Jesper Sørensen

Jesper Sørensen is the Robert A. and Elizabeth R. Jeffe Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he also serves as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He holds a courtesy professorship in Sociology at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences. Born in Denmark, he earned his AB from Harvard College and PhD in Sociology from Stanford University.

His research focuses on organizational dynamics, strategic change, and entrepreneurship. Notable contributions include studies on organizational demography, corporate culture, and the interplay between strategy and storytelling. He has authored or co-authored influential works like Making Great Strategy: Arguing for Organizational Advantage (2021) and pioneered frameworks for strategic argumentation using analogies.

Sørensen’s academic leadership roles include directing Stanford Seed (a poverty alleviation initiative) and the Maersk Fleet & Strategic Brands Leadership Program. He has held editorial roles at top journals such as Sociological Science and Organization Science. His teaching emphasizes strategic leadership and organizational behavior, drawing on both academic theory and practical experience gained during his interim role as Executive Director of Stanford Seed.

Awarded the ASQ Award for Scholarly Contribution (2006) and multiple fellowships, Sørensen’s interdisciplinary work bridges sociology and management science. His research on entrepreneurship highlights how work environments influence career trajectories, while his strategic frameworks help organizations communicate and implement vision effectively.