Research and Interest Areas

Topics

• Strategic management


• CEOs and top management teams


• CEO succession


• Corporate governance


• Strategic change


• CEOs’ communication with capital markets


• Strategic topic setting by CEOs


• Mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures


• Cognitive frameworks in strategic decision-making

Methods

• Quantitative empirical research


• Archival data analysis


• Textual analysis


• Field experiments

Courses Taught

• Corporate Strategy


• Seminar: Management and Controlling

Publications

• Lang, M., Hennig, J. C., Harrison, J. S., & Wolff, M. (2026). Think Before You Speak: Sensemaking and Sensegiving in New CEOs’ Strategic Communications with the Capital Market. Journal of Management.


• Hennig, J. C., Lang, M., Brill, L. M., Loth, N., & Wolff, M. (2026). The Hidden Costs of Divestitures – Implications for the Commitment of the Remaining Employees. Journal of Management Studies.

Selected Conference Proceedings

• Malik, S., Lang, M., & Wolff, M. (2026). Talking Under Pressure: How Capital Market Feedback Shapes CEOs’ E&S Communication. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2026.


• Hennig, J. C., Lang, M., Wolff, M., & Harrison, J. (2022). How New CEOs Use Strategic Topic Setting to Manage Capital Market Reactions to their Appointments. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2022.

Conference Presentations and Sessions

2026

• Lang, M., Klass, J., Firk, S., & Wolff, M. Out of Tune? CEO–CFO Emotional Misalignment and Investor Perceptions. Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual Conference, Berlin, Germany.


• Brill, L. M., Lang, M., & Wolff, M. Perceived Organizational Purpose and Pay Satisfaction: A Global Employee Panel Study. Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, United States.


• Lang, M., Klass, J., Firk, S., & Wolff, M. Out of Tune? CEO–CFO Emotional Misalignment and Investor Perceptions. 15th EIASM Workshop on Top Management Teams and Business Strategy Research, Valencia, Spain.


• Firk, S., Gehrke, Y., Hanisch, M., Lang, M., & Woebbeking, F. Textual Analysis in the Age of AI. VHB Annual Conference, Göttingen, Germany.

2025

• Lang, M., Hennig, J. C., & Meier, P. F. Shake It Off? How Personality Shapes CEO’s Interpretation of Strong Negative Capital Market Feedback. Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark.


• Lang, M., Hennig, J. C., & Meier, P. F. Shake It Off? How Personality Shapes CEO’s Interpretation of Strong Negative Capital Market Feedback. 14th EIASM Workshop on Top Management Teams and Business Strategy Research, Groningen, the Netherlands.

2024

• Lang, M., & Hennig, J. C. Shake It Off? How Personality Shapes CEOs’ Interpretation of Strong Negative Capital Market Feedback Concerning Their Strategic Agenda. Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual Conference, Istanbul, Türkiye.


• Gehrke, Y., Lang, M., Margerie, J., & Wolff, M. C-Suite Dynamics: CEO Characteristics and COO Returns. 13th EIASM Workshop on Top Management Teams and Business Strategy Research, Passau, Germany.

2023

• Lang, M., Hennig, J. C., Wolff, M., & Kemmerich, K. You Are the One: Nomination Committees and the Market Reaction to CEO Succession. Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting, Boston, United States.

2022

• Hennig, J. C., Lang, M., Wolff, M., & Harrison, J. How New CEOs Use Strategic Topic Setting to Manage Capital Market Reactions to their Appointments. Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting, Seattle, United States.

2021

• Lang, M., & Kemmerich, K. Finding a Welcomed Leader: Nomination Committees and the Market Reaction to CEO Succession. International Corporate Governance Society (ICGS) Annual Conference, Groningen, the Netherlands.


• Hennig, J., Lang, M., & Wolff, M. New CEOs’ Strategic Topic Setting – The Use of Impression Management in Capital Market Communication. Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual Conference.