Dr. Maggie Wan

by Alyssa Powell

Dr. Maggie Wan, associate professor of management at the McCoy College of Business, vividly recalls her childhood experience with two working parents. They constantly juggled their careers and family responsibilities, particularly her mother, who balanced her job with picking Wan up from school and watching over her as she did her homework.

“I think she struggled, but she kind of juggled the two domains in her own way. So, it's just some seed in my mind, like, okay, wow, it's not an easy job to be a dual-earner couple and parents,” she says. This early exposure to the challenges of balancing work and life sparked Wan’s interest and drive to pursue research in this area.

A healthy work-life balance is something many adults struggle with and something Wan has researched across numerous studies. In one recent study, Wan and her co-authors explore the difference between good and bad passion in the workplace and in the home. Anyone can experience either at any time, but Wan emphasizes how work passion can impact not only job performance but also relationships between couples and in family units.

In another study, Wan and her peers link work-family conflict and mental health, concluding with a call for employers to provide the support necessary for employees to seek mental healthcare.

One study Wan also finds interesting shows how comparing ourselves to coworkers shapes our self-evaluations, which can follow us into the home and further impair our work-life balance as well as overall well-being.

In the future, Wan hopes to further explore how social interactions in the workplace can affect work-life balance and how people across different cultures may respond uniquely to work-family challenges.

Wan also serves as the Assistant Director of Research for Sustainable Cultivation and Advancement of Local Enterprises for Underserved Populations (SCALEUP), a Texas State University program that intends to understand why minority-owned businesses do not grow at the same rate as non-minority-owned businesses.

“Minority businesses are growing, but their growth rate is not as fast as the non-minority-owned businesses,” Wan says. “But if it were the same, we would actually see more jobs being created and more benefit being added to the national economy. So, the key goal of our research team is to figure out the roadblocks affecting the growth of minority businesses.” 

SCALEUP is in the research and development phase right now, but Wan expects it to evolve into an invaluable training and networking resource for minority business owners. 

Wan is also dedicated to shaping the minds of the next generation of business professionals. When asked why she decided to pursue teaching, Wan’s eyes light up.

“This is the best job in the world,” she says with a smile. “I feel so lucky that I get to say this.”

Wan teaches courses in international management and is passionate about exploring intercultural changes and global relations with her students.

As a teacher, Wan takes pride in seeing her students grow and learn. She believes that her role as a facilitator in the classroom goes beyond imparting knowledge, but also involves learning from her students and helping them develop skills and resources that will benefit them in their careers and personal lives.

For Wan, research and teaching are not just tasks to be accomplished, but a source of joy and fulfillment. 

“I love exploring the challenges and difficulties we're facing, how we can improve, make people work in a better way, make them improve their well-being, and have them become better employees and individuals," she explains.

Wan's multifaceted research endeavors reflect her commitment to making a meaningful impact on individuals, organizations, and communities through her work. ✯