What makes some organizations thrive while others struggle? Since childhood, that is a question that has guided Sarthak Singh, a Ph.D. candidate at the Lubar College of Business.
“All this started with my desire to win a soccer match in my first grade,” Singh recalls. “As a child, I wondered why some people, teams, or organizations perform better than others and what I could do differently so that my team wins.”
At Lubar, Singh’s curiosity has evolved into research that tackles how businesses build sustainable competitive advantages. His projects span topics like reverse knowledge flows within multinational corporations, cultural distance, and the role of Big Four auditors in driving innovation. While these subjects may sound technical, his findings carry real-world meaning.
Take his work on reverse knowledge flows within global firms. Recent studies have shown that subsidiaries can serve as important sources of new ideas for headquarters, a process known as reverse knowledge flows. Singh builds on this perspective by examining not just whether subsidiaries contribute knowledge, but how the cultural distance between a subsidiary’s host country and headquarters home country shapes the speed and effectiveness of that transfer.
“Subsidiaries are no longer just absorbing knowledge; they are creating novel knowledge themselves,” he said. “My research shows that when cultural distance is high, slower transfers actually enhance the value of that knowledge. The additional time allows headquarters to better absorb and reframe diverse perspectives, ultimately leading to more impactful innovations.”
That emphasis on innovation, Singh believes, is central to progress. “Human civilization thrives on innovation,” he said. “From the first wheel to the advent of AI, innovation has always helped us move forward. Businesses are at the forefront of innovation and will always stay there.”
Singh has shared his findings at leading conferences, including the Academy of Management and Southern Management Association. He said the experience has been invaluable. “You can be the best in your game in your town, but you will never know how good you are until you compete against the best in the world.”
Alongside research, Singh is a celebrated teacher at Lubar, earning multiple Gold Star Teaching Awards for his work in Strategic Management and Organizational Behavior. He credits his teaching philosophy — “based on empathy and purpose” — for helping students see both the challenges and opportunities in their own journeys. Upon completion of his PhD, Singh hopes to secure a tenure-track position and contribute to both research and industry. His goal is to help both scholars and businesses think about innovation in more sustainable ways. “My hope is that my research on innovation strategy can guide future work toward creating lasting value.”