Smith And Amazon Explore Current and Future Paths in Collaborative Research
Leaders from Amazon Research Initiatives and AWS visited UMD’s Smith School on Nov. 10, 2025, to explore research collaborations. Faculty shared innovative projects in AI, logistics, sustainability, and digital marketing, strengthening Smith’s partnership with Amazon and highlighting opportunities for future funding.
21 Smith School Professors Named Among Top 2% Scholars Worldwide
Twenty-one Smith School professors were named among the top 2% most cited researchers globally, according to Elsevier’s 2025 study across 22 fields. Representing both current and emeritus faculty, their impactful research advances business knowledge and global academic excellence.
Strong Showing of Smith Scholars at Annual Academy of Management Meeting
Twenty-six scholars from Maryland Smith’s Management and Organization department participated in 22 presentations at the 2024 Academy of Management Meeting in Copenhagen. Three faculty members—Rajshree Agarwal, Hui Liao, and Alyssa Tedder-King—received prestigious awards recognizing their research and teaching excellence.
“Does passion matter for team Innovation? The conditional indirect effects of team harmonious versus obsessive passion via team reflexivity,” published in Personnel Psychology.
Our latest research, now published in the Summer Issue of Personnel Psychology, examines the intriguing dynamics of team passion and innovation. In a nutshell, our study delves into how the type of passion team members have for innovation—whether it's harmonious or obsessive—affects the team’s ability to reflect, adapt, and ultimately, innovate. Through two field studies involving over 280 teams, we discovered that harmonious passion leads to a more collaborative and innovative team environment, while obsessive passion, if not balanced properly, can pose challenges.
How Passion Drives or Derails Team Innovation
New research by Hui Liao at the Smith School reveals that obsessive passion in teams can stifle innovation by hindering reflection and flexibility. In contrast, harmonious passion promotes team reflexivity and fosters greater innovation.
21 Smith School Professors Named Among Top 2% Scholars Worldwide
The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business faculty shapes future leaders in classrooms and drives global impact through groundbreaking research. Recently, 21 professors were ranked among the top 2% most-cited scholars worldwide by Elsevier. Explore their influential contributions elevating knowledge and inspiring the next generation of business leaders.
When the Award Goes to … Someone Else
In new research in the Academy of Management Journal, Hui Liao and her co-authors look at how the experience of almost winning impacts the performance of nominees, specifically their collaboration with others.
25 Maryland Smith Professors Named Among Top 2% Worldwide
A study of the world’s top researchers identifies 25 from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in the top 2% of the most-cited scholars and scientists worldwide.
18 Maryland Smith Professors Named Among Top 2% Worldwide
A study of the world’s top researchers identifies 18 from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in the top 2% of the most-cited scholars and scientists worldwide.