Dr. Pisitta Vongswasdi

 

Dr. Pisitta Vongswasdi, our Organisation Change Scientist for APAC Global Advisory, is a published researcher, author, teacher, trainer, and consultant focused on leadership, change, mindfulness, and diversity. Her research expertise provides a global benchmark and different lens to APAC Global Advisory’s research and consultancy work. She also designs impactful, evidence-based interventions that help leaders and teams make effective decisions and thrive in the workplace.

Dr. Pisitta is currently a Professor in Management at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, a leading business school in Germany. Her work takes an evidence-based approach to help leaders and employees cultivate awareness and facilitate their personal, professional, and organizational transformation.

Dr. Pisitta’s research specialty is in Organizational Behavior, with a focus on three areas: First, in leadership development, her research examines how challenging change experiences contribute to the development of leadership awareness, identity, and skills. Second, in diversity management, her work focuses on how leaders can leverage diversity for team and collective performance to drive impactful change. Finally, her research on mindfulness in the workplace extends beyond its proven effects on well-being to demonstrate its impact on learning, performance, and both productive and counterproductive behaviors in organizations. This research spans teams, leadership, entrepreneurship, and education, using both quantitative (experiments, surveys, archival data, interventions) and qualitative (interviews, observations) methods.

Her work has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Organizational Behavior, and Journal of Leadership and Organisational Studies. She has regularly presented her research at international conferences, including the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, the European Group for Organizational Studies, and New Directions in Leadership Research.

Dr. Pisitta also delivers impactful in-person and online presentations and workshops. She has designed and delivered tailored training programs for a range of professionals, including public officials, educators, and corporate leaders. Recent topics include:
- Leading Digital and Global Teams
- Developing Inclusive Leaders
- Bringing Mindfulness into the Workplace
- The Four Faces of Leadership Development
- Moving Beyond Unconscious Bias: The Future of Diversity Training
- Accelerating Cultural Change in Your Organization

Originally from Thailand, her curiosity and passion for learning have taken her around the world. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Chulalongkorn University, she pursued a Master of Science in Sociology from the University of Oxford in the UK. She then worked as a strategy consultant in Bangkok before returning to academia as a research associate in Organizational Behavior at INSEAD Business School in Singapore. Continuing on the academic path, she completed a PhD in Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in 2020. During her PhD, she was a visiting researcher at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business’s Experiential Leadership Development Lab in the US. She now resides in Düsseldorf, Germany.

 

Publication list

Wong, M. W. & Vongswasdi, P. (2024). Building Legacy through Brand Change: Insights from Multigenerational Family Businesses. Organizational Dynamics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0090261624000512 

 

Leroy, H. L., Anisman-Razin., M, Vongswasdi, P., & Claeys, J. (2024) Why leadership development means losing the comfort zone. I by IMD, October 2024. https://www.imd.org/ibyimd/leadership/why-leadership-development-means-losing-the-comfort-zone/ 

 

Vongswasdi, P., de Groote, J., Heinrich, J., & Ladge, J. (2024). Beyond the Prototype: Unpacking the Intersectional Identity and Image Work of Female Minority Founders in a Startup Context. Journal of Applied Psychology. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-15185-001 

 

Vongswasdi, P., Leroy, H. L., Claeys, J., Anisman-Razin., M., van Dierendonck, D. (2023). Beyond developing leaders: toward a multi-narrative understanding of the value of leadership development programs. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 23(1), 8-40.  https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amle.2021.0231 

 

Vongswasdi, P., Leroy, H. L., Shemla, M., Hoever, I., & Khattab, J. (2023). Influencing diversity beliefs through a personal testimonial, promotion‐focused approach. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 44(1), 1-18. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/job.2664 

 

Shaffakat, S., Otaye, L., Reb, J., Vongswasdi, P., & Chandwani, R. (2022). Mindfulness attenuates both emotional and behavioral reactions following psychological contract breach: A two-stage moderation model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(3), 1-18. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-45254-001  

 

Vongswasdi, P.  (2022). When employers failed to deliver on their promises. WHU Knowledge, July 2022. https://www.whu.edu/en/news-insights/whu-knowledge/article/when-employers-fail-to-deliver-on-their-promises/ 

 

Leroy, H. L., Anisman-Razin, M., Avolio, B. J., Bresman, H., Stuart Bunderson, J., Burris, E. R., ... & Vongswasdi, P. (2022). Walking our evidence-based talk: the case of leadership development in business schools. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 29(1), 5-32.  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15480518211062563 

 

Woodward, I., & Vongswasdi, P. (2017). More that unites than divides: Intergenerational communication preferences in the workplace. Communication Research and Practice, 3(4), 1-28. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/22041451.2017.1275259