Biography

Winnie Jiang is an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD. Her research focuses on the dynamics of meaning making at work, career mobility, and human resource management.

Winnie is currently working on several research projects investigating how work meanings are influenced by and influence individual mobility, well-being, organizational effectiveness, and social changes. She asks questions such as how do individuals find, pursue, and sustain meaning in their work in complex and rapidly changing social systems; how does individuals’ quest for meaning in work influence the organizations and institutions to which they belong; and how could organizations cultivate meaningful work experiences and career growth for the benefit of individuals, organizations, and society. To answer these questions, she has been conducting longitudinal studies using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies based on a variety of social issues and settings, such as massive shrinkage of journalism, burnout epidemic in healthcare, and resource constraint in refugee resettlement.

Relatedly, Winnie is interested in human resource management, examining factors that help unleash employees’ fullest potential and actualize their purpose at work. She recently contributed a book chapter on how human capital, social capital, and individual identity influence the portability of employee job performance to The Oxford Handbook of Talent Management.

Originally from Guangdong, China, Winnie received higher education in the US. Prior to joining INSEAD, she completed her PhD in Management at Yale University. Her dissertation examined how individuals pursue, sustain, and leave deeply meaningful work – or, as many of her research participants would say, a calling. She received her BA summa cum laude from Agnes Scott College where she majored in Psychology, Economics and Organizational Management and minored in Mathematics. While studying in the US, she also gained work experience in both the non-profit (Chicago Mayor’s Office of Special Events) and for-profit (OrgSolutions group at McKinsey & Company) sectors.

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