John Paul (J.P.) Stephens, PhD is the Theodore M. and Catherine C. Alfred Professor in Management, and 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 – 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 strategic structures and practices used to develop a culture of teamwork on large construction sites.

J.P. has been a sought-after speaker and facilitator, addressing a variety of topics in a range of venues. Ultimately, his engagements have all centered on how we can build more positive workplace relationships. In addition to guest speaking in academic venues – from the University of Pennsylvania, George Mason University, Stanford University, and the Norwegian Business School – he has also been a keynote speaker, panelist, or facilitator at industry and non-profit venues such as Progressive Insurance, UNICEF, the COGENCE Alliance (construction industry), the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland and the Positive Business Conference.

His work has been published 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, Management Learning, 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. is currently a Faculty Associate of the Center for Positive Organizations and chairs the Relational Coordination Collaborative Advisory Board. He is an Associate Editor for the Academy of Management Review journal, and an editorial board member of the Group & Organization Management journal; he has won Best Reviewer Awards from both journals. He is currently a Guest Editor for the Academy of Management Review’s Special Topic Forum on “The New Normal: Positive Organizational Impact in an Age of Disruption.” He is also a former executive committee member of the Managerial and Organizational Cognition Division of the Academy of Management. He has also felt honored to be nominated for various teaching and mentoring awards at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the Weatherhead School.