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William Kahn


Professor
Organizational Behavior
 
Phone: (617)353-2680
Fax: (617)353-5244
E-Mail: wkahn@bu.edu
Website: http://management.bu.edu
Office: 653
Office
Hours:		 Mon. 9:00-10:00
Wed. 9:00-10:00
Address: Boston University School of Management
595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
 
 

Education

Yale University
Ph.D., Psychology: Organizational Behavior, 1987

 
 

Research Interests

  • Caregiving organizations, work relationships, organizational change, leadership, group and intergroup dynamics, action research.
 

Selected Publications

Articles

Refereed

"Layers of diagnosis for planned relational change in organizations." Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 39 (3) (2003): 259-280
 
"The revelation of organizational trauma." Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 39 (4) (2003): 364-380
 
"Managing the paradox of self-reliance" Organizational Dynamics 30 (3) (2002): 239-256
 
"Holding environments at work" Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 37 (3) (2001): 260-279
 
"Relational systems at work" Research in Organizational Behavior 20 (1998): 39-76
 
"Organizational change and the provision of a secure base: Lessons from the field." Human Relations 48 (5) (1995): 489-514
 
"Authority at work: Internal models and their organizational consequences." Academy of Management Review 19 (1) (1994): 17-50
 
"Caring for the caregivers: Patterns of organizational caregiving" Administrative Science Quarterly 38 (4) (1993): 539-563
 
"Facilitating and undermining organizational change: A case study." Journal of Applied Behavioral Science  29 (1) (1993): 32-55
 
"To be fully there: Psychological presence at work" Human Relations 45 (4) (1992): 321-349
 
"Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work." Academy of Management Journal 33 (4) (1990): 692-724
 
"There's no place like home: Reflections on leaving a social system." Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 26 (2) (1990): 135-149
 

Books

The student's guide to successful project teams/ New York:  Routledge, 2009
 

This house we build: Lessons for synagogues and those who dwell there. Herndon, VA:  The Alban Institute, 2007

See Book
 

Holding Fast: The Struggle to Create Resilient Caregiving Organizations. London, UK:  Brunner-Routledge, 2004

See Book
 

Chapters

"Meaningful connections: Positive relationships and attachments at work. "  In Exploring positive relationships at work Edited by J. E. Dutton & B. R. Ragins Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Inc.,  2007
 

"Positive relationships in groups and communities"  In Exploring positive relationships at work Edited by J. E. Dutton & B. R. Ragins  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Inc.,  2007
 

"Seduction and betrayal: A process of unconscious abuse of authority by leadership groups."  In Group relations reader 3 Edited by S. Cytrynbaum & D. Noumair Washington, DC: A. K. Rice Institute,  2004
 

"Developmental relationships at work: A learning perspective"  In In C. Cooper (Ed.), The world of work, pps. 49-74. Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers. 2001
 

"Secure base relationships at work"  In In D. T. Hall and Associates, The career is dead--Long live the career: A relational approach to careers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1996

 

Teaching Cases

"Peer Coaching"
In this case, students take on one of two roles as they look at how a troublesome planning meeting was received by both the presenter and his co-workers. The presentor must explain his frustration, while a co-worker tries to provide constructive criticism.

"Stashi Kiwi"
This case asks students to take on the role of one of two characters, both research biologists at competing pharmaceutical firms. The goal is to convince the competitor not to prevent you from purchasing Stashi Kiwis, which both need to create a life-saving synthetic vapor.

"Thomas Masterson"
Students can perform one of two roles in this case about a manager and a design engineer who have different views on how a design project is progressing.

"Brigham and Women's Hospital Converts to a Computerized Medical Record (A and B)"
"How will we get the physician to accept this new process?" "How will we continue to finance the system?" " How will we support the thousand of users?" These were the points on the agenda for the meeting planned for 7:00am Monday January 4,1993. Jean Manning knew the answers to question two and three, but she was most concerned about the first.
 

Professional Activities
 

Academic Positions

  • 1995-, Associate Professor, Boston University School of Management
  • 1988-1995, Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Management

Honors & Awards

  • Academy of Management Review Best Paper Award, 1994.
  • Broderick Prize for Teaching, Boston University School of Management, 1994
  • Journal of Applied Behavioral Science McGregor Award, 2001.