Meet MSM’s faculty members: introducing Andreas M. (Andy) Zynga

Maastricht School of Management provides scientific knowledge allowing managers and entrepreneurs to make evidence-based decisions. To achieve our mission we encourage and support our faculty members in a broad range of areas. MSM’s faculty members are passionate about what they do and tenacious in finding solutions to the toughest business challenges. Each month MSM will highlight one of its faculty members and this month the spotlight is on Andreas M. (Andy) Zynga.

Let me introduce myself…
My name is Andy Zynga and I joined MSM as Professor of Practice in Strategy. I hold a doctorate’s degree in Innovation Management from RWTH Aachen (Germany) and a Master-Level Dual degree in Business Administration & Mechanical Engineering from Technical University of Berlin (Germany).

In the 10 years before joining MSM I was the CEO of (Open) Innovation Service Company NineSigma in Cleveland (Ohio) and for the last 3 years also taught Innovation Management and Strategic Marketing to graduate students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. My career background is in building businesses, doing corporate turnarounds and managing transformational change.

Richard Branson has built his enormous business from nothing and against bad odds…
In my new position as Professor of Practice in Strategy at MSM I’d like to be able to convey to students what they need to know to be successful in business. Besides teaching basic knowledge this also includes, but isn’t limited to, problem solving skills, dealing with ambiguity, and managing people and situations. One of the persons I am quite impressed with is Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group. He has built his enormous business from nothing and against bad odds. He is able to recover from failures and learns from them, which makes him a great source of inspiration.

Diversity is an important contributor to a more successful decision making process..
I have always really loved interacting with people from all parts of the world, because it means learning new things, like new ways of thinking. In my experience, diversity is an important contributor to a more successful decision making process. That’s why I find working for MSM so valuable. Going forward, I am hoping to create value through collaborations with colleagues and corporate clients, with a view to continuing to build knowledge and experience in Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

My presence at the Limburg Unlimited fair in Maastricht..
On Thursday 29 March I was present at the first Limburg Unlimited fair in Maastricht as part of MSM’s program “MSM as Innovation as Inspiration Broker” where I gave a seminar on “How to increase your changes of creating blockbuster innovation success”. The Limburg Unlimited fair was the ultimate environment to connect with the local business community and to discuss their needs and what MSM could offer.

Where I will be speaking in the near future…
On April 19^th I will be part of a panel of experts in a one day workshop “Demonstrating Value from Open Innovation Support Instruments” of TII, Brussels (Belgium). This workshop includes policy experts from the European Commission. In the past few years I gave speeches several times a year.

Let’s see what my new status at MSM will bring for the future…

The research I am working on…
My main focus in research has been and is in the area of Open Innovation (OI). For example, I authored an empirical paper on what capabilities companies build when going from practicing no OI to implementing fully embedded OI. I am also co-author on other papers, such as on how to overcome the “Not-Invented-Here” Syndrome, and on success factors in working with OI Intermediaries.

Two of my most recent publications are:

Zynga, A.; Lüttgens, D.; Kleer, R.; Piller, F.(2017): Beyond Pricing Decisions: Business Model Innovation in the Two Sided Market of an Open Innovation Intermediary, (1^st review, R&D Management)

Salge, T-O.; Hannen, J.; Antons, D.; Piller, F.; Coltman, T.; Devinney, T.; Zynga, A.: Attenuating the Not-Invented-Here Syndrome: The Value of Behavioural Remedies, Research Policy, submission by 2^nd quarter of 2018

Furthermore I wrote some articles for Harvard Business Review. Below a few examples:

In my spare time you can often find me….
Doing various kind of exercising, which keeps me healthy and as such supports productivity. I also like to read, especially historical novels, and that builds cultural understanding and cultural sensitivity, which of course is important in a multicultural environment like MSM. And lastly, I like to travel for leisure, mostly to meet new people and to be active in a nature like environment – for example through hiking on challenging trails

Closing remark…
So far, my first weeks at MSM have been very positive, I really like my new colleagues, everybody is very helpful and happy to share stuff. I also enjoyed my first teaching assignment in Mongolia last month and am looking forward to contributing to the success of this management institution!