Li, Wendong(李文東)

BSc; PhD (CAS); PhD (NUS)

Associate Professor
Coordinator, MPhil-PhD programme in Management

Contact

Department of Management

Room 820, 8/F
Cheng Yu Tung Building
12 Chak Cheung Street
Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong

+852 3943 7803

wendong@cuhk.edu.hk

Biography

Professor Wendong Li is an Associate Professor in Department of Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and award winning researcher and educator. He obtained his PhD degree from National University of Singapore. Prior to joining CUHK, he worked as an Assistant Professor at Kansas State University for three years. Professor Li conducts research on proactivity across a number of areas, including leadership, work design, and well-being. He is intrigued by how people are willing and able to modify, but also adapt to, their environments. His work examines individual (e.g., personality traits and genetics) and environmental (e.g., work context and culture) factors that may prompt proactivity, as well as the consequences of being proactive. Recently, he is conducting research that looks at the role of time and change-related issues on leadership, motivation, proactivity, and well-being.

His research has been published in leading management and general science journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), Journal of Applied Psychology, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Personnel Psychology, and Leadership Quarterly. His work has won the Hogan Award for Personality and Work Performance, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the International HRM Scholarly Achievement Award and Best Student Convention Paper Award, Academy of Management, as well as the Best Paper Award in the OB Division, Asian Academy of Management. His research has also been covered in media outlets, such as the Economist, USA Today, the Washington Post, LA Times, and the South China Morning Post.

He is an associate editor for Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, a senior editor for Management and Organizational Review, and Asia Pacific Journal of Management, and a contributing editor for Journal of Applied Psychology. He has also been an editorial board member for Journal of Management, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Acta Psychologica Sinica, the best Chinese psychology journal in China. He is a member of board of directors for Asian Academy of Management as well. Starting from 2025, he will be serving as a Board Member of Reviewing Editors for PNAS Nexus, A sibling journal to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the flagship journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).

He is also an editor for an upcoming special issue at Journal of Organizational Behavior (From Personality Traits to Personality Dynamics: New Approaches to Personality Research in Organizations). He works with Institute for Statistical and Data Science (instats.org) to advance the application of advanced research methodology in organisational research.

Teaching Areas

Organisational Behaviour
Human Resource Management
Leadership
China Related Issues
Research Methods

Research Interests

Proactivity, Leadership and Leader Development
Work Design
Well-being
Individual Differences (Personality and Genetics)
Dynamics and Change-related Issues (e.g., Personality Dynamics, Sustainability of Proactivity and Leadership Dynamics)
Gig Economy
AI and the Changing Nature of Work

  • Grants
    • “Proactive Career Behavior: The Concept, Antecedents, and Outcomes,” awarded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China with RMB 500,000, 2024-2026 (Co-Investigator).
    • “Reciprocal relationships between personality traits and work characteristics: A continuous time meta-analysis of longitudinal research”, General Research Fund (14503423) awarded by the University Grants Committee with HK$334,434, 2023-2024 (Principle Investigator)
    • “Youth identity status and its psychosocial correlates: A longitudinal study in Hong Kong”, University Grants Committee, UGC/IDS(C)15, HK$3,465,000, 2020-2022 (Co-Investigator)
    • “The dynamics of shared leadership in entrepreneurial teams: A latent change score approach”, General Research Fund (13500817) awarded by the University Grants Committee with HK$358,405, 2018-2020 (Co-Investigator)
    • “Influences of becoming a leader on personality change: A longitudinal investigation”, awarded by the Chinese University of Hong Kong with HK$60,000, 2018-2019 (Principal Investigator)
    • “Effects of mindfulness intervention on change of well-being”, awarded by the Chinese University of Hong Kong with HK$20,000, 2018 (Principal Investigator)
    • “Influences of work experiences on change of optimism: A longitudinal study”, awarded by the Chinese University of Hong Kong with HK$80,000, 2016-2017 (Principal Investigator)
    • “Is being a leader a mixed blessing? Dual pathways linking leadership role occupancy to well-being”, Faculty Development Award, awarded by Kansas State University with US$1,000, 2015 (Principal Investigator)
    • “The reciprocal relationship between trait affectivity and work experiences: Disentangling genetic and environmental influences”, Faculty Enhancement Program, Kansas State University, awarded with US$10,000, 2014 (Principal Investigator)
  • Awards & Honours
    • Best Senior Editor Award for Management and Organization Review, IACMR, 2024
    • Best Micro Paper Award (Finalist), Asia Academy of Management
    • Faculty Teaching Merit Award 2022-23, CUHK, 2024
    • Best Senior Editor Award for Management and Organization Review, IACMR, 2023
    • Faculty Teaching Merit Award 2021-22, CUHK, 2023
    • Best Senior Editor Award for Management and Organization Review, IACMR, 2022
    • Hogan Award for Personality and Work Performance, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2023
    • Hogan Award for Personality and Work Performance, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2016
    • Best Paper Award in the OB Division, Asian Academy of Management, 2015
    • 30 Most Influential Living I/O Psychologists, Human Resources MBA, 2014
    • Wang Gungwu Medal and Prize for the best dissertation in Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Singapore, 2014
    • International HRM Scholarly Research Award, Academy of Management, 2009
    • President’s Graduate Fellowship, National University of Singapore, 2009
    • Best Student Convention Paper Award of the HR Division, Academy of Management, 2007
  • Academic and Professional Services

    Editorial Boards

    • PNAS Nexus (A sibling journal to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [PNAS], the flagship journal of the National Academy of Sciences of USA), starting from 2025
    • Journal of Business Venturing, 2023-present
    • Personnel Psychology, 2022-present
    • Journal of Applied Psychology, 2021-Present
    • Journal of Management, 2020-Present
    • Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2020-Present
    • Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2017-Present

    Editorship

    • Associate Editor, Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology
    • Senior Editor, Management and Organization Review
    • Senior Editor, Asia Pacific Journal of Management
    • Guest Editor, Journal of Organizational Behavior (From Personality Traits to Personality Dynamics: New Approaches to Personality Research in Organizational Settings)

    Service to Academic Communities

    • Co-Chair in Training, SIOP 2024 Awards Committee
    • Programme Chair, 13th Asia Academy of Management (AAOM) Conference, 2024
    • Chair in Training for the Scholarships and Grants committee, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2024
    • Chair, Management and Organization Review 20th anniversary paper award committee, 2024
    • Member, local arrangement committee for the 2023 IACMR conference
    • Member, conference award committee, OB division of Academy of Management, 2023, 2024
    • Facilitator, HR Division Research Networking Roundtable Forum, Academy of Management, 2023
    • Member, Virtual Program for the Great China Region Committee, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2022-present
    • Mentor, HR division junior faculty mentoring program, Academy of Management, 2022, 2023
    • Member of Board of Directors, Asian Academy of Management (AAOM), 2020 – present 
    • Member, International Affairs Committee and Small Grant Committee, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2020 
    • Research committee member, International Association for Chinese Management Research (IACMR), 2017-Present
    • Member, Award Committee for Hogan Award for Personality and Work Performance, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2017
    • Panelist, the 2017 Professional Development Workshop “Bridging the Gap: International Student Consortium” by the HR Division, Academy of Management
    • Panelist, Friday seminar on Biological Foundations of Organizational Behavior, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2014