Alex J Wilson

I joined the faculty of the Cameron School of Business in 2024 as an Assistant Professor in the Management Department. I am originally from Southeastern Virginia and have a BS in Finance and a BA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. I received my Ph.D. in Strategy from Duke University, and was on faculty at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management in the Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship department. While there, I taught courses in Strategy, including Corporate Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions. I also worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Atlanta, Georgia. My research focuses on the impact and origins of organizational structure and the process of organizational change, and has examined healthcare and high technology industries, and has been published in such academic journals as Organization Science, the Strategic Management Journal, and Advances in Strategic Management.

Education

Ph.D. in Business Administration (Strategy), Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
B.S.E. concentrating in Finance, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
B.A. in International Studies and Hispanic Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania

Specialization in Teaching

I teach courses in the fields of Management and Strategy comprising introductory through graduate level classes. I currently teach MGT 452: Leadership and Organizational Change and MGT 455: Competitive Strategy, both of which are senior level course in the undergraduate program. In addition to these courses, I teach MBA 558, which is the master's level Strategy course offered to Cameron MBA students. In the past I have taught MGT 350, introductory coursework in Business Strategy, as well as upper level elective courses on Corporate Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions while on faculty at the University of Minnesota.

Research Interests

Researchers in organization theory and strategy are increasingly recognizing the importance of understanding firm structure in shaping organizational decisions, actions, and outcomes. Not only has it been identified as a critical mechanism for shaping and facilitating information processing within the firm, but also as a lens to understand the complex interplay between individual and organizational cognition. Underlying this trend is the movement towards a broader conceptualization of organizational structure itself, which encompasses not only the formal structure of the firm – its “boxes” and “arrows” – but also the informal structure of the organization – such as its routines and patterns of organizational attention. My research takes a behavioral strategy lens to two fundamental questions about structure: (1) How does organizational structure shape organizational attention – i.e. the issues and answers that decision-makers focus on, and what they do? (2) How does structure itself evolve over time?

To address these questions, my work examines both effects of and changes to organizational structure. Examples include studies of the delineation of new organizational subunits (a process called architectural elaboration) at high-technology firms, the evolution of organizational routines, and the effect of structure on such processes such as learning from performance feedback, turnover, and innovation.

Professional Service

Editorial Board Member, Journal of Organization Design
High Impact Practices Council, UNCW
Advisor, Management Consulting Club
CSB Applied Learning Committee
CSB Technology Commitee
Ad-hoc reviewer for many publications, including top Strategy journals such as Academy of Management Journal / Review, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Strategy Science, Administrative Science Quarterly.

Community Engagement

I am the advisor for the Management Consulting Club - we are a group of individuals across the university and Cameron School of Business that provide consulting services to provide consulting support for local businesses and organizations.

Honors & Awards

2026 DEeL Course Enhancement Grant
Best Dissertation Finalist, Strategy Division, Academy of Management (August 2017)