Michael G. Pratt earned his BA in psychology (Summa Cum Laude, Honors Program) from the University of Dayton, and both his MA and PhD in organizational psychology at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the Department of Management and Organization at Boston College in 2008, he was a professor of organizational behavior at the University of Illinois. He currently enjoys a courtesy appointment with the Department of Psychology.

His research is problem-centered and process-oriented, and consequently he tends to engage in cross-level research. His interests include how individuals connect with the work that they do, as well as to the organizations, professions, occupations, and other collectives in which they find themselves. Theoretically, his research draws heavily from theories of identity and identification, meaning, emotion, intuition, and culture (e.g., artifacts). Methodologically, while he has published work that utilizes lab research and surveys, much of his work is ethnographic or otherwise qualitative in nature. Questions posed by his current research include the following: “When group conflicts about interests (what groups want) change to conflicts about identity (who we are), how are such seemingly intractable conflicts resolved?” “How do organizations, that are beholden multiple stakeholders, not only create multiple identities in service of these stakeholders, but also integrate these identities into a dynamic whole?” “How can individuals and groups who experience ambivalence, transform that ambivalence into commitment, trust, creativity and wisdom?” And “how do individuals approach their work (e.g., as a vehicle for attaining money, gaining achievement, creating community, serving others, and/or honing a craft), and what difference does this make in terms of how they perform their jobs?”

His work has appeared or is forthcoming in various outlets, including the Academy of Management Annual Review, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Management Inquiry, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Management Learning, Organizational Research Methods, Organization Science, Qualitative Inquiry, Science, Small Group Research, Studies in Cultures, Organizations and Societies, and in numerous edited books. He also has co-edited a book Artifacts and Organizations: Beyond Mere Symbolism (with A. Rafaeli, 2006, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates). Dr. Pratt was a recipient of the 2007 Best Paper Award for the Academy of Management Review (with Erik Dane). He is the outgoing inaugural qualitative associate editor for the Academy of Management Journal and recently finished a term as Division Chair for the Managerial and Organizational Cognition Division of the Academy of Management.

Dr. Pratt currently teaches courses in organizational behavior, leadership, and qualitative research methods in the doctoral, masters, and undergraduate programs.

Carroll School of Management
Fulton Hall 424C
140 Commonwealth Ave.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
michael.pratt.1@bc.edu
phone: 617.552.6992