William Kahn

Bill Kahn, Ph.D., is Professor of Management & Organizations at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. He received his BA in Psychology from Clark University and his doctorate in Psychology from Yale University. He has published numerous articles in organizational and management journals on topic ranging from instigating and reacting to change, creating healthy work relationships, and the nature of leadership and authority.

Several decades ago he originated the concept of personal engagement at work, which has since given rise (much to his chagrin) to a huge survey and consulting business. In recent years he has specialized in the dynamics of caregiving organizations, about which he has published a book (Holding Fast: The struggle to create resilient caregiving organizations published by Routledge in 2005.) Bill has won several teaching awards and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Management Education. He also hosted for three years a Boston-based NPR segment (“Dr. Bill”) in which people called in seeking help with workplace relationships.

Education

• PhD, Yale University, 1987
• MS, Yale University, 1983
• BA, Clark University, 1981

Positions

• 2006 - Professor of Management and Organizations, Boston University Questrom School of Business.
  Department Chair, 2021-
  Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, 2020-
  Dean’s Research Fellow, 2014-2019
  Faculty Director, Executive MBA Program, 2014-2018
  
• 1995-2006 Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Boston University Questrom School of Business Department Chair, 1999-2003
• 1988-1995 Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Boston University Questrom School of Business. Graduate School Faculty: Interdisciplinary Studies Ph.D Program
• 1987-1988 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Professional and Research Interests

Organizational change, caregiving organizations, trauma in organizations, group and intergroup dynamics, crisis leadership, action research.

Selected Publications

• Kahn, W., Rouse, E. (In Press). "Navigating Space for Personal Agency: Auxiliary Routines as Adaptations in Toxic Organizations", Academy of Management Journal
• Barton, M., Kahn, W., Maitlis, S., Sutcliffe, K. (2022). "Stop framing wellness programs around self-care", Harvard Business Review (https://hbr.org/2022/04/stop-framing-wellness-programs-around-self-care)
• Kahn, W. (2021). "Discoveries-through-Prose Nobody Home: A Parallel Process Investigation of a Child Welfare Agency", Academy of Management Discoveries
• Kahn, W., Rouse, E. (2021). "Navigating Space for Personal Agency: Auxiliary Routines as Adaptations in Toxic Organizations", Academy of Management Journal, 64 (5), 1419-1444
• Kahn, W., Feldman, E. (2020). "Making the most of conflicting advice from mentors.", MIT Sloan Management Review: MIT's journal of management research and ideas
• Kahn, W., Barnes, L., Draga, S., Long, D., Maitlis, S., Ruttan, R., Burgess, R., Colquitt, J., DeCelles, K., Dutton, J., Hardin, A., Jun, S., Rockmann, K., Workman, K. (2020). "Navigating Distress: Exploring How People Make Sense of Negative Emotions in Everyday Workplaces", Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020 (1), 14075-14075
• Kahn, W. (2019). "Dynamics and Implications of Distress Organizing", Academy of Management Journal, 62 (5), 1471-1497
• Barton, M., Kahn, W. (2019). "Group Resilience: The Place and Meaning of Relational Pauses", Organization Studies, 40 (9), 1409-1429
• Feldman, E., Kahn, W. (2019). "When Developers Disagree: Divergent Advice as a Potential Catalyst for Protégé Growth", Organization Science, 30 (3), 509-527
• Kahn, W., Barton, M., Fisher, C., Heaphy, E., Reid, E., Rouse, E. (2018). "The Geography of Strain: Organizational Resilience as a Function of Intergroup Relations", Academy of Management Review, 43 (3), 509-529
• Kahn, W. (2015). "The Ostrich Effect", Routledge
• Kahn, W., Barton, M., Fellows, S. (2013). "Organizational Crises and the Disturbance of Relational Systems", Academy of Management Review, 2 (38), 377-396
• Kahn, W., Barton, M., Fellows, S. (2013). "Organizational crises and the disturbance of relational systems", Academy of Management Review, 38 (3), 377-396
• Kahn, W. (2011). "Treating Organizational Wounds", Organizational Dynamics, 40 (2), 75-84
• Kahn, W. (2008). "The Student's Guide to Successful Project Teams", Routledge Academic
• Bookman, T., Kahn, W. (2006). "This House We Build Lessons for Healthy Synagogues and the People Who Dwell There", Rowman & Littlefield
• Kahn, W. (2006). Meaningful connections: Positive relationships and attachments at work. In JE, Dutton., BR, Ragins. (Eds.), "Exploring positive relationships at work", Lawrence Erlbaum 189-206
• Kahn, W. (2006). Positive relationships in groups and communities. In JE, Dutton., BR, Ragins. (Eds.), "Exploring positive relationships at work", Lawrence Erlbaum 277-288
• Kahn, W. (2005). "Holding Fast", Routledge
• Kahn, W. (2004). "Facilitating and Undermining Organizational Change", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 40 (1), 7-30
• Kahn, W., Green, Z. (2004). Seduction and betrayal: A process of unconscious abuse of authority by leadership groups. In S, Cytynbaum., D, Noumair. (Eds.), "Group relations reader 3", A.K. Rice Institute 175-199
• Kahn, W. (2003). "The Revelation of Organizational Trauma", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 39 (4), 364-380
• Kahn, W., Cross, R., Parker, A. (2003). "Layers of Diagnosis for Planned Relational Change in Organizations", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 39 (3), 259-280
• (2003). "Review of H. Sondak, M. Neale & E. Mannix (Eds.), Toward phenomenology of groups and group membership", Administrative Science Quarterly, 48 (2), 330-332
• KAHN, W. (2002). "Managing the Paradox of Self-Reliance", Organizational Dynamics, 30 (3), 239-256
• Kahn, W., Hall, D. (2002). Developmental relationships at work: A learning perspective. In C, Cooper. (Eds.), "The world of work", Oxford 49-74
• Kahn, W. (2001). "Holding Environments at Work", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 37 (3), 260-279
• Kahn, W. (1998). "Relational systems at work", Research in Organizational Behavior, 20 39-76
• Kahn, W. (1996). Secure base relationships at work. In DT, Hall. (Eds.), "The career is dead--Long live the career: A relational approach to careers", Jossey-Bass 42-66
• (1996). "Comment on "Understanding researcher projection in interpreting case study data: The South Canyon fire tragedy."", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 32 (1), 63-70
• Kahn, W. (1995). "Organizational Change and the Provision of a Secure Base: Lessons from the Field", Human Relations, 48 (5), 489-514
• Kahn, W. (1995). "Group Process Checkpoints for Team Learning in the Classroom", Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 14 (2), 310-310
• Kahn, W., Kram, K. (1994). "Authority at work: Internal models and their organizational consequences.", Academy of Management Review, 19 (1), 17-50
• Kahn, W. (1993). "Caring for the caregivers: Patterns of organizational caregiving", Administrative Science Quarterly, 38 (4), 539-563
• Kahn, W. (1992). "To be fully there: Psychological presence at work", Human Relations, 45 (4), 321-349
• (1992). "Review of E. Shapiro & A. W. Carr, Lost in Familiar Places", Academy of Management Review, 17 (3), 615-618
• Kahn, W. (1990). "Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work", Academy of Management Journal, 33 (4), 692-724
• Kahn, W. (1990). "There's no place like home: Reflections on leaving a social system", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 26 (2), 135-149
• Kahn, W. (1990). "Towards an agenda for business ethics research", Academy of Management Review, 15 (2), 311-328
• Kahn, W. (1990). "An Exercise of Authority", Journal of Management Education, 14 (2), 28-42
• Kahn, W. (1990). "To wit: Humor and the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 26 (1), 107-110
• Kahn, W. (1989). University athletic teams. In JR, Hackman. (Eds.), "Groups that work (and those that don't)", Jossey-Bass 250-264
• Kahn, W. (1989). "Toward a Sense of Organizational Humor: Implications for Organizational Diagnosis and Change", The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 25 (1), 45-63
• Kahn, W., Crosby, F. (1985). Change and stasis: Discriminating between changing attitudes and discriminatory behavior. In B, Gutek., L, Larwood., B, Stromberg. (Eds.), "Women and work", Sage 48-62
• KAHN, W. (1984). "The Structure of Exaltation", American Behavioral Scientist, 27 (6), 705-722

Selected Research Presentations

• Kahn, W. Race and systems psychodynamics, INSEAD, 2022
• Kahn, W. Falling apart and hanging together: Notes on resilient caregiving organizations, Scottish Institute of Residential Child Care annual conference, 2022
• Kahn, W. Dignifying spaces, Technion University (Haifa, Israel), 2022
• Kahn, W. Creating a better world: Towards better management of distress and trauma in the workplace., Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Seattle, 2022
• Kahn, W. Dignifying spaces, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2022
• Kahn, W. Dignifying spaces, Washington University at St. Louis, 2022
• Kahn, W. Resilient organizations amidst disruption, Vassar College, 2022
• Kahn, W. Taking up appropriate authority at work, American Psychological Association Leadership Fellowship conference, 2022
• Kahn, W. Distress and trauma in the workplace, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, virtual, 2021
• Kahn, W. , Mobasseri, S. Organizations’ responses and narratives of workplace inequity, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, virtual, 2021
• Kahn, W. Navigating space for personal agency, Oxford University Said Business School, 2020
• Kahn, W. Compassion fatigue and the pandemic: Caring for the caregivers, Tufts Medical Center, 2020

Awards And Honors

• 2022, Best Symposium Award, Academy of Management
• 2021, Shahdadpuri Faculty Research Award, Questrom School of Business
• 2019, Best Paper Award (Finalist)
• 1995, AMR Best Paper Award, Academy of Management