Karl E. Weick is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of his generation in the field of organizational studies. Through his presentations and his writings, he has profoundly affected how organization theory is studied and taught.
He also has helped shape the fields of psychology, education, and systems theory with his papers and lectures on theory construction and the craft of research in organizational behavior.
Professor Weick’s seven books and more than 170 journal articles and book chapters on organizations exhibit enormous insight and scholarly imagination. Many are required reading in doctoral programs in the United States and abroad. The Social Psychology of Organizing (Addison-Wesley 1969), considered a classic in the field, has been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, and Japanese.
A gifted communicator of complex ideas, Professor Weick also is a stellar classroom teacher and mentor for graduate students and junior faculty. His classes attract students from throughout the University, and his syllabi are generously shared with faculty at other universities. He has influenced a generation of new scholars through his presentations at the annual National Academy of Management meetings and as former editor of the prestigious journal Administrative Science Quarterly.
Professor Weick has designed and taught several advanced modules that are offered within the Business School’s Executive Education program. He also counsels about themes of safety and reliability with those who deal with life and death issues in hospitals, public health, the maritime industry, and urban and wildland firefighting.
His election as a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, the Academy of Management and the British Academy of Management attests to the broad recognition of Professor Weick’s scholarly achievements. In 1990, he received an unprecedented award combination from the Academy of Management—the lifetime achievement award, as well as recognition for the best paper in the field that year.
For his exceptional scholarship, teaching, and the distinction he has brought to the University and to the field of organizational studies, the University of Michigan proudly recognizes Karl E. Weick as the Rensis Likert Distinguished University Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology.
