Organizational Behavior

Organizational Behavior is designed to prepare you for an academic and research career in the interdisciplinary study of individual and group behavior in organizations, intraorganizational structures and processes, and the relationship of organizations with their environments.

Typical Coursework

Foundational courses:

  • Foundations of organizational behavior
  • Macro organizational behavior
  • Micro organizational behavior

Methodology classes:

  • Statistics classes
  • Qualitive research methods

Disciplinary courses in:

  • Sociology
  • Psychology

Proseminars:

  • Organizational Behavior Speaker Series featuring globally renowned researchers
  • Teaching and professional development
Alumni Highlights
  • Emily Block, University of Alberta
  • Teresa Cardador, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Erik Dane, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Yuri Mishina, Imperial College London
  • Tim Pollock, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
  • Kevin Rockmann, George Mason University
Recent Placements
  • Indian School of Business
  • Purdue University
  • Texas A&M University
  • Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
  • University of Manitoba
University of Illinois Campus

Areas of Faculty Research



Highlights of Faculty-Student Collaboration



Recent Publication Outlets

  • Academy of Management Annals
  • Academy of Management Journal
  • Academy of Management Perspectives
  • Administrative Science Quarterly
  • Journal of Business Ethics
  • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
  • Strategic Management Journal
  • Strategy Science

Faculty Editorial Boards

  • Academy of Management Discoveries
  • Academy of Management Journal
  • Academy of Management Perspectives
  • Academy of Management Review
  • Journal of Organizational Design
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
  • Organization Science
  • Research in Organizational Behavior
  • Strategic Management Journal
  • Strategic Organization 
  • Social Cognition


Recent Faculty Awards & Leadership Positions

Olga Khessina

  • Director of Graduate Studies, BA Ph.D. Program, Gies College of Business
Matt Kraatz

Matt Kraatz

  • Associate Editor of Strategic Organization

Denise Lewin Loyd

  • Associate Dean for Equity, Gies College of Business
Jack Goncalo

Jack Goncalo

  • Editor of Research in Organizational Behavior


Hear from PhD students and alumni

"The thing I most enjoy about the PhD program at Gies is working with excellent faculty. They have afforded me the freedom to explore topics I find interesting while offering insightful feedback and support to develop ideas into successful research projects."

Michelle Checketts, Current PhD Student



"The Business Administration PhD program at Gies deeply shaped my academic tastes, fundamentally transformed my way of thinking, and offered me a complete toolkit to become an independent researcher. The faculty members treat students as future colleagues and would never hesitate to provide any kind of support."

Ying Li, PhD ’22
Assistant Professor, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid / Hong Kong University of Science and Technology