Cynthia S. Wang
Welcome! I am a professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. My research examines how people navigate complex social interactions shaped by uncertainty, differences, and disagreement. I teach topics such as negotiation, leading high-impact teams, and human–AI collaboration.
I also serve as Executive Director of the Dispute Resolution Research Center and Kellogg Teaching Resources, where I lead initiatives that connect research, teaching, and practice and expand access to high-quality teaching materials worldwide.
Teaching
Advanced Negotiations
A glimpse into my Advanced Negotiation classroom at Kellogg, where students learn by doing. Through interactive exercises, real-time discussion, and applied reflection, Kellogg faculty create an engaging learning environment that helps students connect core concepts and frameworks to real-world business challenges.
Research
Negotiating the Contested: Social Issue Negotiations
The article, coauthored with Kian Siong (KS) Tey and Trevor Spelman, examines why negotiations over contested social issues can be especially difficult to resolve. We identify three features—moralization, identity threat, and public contestation—that can make traditional approaches to information sharing, trade-offs, and compromise less effective. We also consider strategies that may help negotiators navigate these challenges, including moral reframing, high-quality listening, personal narratives, informal dialogue, and third-party mediation. The article appears in the Current Opinion in Psychology special issue, Current Directions and New Horizons in Negotiation Research.
Featured Work
Recognition
Fulbright Fellowship
My Fulbright fellowship in Taiwan supported my research on negotiation, conflict, and social change. Through interviews with activists involved in Taiwan’s Sunflower and LGBTQ+ movements, I explored how social movements negotiate internally and externally to build power, protect rights, and advance democratic change. Read more about my Fulbright journey in Taiwan.
Media & Insights
To Reclaim a Slur or Reject It?
This Kellogg Insight article discusses my research on how people respond to stigmatizing labels. We find that reclaiming a slur can help reduce its power, but may also affect perceptions of leadership potential. It suggests that organizations can help support thoughtful conversations about stigma and language.