John Paul Stephens

John Paul Stephens is the Theodore M. and Catherine C. Alfred Professor of Management and Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. He joined the faculty in 2010 and has established himself as a leading researcher in positive organizational scholarship with a distinctive focus on the aesthetic dimensions of organizational life.

Dr. Stephens received his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan (2009 and 2006 respectively), and his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Morgan State University (2004).

His research focuses on the roles of perception, knowledge, and relationships in organizing, particularly in the performance of musical ensembles. He explores how individual perception involves aesthetic knowledge of the beauty of group coordination and motivates constant adaptation to preserve collective performance quality. His work also examines how character strengths relate to person-job fit and how strengths-based feedback influences leadership development. Dr. Stephens employs diverse methodologies including ethnography, video analysis, experiments, and surveys to study organizational phenomena.

His publications span top journals including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, and Journal of Positive Psychology. His recent work increasingly focuses on mindfulness at work, relational coordination, and the aesthetic experience of collective performance.

• Outstanding Reviewer Award 2020 (Group & Organization Management)
• Best Paper Award 2013 (University of California-Davis Conference on Qualitative Research)
• Ethics Table Fellow 2015 (Beamer-Schneider Professorship in Ethics)
• ACES+ ADVANCE Opportunity Grant Award 2012
• Multiple Outstanding Reviewer Awards from Academy of Management divisions

Dr. Stephens serves on the editorial boards of Group & Organization Management and previously served on the Academy of Management Review board. He is actively involved with the Relational Coordination Research Collaborative and the Center for Positive Organizations. His teaching focuses on organizational psychology/behavior, positive organizational scholarship, qualitative research methods, and negotiations and bargaining behavior. He has been nominated for multiple teaching and mentoring awards at both university and Weatherhead School levels.