AI as a tool for strategic thinking.

Current Courses at Drexel University

MGMT 520 Strategy Analysis MBA / Graduate
MGMT 450 Strategy and Competitive Advantage Undergraduate

Previous Teaching

UWM Strategic Management (Undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA) 2016–2019
Wharton Business Strategy; Introduction to Management (Undergraduate) 2014–2016
Wharton TA for Nicolaj Siggelkow: Strategy and Competitive Advantage; Managing the Established Firm (MBA, Exec MBA) 2011–2015

AI for Leaders & Executives

I work with executives and leadership teams to use AI as a thought partner for strategic decision-making—surfacing options, stress-testing assumptions, and exploring scenarios that are hard to run in a conference room.

My approach is grounded in research on how strategic decisions actually get made—where reasoning breaks down, where expertise adds irreplaceable value, and where AI can meaningfully extend both. I combine this with leaders’ own domain expertise and hands-on exploration of the technology, so that participants leave not with abstract principles but with working methods they can use the following Monday.

What this looks like in practice varies. I design interactive workshops for large leadership cohorts, work with smaller teams on AI-augmented scenario planning and priority-setting, and help organizations think through how their people can develop durable skills—not just tool proficiency—for working alongside AI. In every case, the starting point is the same: what do you and your team know, and what might you be missing?

Awards & Recognition

Research Awards

2025 Distinguished Paper Award in Behavioral Strategy — Academy of Management
2025 Research Methods Paper Prize — Strategic Management Society
2023 Distinguished Paper Award — Academy of Management
2022 Sumantra Goshal Research and Practice Award — Academy of Management
2020 Finalist, AMR Managerial Practice Award — Academy of Management Review

Teaching & Institutional Awards

2023 Teaching Fellow, Educational Transformation & Generative AI — LeBow College of Business
2023 Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award — LeBow College of Business
2023 Freddie Reisman Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Award ($21,500) — Drexel University
2022 Faculty Fellow, Strategy Core Team, Drexel 2030 Strategy Implementation — Drexel University
2018 Roger L. Fitzsimonds Scholarly Achievement Award for Junior Faculty ($5,000) — UW-Milwaukee