J. (Jan) Ross, PhD
Associate Professor
E-mail:
j.ross rug.nl
Field/Discipline
Expertise
Societies and firms face profound uncertainty, arising from climate change and pandemics, geopolitical tensions and wars, and rapid technological change. Yet decision-makers often fail to account adequately for uncertainty, while most people are uncomfortable with it: employees expect clear direction even when leaders struggle to provide it. Jan’s research examines the strategic management of uncertainty: how firms can diagnose the type and level of uncertainty they face, align their strategies and decision-making tools with it, and adapt as uncertainty evolves over time - whether it intensifies through shocks, diminishes through learning, or is deliberately shaped by firms themselves. His work focuses on the decisions for which uncertainty matters most: when outcomes are difficult to predict, competitors’ actions are unclear, choices are costly to reverse, and decisions are interdependent. By improving how strategic decisions are made under uncertainty, Jan seeks to help organizations transform uncertainty from a threat to be endured into a condition that can be managed and leveraged, thereby strengthening resilience and adaptability. His research has been published in Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Annals, Industry and Innovation, Journal of Management, Journal of Product Innovation Management, MIT Sloan Management Review, Organization Science, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and Strategic Management Journal. Jan serves on the Editorial Review Board of Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. His teaching includes MBA Strategy, Strategy in Volatile and Uncertain Environments, Entrepreneurial Strategy, Global Business Management, and Strategic Management of Technological Innovation.
Other positions
Visiting Professor at Imperial College London
Last modified:21 July 2026 10.11 a.m.