Prof. Dr. Nakiye Avdan Boyacıgiller
is an internationally recognized scholar of cross-cultural management, global leadership, and international business education, whose pioneering work has shaped the way management scholars and practitioners understand the intersection of culture, organizations, and globalization. Over the course of a distinguished career spanning more than four decades, she has combined rigorous scholarship with institution-building leadership, leaving a lasting imprint on both academia and business education worldwide.
Early Life and Education
Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1953 to Turkish parents, Boyacıgiller grew up navigating multiple cultures—a theme that would define her professional life. After a childhood marked by profound intercultural experiences in the United States, France, and Turkey, she graduated from Üsküdar American Academy in İstanbul and went on to pursue her undergraduate studies in Business Administration at Boğaziçi University. She later earned her MBA at UCLA and completed her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley, one of the leading programs in the field.
Academic Career in the United States
Boyacıgiller began her academic career at San José State University in California’s Silicon Valley, where she rose to become a leading member of the Department of Organization and Management. At SJSU she and a group of colleagues—later known as the “Young Turks”—helped transform the department into one of the most dynamic on campus. She was also among the early female faculty in the College of Business, forging a supportive community of women scholars at a time when management academia was still overwhelmingly male.
Her scholarly contributions were groundbreaking. With Nancy J. Adler, she co-authored “The Parochial Dinosaur: The Organizational Sciences in a Global Context” (1991), a landmark paper challenging the dominance of U.S.-centric management theories and calling for more global perspectives. She also co-authored a widely cited review on the culture construct in international management (2003), and contributed to foundational work on global mindset in multinational corporations (2007). These studies have been recognized as seminal in advancing cross-cultural and international business research.
Leadership and Institution Building
In addition to her scholarship, Boyacıgiller has been a tireless institution builder and leader in professional associations. She has served as Program Chair and President of the Academy of International Business (AIB), becoming only the third woman in AIB’s history to hold the presidency, and she played a key role in expanding the field of international business to include greater attention to organizational behavior, culture, and human resource management. She is also a Fellow of the AIB and an active supporter of WAIB (Women in the Academy of International Business), where she mentored generations of women scholars.
Dean at Sabancı University
In 2002, after many years in the United States, Boyacıgiller returned to Turkey to serve as Dean of the Faculty of Management at Sabancı University, one of the country’s leading private universities. During her tenure (2002–2009), she spearheaded the transformation of the school’s programs, launching a new undergraduate business program, overhauling the MBA and EMBA curricula, tripling student enrollment, and doubling the faculty. Under her leadership, the Faculty of Management earned prestigious AACSB accreditation, placing it among the world’s leading business schools. She also represented Sabancı and Turkey on the global stage, serving on boards of AACSB International and international business schools across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Global Engagement and Public Voice
Throughout her career, Boyacıgiller has sought to bridge academia and practice. She hosted major international conferences in İstanbul—including the Academy of International Business annual meeting in 2013—bringing global scholars to Turkey to foster intercultural understanding. She has been featured in international media such as the Financial Times, appeared on Bloomberg HT, and shared insights through widely viewed talks with TurkishWin and BinYaprak, where she has spoken candidly about leadership, culture, resilience, and her philosophy of life: above all, kindness.
Later Years and Legacy
In 2017, Boyacıgiller was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare neurodegenerative disorder, and retired from Sabancı University the following year. Following the sudden loss of her husband, Ziya Boyacıgiller, in 2014, she has dedicated her time to her family, friends, and health, while remaining an inspiring mentor and role model to countless scholars and students worldwide.
Her career has been defined not only by intellectual contributions but also by her gift for building communities and empowering others. As one junior colleague wrote to her: “I am, because you are… you made it safe for me to be me, and at the same time you challenged us to really do great work and make a difference. I thought, ‘I want to be Nakiye.’ That moment influenced my whole career”.
Personal Philosophy
At the heart of Boyacıgiller’s life and work lies a deep belief in intercultural understanding and human connection. She has often said, “A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” Guided by kindness, resilience, and a bicultural identity that bridges East and West, she remains a beacon for those who believe management should serve not just organizations, but society at large.