Gary Ballinger
University of Virginia
McIntire School of Commerce
“Professor Ballinger doesn’t just teach; he transforms lives. His remarkable impact is palpable, not just through the 11 prestigious teaching awards and recognitions he has received, but also through the countless students he has mentored and inspired with his availability and compassion. His innovative and impactful pedagogical approach, utilizing experiential learning tools like Legos and immersive scenarios, facilitates a practical understanding of complex management principles, making learning an adventurous journey rather than a mere process. Professor Ballinger not only remains at the forefront of academic research but also ensures his students are privy to the latest, cutting-edge insights in the realm of management.” – Ryan Wright, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Research
Gary Ballinger, 56, is Professor of Commerce at University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce. He has taught courses in leadership, organizational behavior, and human resources management at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels in the United States and in Germany.
In 2013, he won an All-University Teaching Award from the University of Virginia and received Student Council Teaching Awards in 2020 and 2022.
He conducts research on the operation of memory, emotions, trust, and social exchange relationships in the work and organizational context. This research spans all levels of analysis, including work relationships, firm-stakeholder relationships, and corporate governance. He is currently an associate editor for Academy of Management Annals, and also serve as the Area Coordinator for the Management Area.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2005
Education: BA (American Government) from University of Virginia (1989), MBA (Operations Management) from Wake Forest University (1999), PhD (Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management) from Purdue University (2005)
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Organizational Behavior
LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I was getting my MBA and struggled closing the deal in job interviews. I was a horrendous second interview…but I really enjoyed seeing what the people in the front of the room did. Wake Forest’s business school had (and has!) a terrific set of teachers, and they obviously enjoyed their jobs, and they were encouraging about the prospect of getting into the college professor business. One professor (Jon Pinder) gave me a shot at guest teaching a forecasting class and I was hooked.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? Currently researching and thinking about trust in relationships from the perspective of the person doing the trusting. While we all think that trust is a good thing (and it is!)…but it’s more stressful to trust other people than you might think…and that stress can accidentally lead you to make lots of relationship mistakes like checking in on people who are then offended because you said you trusted them.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … an insurance executive (seriously, it was my only job offer after my MBA besides grad school, and I hate changing jobs)
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I suppose you’d have to ask my students…I use a lot of activities and games to try to create a memorable experience for students and I am in the office a lot. My colleagues all do that, too, so I’m not sure what makes me different. I also work hard to try to remember and stay in touch with my former students…I have a collection of many of their first-ever business cards (their “rookie cards”) that I’ve been building since my first McIntire students graduated in 2007…those are the most valuable things in my office.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Early. (I had the 730 am Monday, Wednesday, Friday section of Introduction to Organizational Behavior when I was in grad school at Purdue…that was my first class in the Spring semester, so that class was in January).
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: That you can be overprepared for class. In smaller section classes (max 50) in particular, you can prep material for some of the time, and let the students bring the rest. They will. And then everyone learns from everyone.
Professor I most admire and why: David Schoorman. Amongst a lot of other things, he taught me how to be available to students and engage interactively with a classroom in discussions. He asks great questions and never tells you what to think even if he insists that you be careful about how you think. He taught me how important it is to build a community of your students that persists after they graduate.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? They work very hard and know that professional school is supposed to be hard work. They understand the standard is supposed to be error-free work, even if they’re still getting there. They’re learning how to celebrate their accomplishments. You get to teach academic material principally in terms of how its applied as opposed to teaching it purely as a scientific field. Finally, there’s little correlation between grades and ultimate life success…even if few students believe that right now, it’s totally the case in business.
What is most challenging? You need to stay current and teach students to succeed in the workplaces they’ll be in, not the workplace of your ideals or imagination or memory. This may make you sound cold at times when talking about topics like power and office politics and motivation. But those are real things at work, and I’d feel bad if my students got to a job and only then discovered those sorts of things also mattered.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: A “Pro” (As in “Be A Pro”) I know that’s two. You can shorten that to “Pro”…
Professionalism just means that you understand that you have discretion to choose how to do a job and can therefore can choose how you solve problems in business. The rite of passage in business school is that students go from doing work for free (“amateurs”) to being able to charge people for it (“professionals”). I tell students in my closing lecture every fall that they should strive to “Be A Pro.” Sorry for the long-winded answer…the “one word” thing here is really tough! (haha)
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Observant. I read closely and try to gently point out those places where I think work can be more carefully prepared, arguments can be tighter, concepts can be more appropriately applied, and perspectives can be wider.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Golf, wagering, travel (road trips)
How will you spend your summer? Driving across Canada (from east to west and back)
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Whistler, BC; Las Vegas, NV; Sugarloaf, GA; on the road somewhere, anywhere.
Favorite book(s): Bill James Baseball Abstract 1984, by Bill James; Barbarians at the Gate, by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar; What It Takes, by Richard Ben Cramer.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? The Tony Kornheiser Show. It’s a thrice-weekly podcast by the former Washington Post writer and current Pardon the Interruption host. Over the years, it’s provided a lot of laughs and more than a few insights on what motivates writers and artists as well as on how to build a community. It’s even inspired at least one idea for an academic paper.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? Sam Spence. NFL Films music from the 1970s…brings back great memories as a football fan, and many of the songs are great road trip music.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … Elective classes. I think students should have more choice in what classes they take. I’ve always enjoyed the chance to teach advanced and applied topics that engage students in a smaller room…they’re what students remember most, which means they’re what attaches them to their school over time. Because of this, subjecting their enrollment size to a coarse cost/benefit analysis overlooks their development potential. And why should most students have to wait until their fourth year (by and large) to take these?
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … Making students feel appreciated in the recruiting process. You can tell who the good companies are by how they engage with students who don’t have a lot of power in the process.
I’m grateful for … Getting the chance to teach here.
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