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Faculty - John Paul Stephens

Assistant Professor, Organizational Behavior

Ph.D., University of Michigan, 2009
M.S., University of Michigan, 2006
B.S., Morgan State University, 2004

John Paul Stephens, PhD, received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morgan State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the roles of perception, knowledge, and relationships in organizing, particularly in the performance of musical ensembles. His other research interests fall under the umbrella of positive organizational scholarship and include high-quality connections, strengths-based feedback, and the relationship between character strengths and person-job fit. Dr. Stephens employs a variety of tools and methods, from structural equation modeling to video-based conversation analysis and ethnography, to examine how people’s self-knowledge, be it about their relationships, their strengths, or their behaviors, impacts their work. His research has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, the Journal of Positive Psychology and the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work, and has been presented in papers and symposia at the Annual Meetings of the Academy of Management.

Interests

Teaching

Organizational psychology/behavior, Positive organizational scholarship, Qualitative research methods, Negotiations and bargaining behavior

Research

Psychology of coordination, performativity/practice, organizational aesthetics, mindfulness/attention, organizational routines and knowledge, high-quality connections, character strengths & strengths-based feedback

Selected Publications


Presentations

  • Stephens, J. May Meaning Meeting, "Bridging the research and practice of positive community growth", Yale and University of Michigan, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI. (2013).
  • Stephens, J. Positive Organizational Scholarship Research Conference, "The Impact of Emotional Ambivalence on Intragroup Coordination Repair", Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI. (2013).
  • Stephens, J. UC Davis Conference on Qualitative Research, "Repair in collective group performance: How individuals know and respond to breaches in coordination", University of California, Davis, UC Davis. (2013).
  • Stephens, J. (Presenter & Author) Academy of Management Meeting, "Leading in coordination: The meta-feedback role of leaders of performative groups.", Academy of Management, Boston, MA. (2012).
  • Stephens, J. (Presenter & Author), Lindberg, A. (Author Only), Heaphy, E. (Author Only) Qualitative Research in Management and Organization Conference, "Bringing the body back in: The role of bodily movement in organizational routines", University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. (2012).
  • Stephens, J. Academy of Management Meeting, "Learning to coordinate as a large performative group: The roles of leaders and rehearsals", Academy of Management, San Antonio, TX. (2011).
  • Stephens, J. Academy of Management Meeting, "Performing beauty: Attention, aesthetics and action in the coordination of a community choir.", Academy of Management, San Antonio, TX. (2011).
  • Stephens, J. (Presenter & Author), Heaphy, E. (Author Only), Carmeli, A. (Author Only), Spreitzer, G. (Author Only), Dutton, J. (Author Only), Bagozzi, R. (Author Only) Academy of Management Meeting, "Relationship capacity as a source of resilience in individuals and teams in the workplace.", Academy of Management, San Antonio, TX. (2011).
  • Stephens, J., LeBaron, C. (Author Only) Colloquium of the European Group for Organizational Studies, "Aesthetic routines: Examining communication and leadership in intragroup coordination", European Group for Organizational Studies, Gothenburg, Sweden. (2011).
  • Stephens, J., Boland, B. (Author Only) Colloquium of the European Group for Organizational Studies, "Legitimizing convergence: Aesthetics as a bridge between managing and designing", European Group for Organizational Studies, Gothenburg, Sweden. (2011).
  • Stephens, J. May Meaning Meeting, "The broadening and narrowing effects of emotions in intragroup coordination. The broadening and narrowing effects of emotions in intragroup coordination. ", Yale and Brigham Young Universities, Sundance, UT. (2011).
  • Dutton, J. (Presenter & Author), Spreitzer, G. (Author Only), Heaphy, E. (Author Only), Stephens, J. (Author Only) Academy of Management Meeting, "When and how coworkers lend a hand: Compassionate responding to “gray- zone” events in coworkers’ lives", Academy of Management, Montreal, QC, Canada. (2010).
  • Stephens, J. May Meaning Meeting, "The experience of individuals in a collective coordinating for beauty", Harvard University, Duxbury, MA. (2010).
  • Stephens, J. Academy of Management Meeting, "The importance of choirs to organizing", Academy of Management, Chicago, IL. (2009).
  • Stephens, J. (Presenter & Author), Heaphy, E. (Author Only), Spreitzer, G. (Author Only), Dutton, J. (Author Only) Academy of Management Meeting, "Developing a measure of high-quality connections at work: toward construct validation", Academy of Management, Anaheim, CA. (2008).
  • Stephens, J. Academy of Management Meeting, " Sideways organizing at center stage: The case of choral singing", Academy of Management, Anaheim, CA. (2008).
  • Stephens, J. Academy of Management Meeting, "Making music together: The role of attention to relatedness in organizing", Academy of Management, Philadelphia, PA. (2007).
  • Spreitzer, G. (Presenter & Author), Stephens, J. (Presenter & Author), Rosso, B. (Author Only), Sweetman, D. (Author Only), Dekas, K. (Author Only) Gallup Leadership Institute Summit, "The roles of source and valence of feedback in leadership development: Preliminary findings from a field experiment", Gallup Leadership Institute, Washington, D.C.. (2006).

Academic and Professional Activities

  • European Group for Organizational Studies. 2011 - Present
  • Association for Psychological Science. 2006 - Present
  • Academy of Managment. 2005 - Present
  • Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 2005 - 2009
  • American Psychological Association. 2001 - 2009
  • Committee Member, PhD Student Admissions , 2013
  • Committee Member, PhD Student Admissions , 2012
  • Committee Member, Undergraduate Integrated Studies, 2011 - Present

Awards

  • ACES+ ADVANCE Opportunity Grant Award, ACES+ Initiative. (2012).