Jeffrey Pfeffer

Jeffrey Pfeffer is an acclaimed business scholar and prolific author who has written extensively about leadership and the practice of effective management. He is the Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business and is considered one of the leading authorities on power and leadership in organizations.

After earning his PhD in psychology and statistical methodology from the University of Illinois in 1974, Jeffrey Pfeffer began his professional career at Stanford by joining the faculty as an associate professor in the sociology department. In 1978, he became a tenured faculty member at Stanford and taught advanced graduate-level courses in organizational behavior.

Since then, Jeffrey Pfeffer has authored or co-authored 14 books related to business and leadership. His first book, Power in Organizations, published in 1981, examined the dynamics of power within organizations and how exercising power can be used for effective leadership. His other books include The Human Equation: Building Profits By Putting People First (1998), The Knowing-Doing Gap (2000), Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense: Profiting from Evidence-Based Management (2006), Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time (2015) and Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance (2018). These works have become modern-day business classics, covering topics from identifying and mitigating workplace hazards to creating a more effective and innovative workforce.

Throughout his career, Jeffrey Pfeffer has been recognized and awarded for his work. In 1998, his book The Human Equation was awarded the C. Wright Mills Award, given by the Society for the Study of Social Problems. In 2007, he was awarded the Distinguished Educator Award by the Academy of Management and in 2011 he was given the Career Achievement Award by the Management and Organization division of the Academy of Management. In addition, he has won numerous awards for his teaching and research, including the Edwin B. Parker Award and the Lloyd and Dorothy Foehr Huck Award of Distinction.

Thanks to his many publications, Jeffrey Pfeffer has achieved an international status among scholars, executives, and managers. His work has been praised by many renowned business leaders and has been featured in many international media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Fortune magazine, Harvard Business Review, and BusinessWeek.

Today, Jeffrey Pfeffer is widely associated with the notion that effective leadership rests on the ability to properly exercise power. His publications emphasize the importance of selecting and promoting the right people, producing profits without sacrificing staff welfare, and creating a work environment that encourages creativity and innovation. He is a strong believer in data-driven management, holds the view that businesses should be equally focused on the economic and social effects of their decisions, and that the best decisions are based on facts and reasoned judgement.

With books widely circulated and taught in business schools, Jeffrey Pfeffer has become a widely recognized expert in the field of business and leadership, as well as a source of inspiration for many business practitioners and scholars today. He has influenced the way businesses are managed and shaped how organizations view the importance of leadership and power. His works are must-reads for executives hoping to improve the effectiveness and profitability of their organizations.