Central South University | China
Dr. Liang Zhang is a highly productive and analytically rigorous scholar whose research contributes significantly to the fields of strategic management, corporate innovation, stakeholder governance, and organizational resilience. As an associate professor at the Business School of Central South University, his work integrates perspectives from institutional theory, organizational behavior, resource-based thinking, and corporate governance to explain how firms navigate complex institutional, political, and market environments. His research portfolio demonstrates a strong theoretical foundation combined with empirical sophistication, offering valuable insights into how organizations respond to external pressures and internal constraints. A substantial portion of his work examines the influence of institutional forces—such as ideological imprinting, government interventions, and political ties—on firm behavior. His article in the British Journal of Management (2023) provides a compelling analysis of how communist ideological imprinting shapes the strategic transformation of state-owned enterprises, contributing to a deeper understanding of institutional persistence and organizational adaptation. His more recent work, also in British Journal of Management (2024), explores the curvilinear relationship between supply concentration and organizational resilience, highlighting how firms balance risk exposure and resource dependence. Corporate innovation forms another major pillar of his scholarship. His publications in Industry and Innovation analyze the effects of R&D subsidies, partner repeatedness in university-industry alliances, and the configuration of collaborative portfolios on firm innovation performance. These studies offer nuanced insights into how firms strategically allocate and utilize resources, how collaboration patterns shape knowledge flows, and how external supports influence innovation outcomes. This line of inquiry aligns with global priorities around technological upgrading, innovation ecosystems, and sustainable competitiveness. His broader work on stakeholder dynamics and governance further enriches his research contributions. Publications in Management and Organization Review, Journal of Business Research, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management examine conflicting stakeholder pressures, the signaling effects of government official visits, financing outcomes for young technology-based firms, and board–CEO social ties as determinants of agency costs. These studies collectively illuminate how organizations manage external expectations, secure critical resources, and control internal governance risks. Across his publications, a consistent strength is his ability to integrate multiple theoretical perspectives to explain complex organizational phenomena. His empirical studies frequently utilize multilevel data, advanced statistical modeling, and contextually grounded institutional analysis, reinforcing the robustness of his findings. Liang Zhang’s research provides valuable implications for scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders concerned with innovation management, organizational adaptation, and strategic decision-making in emerging and transitional economies.
Featured Publications
Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Jia, M., & Ren, Y. (2020). A tiger with wings: CEO–board surname ties and agency costs. Journal of Business Research, 118, 271–285.
Zhang, L., Ren, Y., & Wu, J. (2023). Communist ideological imprinting and the transformation of state‐owned enterprises. British Journal of Management, 34(2), 1062–1078.
Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Ren, Y., & Jia, M. (2020). The signaling effect of government official visits on external financing of young technology-based firms. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 69(4), 888–903.
Ren, Y., Zhao, W., Zhang, L., & Hou, T. (2024). R&D subsidy and corporate innovation: An integrated view of resource allocation and resource utilisation. Industry and Innovation, 31(6), 727–752.
Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Jia, M., & Ren, Y. (2017). Do outside directors matter? The impact of prestigious CEOs on firm performance. Chinese Management Studies, 11(2), 284–302.
Zhang, L., Zhang, Z., Jia, M., & Ren, Y. (2020). The strength of two hands: Conflicting stakeholder pressures and corporate philanthropic giving. Management and Organization Review, 16(2), 335–375.
Zhang, S., Shen, H., Zhang, L., & Li, Y. (2023). Promote or inhibit? The influence of partner repeatedness in university–industry alliance portfolios on firm innovation performance. Industry and Innovation, 30(4), 480–505.
Ren, Y., Li, J. J., Zhao, W., & Zhang, L. (2024). The delicate equilibrium: Unveiling the curvilinear nexus between supply concentration and organizational resilience. British Journal of Management, 35(4), 1935–1960.