Jacob A. Brown, Ph.D.

Using broad concepts such as values, leadership, relationships, and institutional change, Jacob studies how the pursuit of authenticity promotes positive outcomes (high-quality connection, leadership influence, meaningfulness), as well as potentially negative outcomes in organizations (cognitive dissonance, dehumanization). 

Jacob's dissertation, an ethnographic study of the DMV, focuses on how individuals pursue a sense of felt authenticity - while also toeing the line in a highly regulated environment. He strives imperfectly but determinedly to be "true" and "real" in his life. 

Jacob is a mixed-methods researcher who prioritizes cross-level, inductive methods (case studies, ethnography, grounded theory analysis, historical analysis), to address questions across various literatures, targeting contexts and questions which are unique but organizationally relevant. He has contributed to research which has been published in various journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Business Ethics. 

Jacob is a postdoctoral scholar at the ISOI, a leading institute on the study of strategic management, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is grateful for the opportunity to apply insights about values, purpose, and ethics to a broad audience prior to a faculty appointment at a business school. 

Prior to entering academia, Jacob worked as an instructional designer and higher education instructor, worked a variety of jobs from beekeeper to house painter to restaurant server to consultant, and performed with his wife in musical theater productions - most recently as Curly at Sundance's Oklahoma! (2018). 

Jacob is grateful for the opportunity to study management and organizations, is active in his church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), and enjoys spending time with family and friends.