John E. Tropman

John E. Tropman is a Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Michigan, with cross-appointments in the Ross Business School and Honors College. Since 2015, he has directed the Leadership in Community Benefit Organizations program, focusing on management content for social work and policy majors.

• PhD (1967) and MA (1963) in Social Work/Sociology
• BA (1961) in Sociology from Oberlin College

His research examines organizational elements driving high-performance in human service organizations, with specific interests in:

• Entrepreneurship
• Executive decision-making
• C-level leadership dynamics
• Burnout and executive failure
• Reward systems
• Organizational culture
• Religious value systems

Recent publications highlight board-CEO relationships and information asymmetry in nonprofit governance, including case studies on executive malfeasance and leadership ethics. He maintains active research projects on:

• Meeting Masters: Best practices for effective group decision-making
• Executive Calamity: Causes of executive flameout
• CEO Tracker: Metrics for executive success
• Catholic Ethic: Religious value systems in secular contexts