Jacob Brown
Postdoc Research Associate
Jacob studies authenticity at work, and he is specifically interested in exploring how people and organizations make good on their core commitments and values. By studying authenticity in the context of leadership, change, and workplace relationships, Jacob seeks to explain how well-intentioned people and organizations struggle to live up to their aspirations—and how they can become aware of and overcome this struggle. Jacob’s research is predominantly qualitative and inductive, and it is often conducted in unique organizational contexts (e.g., DMV, NFL, U.S. Army).
Jacob has published research in various top management outlets, including Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Business Ethics. He is also passionate about connecting research and practice, and he has contributed to articles in practitioner outlets such as strategy + business and InsiderHigherEd.
Jacob is a graduate of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and is a proud husband and father of three.
Listings
Educational Background
- Ph.D., Organizational Studies, Boston College, 2023
- M.S., Instructional Psychology & Technology, Brigham Young University, 2018
- B.S., Psychology, Brigham Young University, 2015
Positions Held
- ISOI Affiliate and Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2023 to present
Recent Publications
- Bednar, J., & Brown, J. (2024). Organizational Ghosts: How “Ghostly Encounters” Enable Former Leaders to Influence Current Organizational Members. Academy of Management Journal, 67 (3), 737-766.
Other Publications
Articles
- Qin, X., Liu, X., Brown, J., Zheng, X., & Owens, B. (2021). Humility harmonized? Exploring whether and how leader and employee humility (in) congruence influences employee citizenship and deviance behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, Springer Netherlands Dordrecht, 170 (1), 147--165.
- Michaelson, C., Lepisto, D., Pratt, M., Hedden, L., & Brown, J. (2020). Why corporate purpose statements often miss their mark. strategy+ business, strategy + business.
- Mao, J., Chiu, C., Owens, B., Brown, J., & Liao, J. (2019). Growing followers: Exploring the effects of leader humility on follower self-expansion, self-efficacy, and performance. Journal of Management Studies, 56 (2), 343--371.
- Brown, J. (2018). Teacher-Less Teaching: The Efficacy of Student-Taught Soft Skill Modules.
- Braithwaite, S., Givens, A., Brown, J., & Fincham, F. (2015). Is pornography consumption associated with condom use and intoxication during hookups? Culture, health \& sexuality, Routledge, 17 (10), 1155--1173.
Conference Proceedings
- Bailey, E., Dobson, K., Cha, S., Newman, G., Brown, J., & Pillemer, J. (2023). Contextualizing the Self in the Workplace: Problems and Solutions for the Study of Authenticity. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings ( 1 ed vol. 2023,).
- Brown, J., Hewlin, P., Bailey, E., Cha, S., Dobson, K., Heese, C., Hoever, I., Leroy, H., Matz, S., Roberts, L., & others, . (2022). Being Real By Myself? The Dynamic Relationality of Authenticity. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings ( 1 ed vol. 2022,).
- Archibold, E., Brown, J., Chon, D., Larsen, K., & Sun, U. (2021). Bringing Leading Back in Leadership: Behavioral Approaches to Leadership. Academy of Management Proceedings ( 1 ed vol. 2021, pp. 10070).
- Bednar, J., Brown, J., Harvey, C., Maclean, M., Ravasi, D., & Sasaki, I. (2019). Organizational Ghosts: How Historic Leaders Live on Beyond the Grave. Academy of Management Proceedings ( 1 ed vol. 2019, pp. 17833).
- Bednar, J., & Brown, J. (2018). Organizational Ghosts: The Preservation and Function of Organizational Legacies. Academy of Management Proceedings ( 1 ed vol. 2018, pp. 17149).
Other Publications
- Brown, J. (2023). On Rules, Values, and the True Self: The Organizational Prevention and Permission of Authenticity in Highly Regulated Environments. Boston College.
Service
- Invited Reviewer, Business Ethics Quarterly, 2025 to present
- Invited Reviewer, INFORMS Best Dissertation Competition, 2024 to present
- Planning Committee Member, New Doctoral Student Consortium, Academy of Management Conference, 2020 to present
- Reviewer, Academy of Management Conference, 2017 to present
- Co-Editor, workties.org, 2021-2022
Teaching Interests
leadership, organizational behavior, business ethics, qualitative methods
Research Interests
authenticity, values, leadership, Positive Organizational Scholarship
Current Courses
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Business in Action (BUS 301) Introduces students to the complexities of business by working on a real organizational problem with an actual client. Students will work with a client to identify, analyze, and present recommendations to solve an organizational problem. Requires students to apply problem-solving skills to uncertain situations as well as build and manage a professional team.