Michael Morris

Michael Morris is the Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership at Columbia Business School and also serves as Professor in the Psychology Department of Columbia University. He joined Columbia in 2001 after being a tenured professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business and Psychology Department. His academic journey includes visiting professorships at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (1995), University of Hong Kong (2000), Harvard Business School and Universitat Pompeu Fabra (2008), and INSEAD-Europe (2022) and INSEAD-Asia (2023).

Professor Morris's research focuses on cultural psychology, leadership, decision-making, and negotiation. His early work on culture and cognition helped spark the growth of cultural psychology, and his more recent research on cultural codes has shifted the field toward a more dynamic conception of cultural influences. He has published over 200 articles in leading behavioral science and management journals across disciplines including social psychology, judgment and decision-making, and organizational behavior. His debut popular book Tribal (October 2024) argues that leaders can harness shared cultural identities to unify and mobilize groups.

His scientific papers have received international awards from scholarly societies across multiple fields. His book Tribal has been recognized with the 2025 Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Award, was a Zócalo Book Prize Finalist, and was shortlisted for the FT/Schroders Business Book of the Year.

Professor Morris has made significant institutional contributions through founding the Leadership Lab, launching the school's Behavioral Lab and Postdoctoral Fellow programs, and serving on Columbia's Committee on Global Thought and Organizational Culture Committee. His applied work extends to consulting with Fortune 100 firms, foundations, governments, the Pentagon, and Intelligence Agencies, where he applies knowledge of cultural differences to practical business and security challenges.

• Education: BA, Brown University (1986); PhD, University of Michigan (1993)
• Key Positions: Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership, Columbia Business School; Professor, Psychology Department, Columbia University
• Teaching: Core LEAD class, Managerial Negotiations, Global Negotiations, The Leader's Voice