Richard R. Smith, PhD

Richard (Rick) Smith is a Professor of Practice and serves as Executive Advisor to the dean of the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Rick leads the Human Capital Development Lab, a cross-disciplinary center that addresses critical needs facing organizations in creating a great workplace for all. Before starting the lab, Rick served as Vice Dean at Carey Business School and has held various academic roles including Deputy Dean at Singapore Management University, Research Fellow at Indian School of Business, and Editorial Board Member for the Academy of Management Perspectives journal.

Before joining academia full-time, Rick spent more than 30 years in business, primarily in the consulting industry as a senior partner in a global firm, where he held various leadership roles. During his business career, Rick had the opportunity to live and work in Asia, Europe, and America with more than 15 years in the growth markets of China, Singapore, India, and Indonesia focused on strategic change and human capital leadership.

Underpinning Rick’s consulting, research, and teaching interests is a focus on human capital as a strategic resource for competitive advantage. As a frequent guest speaker and executive education instructor, Rick is the proud recipient of numerous teaching awards. Rick’s work on cross-border leadership and recent book, Strategic Human Capital Development in Asia, created media attention as featured on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ and ‘Talk Asia.’ He is the author of several books, chapters, and articles on strategic human capital and executive leadership.

Education

• BS, Industrial Management/Engineering, Purdue University
• MS, Industrial/Organizational Behavior, Penn State University
• PhD, General Management, Singapore Management University

Research

Selected Publications

• Goh, K., Smith, R., Tan, C., & Dhevarajulu, D. (2020). Healthcare Innovation from the Inside-Out. Asian Management Insights, Emerald, Vol 7-2, 52-58.
• Smith, R., & Tan, S.C. (2019). Managing Across Borders in Asia. Asian Management Insights, Emerald, Vol 6-1, 32-37.
• Yoshikawa, T., Uchida, D., & Smith, R. (2023). Female CHRO Appointments: A Crack in the Glass Ceiling? Academy of Management 83rd Annual Meeting, August, Boston.
• Kwek, E., Smith, R. & Thorpe, T. (2021). Trust Enables New Ways to Work. Published by Great Place to Work Institute, Asia.
• Smith, R. (2022). Quiet Quitting: Trendy Topic or Fun Framing? People Matters, October Issue.
• Smith, R. (2022). New Work Arrangements: Will we see a shift from ‘Days Off’ to ‘Days On?’ People Matters, September Issue.
• Smith, R. (2022). Multimodal Management: Expectations in the Hybrid Workforce. People Matters, September Issue.
• Smith, R. & Tan, P. (2020). Experiential Learning in Teaching Strategy Formulation. In S. Bauman (Ed.), Teaching Strategic Management (pp. 91-112). Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK.
• Smith, R. & Perchthold, G. (2020). Building Global Organizations: Developing Cross-Border Leaders. In C. Sripada (Ed.), Human Capital and Leadership: Perspectives for 2020’s (pp. 34-46). ISB Publishing, India.
• Smith, R., Kwek, E. & Thorpe, T. (2019). Building Great Places to Work for All: The untapped power of gender diversity in Asia. Published by the Great Place to Work Institute, Asia.

Books

• Smith, R. (2022). Strategic Human Capital Development in Asia: Building Ecosystems for Business Growth. Routledge; London. ISBN: 9781003184607
• Peters, K., Smith, R., and Thomas, H. (2018). Rethinking the Business Models of Business Schools: A Critical Review and Change Agenda for the Future. Emerald Group Publishing; Bingley. ISBN: 9781787548756
• Thomas, H., Smith, R., and Diez, F. (2013).  Human Capital and Global Business Strategy. Cambridge University Press; London. ISBN: 9781139519380

Teaching

Current

• Strategic Management
• Strategy Execution
• Human Capital and Global Business Strategy

Honors and Distinctions

• Research Fellow, India School of Business
• Most Outstanding Faculty Award, Singapore Management University – EMBA
• SMU Dean’s Teaching Honor List – Top Post-Graduate Faculty
• SMU Dean’s Teaching Honor List – Top 20 Faculty Members
• SMU Teaching Excellence Award, Innovative Postgraduate Course Development
• Best Instructor Award, Singapore Management University MBA Program

Impact and Engagement

Business

• Advisory Board, AACSB Council for Asia Pacific (2019-2020)
• Board of Directors, Singapore Civil Service College (2017-2020)
• Board of Directors, International Consortium for Executive Development Research (2015-2019)
• Board of Directors, Strategic Solutions International, APL (2007-2015)

Community

• Advisory Board, Young Entrepreneurs Development Council, Hong Kong (2007-2008)
• Advisory Board, QUEST Women Leadership Council (2016-2019)
• Board of Directors, Singapore Sports Council/Rollersports Federation (2014-2018)