Identifying the Hidden Signals in Manager Research with Dr. Dali Ma

Learn how allocators identify early warning signs, build vision-based trust, and evaluate managers effectively.

In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier sits down with Dr. Dali Ma, Head of the Management Department at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, to explore how timeless principles of leadership apply directly to today’s asset management and allocator community.

Dr. Ma shares actionable insights that asset managers and allocators can incorporate into their manager research and evaluation processes, including:

• The Role of Character: Why courage, patience, and integrity in leadership remain irreplaceable, especially as artificial intelligence takes over technical tasks.
• The Pitfalls of Pattern Recognition: How overreliance on short-term performance and surface-level communication can mask deeper organizational weaknesses, and how allocators can uncover them during due diligence.
• The Value of Information: Why decision quality should be judged in the context of information available at the time (not just outcomes) and how allocators can fairly assess managers’ choices through this lens.
• Trust in Fundraising and Asset Allocation: Moving beyond interaction-based trust toward vision-based trust—and why boutique managers who clearly articulate a differentiated future are more likely to stand out with investment committees.
• Cognitive Diversity & Early Warning Signs: How giving analysts a voice, fostering psychological safety, and embracing cognitive diversity can prevent blind spots and strengthen investment teams.

For asset managers, Dr. Ma offers guidance on building trust and culture that endure market turbulence. For allocators, he provides frameworks to evaluate leadership teams more deeply, beyond performance numbers—focusing on vision, character, and the ability to act responsibly in times of uncertainty. Whether you are raising capital, allocating to managers, or evaluating long-term partnerships, this episode provides a unique academic and practical perspective to sharpen your approach.