Greta Meszoely joins Suffolk University as an associate professor in the Strategy and International Business Department at the Sawyer Business School.

Meszoely studies complex adaptive systems and sustainable governance in businesses and societies around the world. She teaches Applied Complex Adaptive Systems in Business, a course she developed for undergraduate and graduate students.

She created the course to address the growing challenge of business complexity for leaders. As businesses become increasingly interconnected and complex, they begin to change on fundamental levels, and it becomes imperative for business leaders to apply innovative strategies and decision-making processes.

“To lead in a new era business, it is important to develop perspectives and corresponding tools and methodologies that advance traditional theory and methodology that incorporate a changing reality,” Meszoely said.

Although complexity science is not a new concept, it has come out of the limelight recently with the onset of major global events, such as the earthquake in Japan and the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These events have “challenged our traditional tools and methodologies for understanding today’s problems and opportunities,” Meszoely said.

Today’s students, who grew up in an era of technology and social media are looking for ways to better understand complex systems, “and their employers are demanding a new level of flexibility and capacity to support their operations,” Meszoely said.

“I am offering my students a framework to develop their perspective and enhance their ability to innovate and lead in a new era of business. The opportunity to explore complex adaptive systems in business, the economy, and society is so relevant and exciting that I remain energized as an educator and a researcher,” Meszoely said.

She considers Suffolk University the ideal place to study her field. “We are in the heart of the city bridging business, government, and community through our interdisciplinary programs and engagement in the community,” she said.

Meszoely is also the director of the Center for Business Complexity & Global Leadership and a fellow in the Center for Innovation & Change Leadership.

Prior to joining Suffolk, Meszoely has lived and worked around the world. Her experience in business and economic development in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the US has supported her interest and research in complex systems and sustainable governance.

Meszoely earned a bachelor’s degree in international business administration, a master’s degree in political science, and PhD in law, policy, and society from Northeastern University.