Hi! I'm Christopher Law
I'm an assistant professor of management at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.
My research explores (1) how leaders and their teams create and grow new ventures and (2) human capital as a source of competitive advantage. I leverage quantitative and qualitative methods to create, extend, and test theories related to these topics. My research has been published in the Academy of Management Journal and Strategic Management Journal and has been recognized by the Responsible Research in Business & Management (Dare to Care scholarship recipient) and the Industry Studies Association (Giarratani Rising Star award).
I feel incredibly fortunate to teach Strategic Management. As an MBA student, this course changed my way of thinking and motivated me to become a professor.
I received my doctoral degree in management from the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill and bachelor’s degree and MBA from Brigham Young University. Before transitioning to academia, I worked at Walmart, Lands’ End, and Amazon.
Research
From Joiners to Founders: Startup Employment and Underrepresented Entrepreneurs. In Press. Strategic Management Journal. With Travis Howell, Chris Bingham, and Sekou Bermiss
Representation among technology founders is very skewed by race and gender. In this study, we suggest one way that may help a very underrepresented group, Black women, create startups at higher rates. By analyzing the careers of 8000+ individuals interested in entrepreneurship, we show that working as a startup employee encourages many to start their own companies. However, this effect is stronger for Black women than for those from other demographic groups. Our rich, in-depth qualitative data suggest that, compared to other groups, Black women engage in greater levels of self-reflection and so become more motivated to transition from being a joiner in a startup to a founder of one.
Who Should Become a Business School Associate Dean? Individual Performance and Taking on Firm-Specific Roles. 2021. Academy of Management Journal. With Jeff Dyer, David Kryscynski, and Shad Morris
Should both high and low performers make firm-specific investments? To answer this question, my coauthors and I analyze the careers of 4100 business school professors from 1990-2017. Surprisingly, we find that low- rather than high-performers (researchers) are most rewarded for making firm-specific investments (becoming associate dean).
Culture Emergence in New Ventures. Revise & Resubmit at Strategic Management Journal. With Chris Bingham and Chad Hartnell
Culture is central to all organizations and their outcomes yet we know surprisingly little about how they emerge. Using an inductive longitudinal research design to study eight nascent technology companies over 22 months, we generate a theory showing how both founders and their employees are critical to shaping culture.