About

Mijeong Kwon, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Dr. Kwon's research centers around the social dynamics of work motivation─how individuals communicate their reasons for working and evaluate others based on their motivations.

In her most recent paper, Dr. Kwon and her colleagues found that people who love their work are more likely to consider this intrinsic motivation a moral virtue. Interestingly, those who strongly believe that working for intrinsic motivation is moral also tend to view working for money and recognition as immoral. Dr. Kwon suggests that this tendency to evaluate colleagues based on their motivations for work may alienate colleagues in workplaces and may also prevent people from recognizing and validating diverse reasons people work, such as supporting their families. In her dissertation, Dr. Kwon further questions whether the moralization of intrinsic motivation is a cultural phenomenon specific to the United States and some other countries.

As a teacher, Dr. Kwon believes that effective teaching begins with a genuine understanding of students’ needs and concerns. Having been a former BBA student herself, she is aware of the competitive and diverse nature of most business schools, where students from various cultural and educational backgrounds aspire to secure prestigious jobs. Dr. Kwon's strength as a teacher lies in her capacity and eagerness to understand her students’ unique interests and deliver highly customized content. She has successfully taught core Management Courses at the Ross School of Business and the University of Colorado Denver Business School, employing synchronous, hybrid, and asynchronous formats.

Wherever she works, Dr. Kwon strives to find avenues to contribute to the community. Alongside her roles as a reviewer and a mentor for undergraduate and PhD students in numerous academic communities, Dr. Kwon believes her true impact is felt in creating and nurturing a positive culture around her ─ a strength she honed during her PhD at the University of Michigan. As a PhD student, Dr. Kwon dedicated five years to the PhD Forum, serving as a first-year representative, communications chair, facilities chair, and the president. At the University of Colorado Denver, Dr. Kwon actively participated in various community of practices, including the Open Education Resource community, writing affinity groups, and Grand Challenges grant projects. A long-standing donor to the Humane Society of Huron Valley, Dr. Kwon finds great joy in caring for her three cats, all of whom she adopted from HSHV.

Contact: mijeong.kwon@ucdenver.edu