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Spencer Harrison

Professor of Organisational Behaviour

Biography

Spencer Harrison is an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD.

His area of expertise focuses on three areas: 1) Creating: how do managers and leaders help people be creative together together? Professor Harrison is currently studying Grammy winning bands, modern dancers, and t-shirt designers to see how this happens. 2) Coordinating: how do groups and teams work together in patterns that lead to optimal outcomes? He examines how individuals can survive a plane crash, people that are amazingly passionate about their work (rock climbers and architects), and how networks of really smart people that fly rockets figure out how humans might live on Mars. 3) Connecting: how do people connect with the organisations they work for? He is working with Fortune 100 firms to dial in not only how new employees can better adjust to their work, but also how these companies can actually learn from their new employees.

Professor Harrison's research has been recognised by the academic community through awards including the INFORMS Dissertation Award Finalist, the Academy of Management Journal Best Paper of the Year Award Finalist, the Journal of Management Best Paper Award, and the Organizational Behavior Division Best Symposium Award. His research findings have been published in top management journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, and the Journal of Management.

Professor Harrison is the Division Chair for the Managerial and Organizational Cognition of the Academy of Management. He is a co-founder of the Creativity Collaboratorium, a working group of the world's top-cited creativity scholars. He serves on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal and the Academy of Management Discoveries.

Professor Harrison has conducted research projects with Google, NASA and Black Diamond.

Latest posts

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Strategy

How to Destigmatise Repulsive Products

S. Harrison, S. Nurmohamed

Entrepreneurs can leverage “dirty creativity” to pitch unusual products that consumers may find objectionable.

Career

Can the Grammys’ Best New Artist Curse Be Undone?

S. Harrison, N. Askin, L. Hagtvedt

Groups can stay creative and successful over time – if they don’t chase further acclaim.

Leadership & Organisations

Rethinking the Role of Leaders in the Creative Process

S. Harrison, E. Rouse

A strong vision and a more disciplined approach can actually equal more creative results.
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Leadership & Organisations

How Conversations About Work Affect Closeness

Spencer Harrison

'The 36 Questions That Lead to Love’ can teach us something about fostering connectedness and trust in the organisation.

Leadership & Organisations

Cooking Up a Creative Community

Li Huang & Spencer Harrison

A recipe based on INSEAD research.