Samuel Culbert

Samuel Culbert is a Professor of Management and Organizations at the Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles. With a B.S. in Systems Engineering from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA, he brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to his work. Culbert focuses on understanding and improving workplace dynamics through his research, teaching, and consulting.

His research has profoundly impacted management practices, particularly regarding performance reviews. He argues that traditional performance reviews create disorientation and prevent genuine communication between managers and employees. Culbert has developed alternative frameworks for establishing trust-based relationships and promoting straight talk in the workplace. His work has been widely recognized, including the McKinsey Award for the best article in Harvard Business Review and multiple book awards.

Culbert's publications include:

• Good People, Bad Managers: How Work Culture Corrupts Good Intentions (Oxford University Press, 2017)
• Get Rid Of The Performance Review! (Business Plus, 2010)
• Beyond Bullsh*t: Straight-Talk at Work (Stanford University Press, 2008)
• Don’t Kill the Bosses! (Berrett-Koehler, 2001)
• Mindset-Management: The Heart of Leadership (Oxford University Press, 1996)
• Radical Management: Power Politics and the Pursuit of Trust (The Free Press, 1985)
• The Invisible War: Pursuing Self Interests at Work (John Wiley & Sons, 1980)
• The Organization Trap (Basic Books, 1974)

Culbert has been widely recognized for his contributions to management thinking:

• McKinsey Award for best article of the year in Harvard Business Review
• SmartMoney Magazine Top Ten Reads (2008)
• Globe and Mail’s Top Ten Business Books
• Axiom Business Book Award
• Runner-up, National Book Awards