JOHN PAUL STEPHENS, PhD.

John Paul (J.P.) Stephens, PhD is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management, at Case Western Reserve University. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, John Paul completed degrees in Psychology at Morgan State University (B.S.) and in Organizational Psychology (M.S. and Ph.D.) at the University of Michigan. J.P. studies work relationships and coordination in groups, focusing on how what individuals and teams perceive about their behaviors shapes complex interdependent work. This research has centered on the felt dynamics – the emotions and aesthetic experience - that comprise individuals’ experience of relating with others in their work relationships and teams. His research has found that these felt dynamics interplay with cognitive (e.g. attention) and behavioral processes (e.g. contributing actions or information) to enable group coordination, performance, and resilience. His current research, funded by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, focuses on the dynamics of changing the culture of large construction sites from one of competitiveness, poor communication and power over others, to one of high-quality relationships, teamwork and mutual empowerment.

His work has either been published or is forthcoming in the Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Management Inquiry, Journal of Positive Psychology, and the International Journal of Project Management. He has also made key contributions in the form of book chapters in edited volumes such as the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work, the Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship, The Physicality of Leadership, the Handbook of Research on Leadership and Creativity, and the Handbook of Organizational Resilience.

J.P. currently sits on the Research Advisory Boards of the Center for Positive Organizations and the Relational Coordination Research Collaborative. He serves as an editorial board member of the Academy of Management Review and Group & Organization Management journals. He has also been honored with nominations for various teaching and mentoring awards at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Case Western Reserve University.