Shannon Taylor
University of Central Florida College of Business
“Dr. Shannon Taylor is the true model of a teacher-scholar. Of course, teaching is more than just conveying what is in the textbook. As scholars, we are actively engaged in both creating and disseminating knowledge. But with the wealth of data easily available to all of us, faculty cannot simply transmit information; we must think critically about how it is best shared with students. This is especially relevant in the management discipline, where it is important to replace students’ popularly held notions, often accepted without question, with science-based conclusions. What makes Shannon exceptional is his ability to be on the cutting edge of research and to be able to translate that cutting edge research into material that is relevant and engaging to his students. This teacher-scholar model has been lost in many of today’s universities. But it is alive and well in Shannon’s classroom – and his students reap the benefits.” – Maureen Ambrose
Shannon G. Taylor, 42, is Professor of Management and the Horton Endowed Professor of Business Ethics at the University of Central Florida College of Business. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
He has published more than 30 articles in leading management and psychology journals and has delivered more than 100 presentations to academic and business audiences. His research examines workplace mistreatment, leadership, and the dynamic nature of work behavior. It has appeared in outlets including the Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, and Organization Science, and has been featured by The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Time, the BBC, and CBS This Morning.
Taylor teaches undergraduate, masters, and doctoral courses in management and leadership. He also provides management consulting for public, private, and non-profit organizations in the U.S. and Europe. Professor Taylor has served in leadership roles for the Academy of Management, as an editorial board member for several top journals, and as a contributor to the Harvard Business Review. He has earned awards for his research, teaching, speaking, and advising.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2012
Education: BS in Finance, Bradley University. PhD in Management, Louisiana State University
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Leadership Development, Organizational Behavior
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I took a course on organizational behavior. I was a junior in college and a finance major. I was interested in the psychology of investing—understanding why people made bad investment decisions when the rules, principles, and strategies were clear. I had plans of being a trader on the Chicago Board of Trade or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In the organizational behavior course, we explored the psychology of work, and I was hooked. I thought to myself, “This is it. I want to study this, and I want to teach it to others.”
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I have a project about the intent behind acts of workplace mistreatment. It’s called “Did you mean to be mean?” I think this is a question that a lot of people are naturally inclined to wonder about. As we go through life, we are constantly making sense of people’s actions by interpreting their intentions, and this is especially true when we feel we’ve been mistreated. Unfortunately, existing work defines intentionality constructs (e.g., intent, motives, attributions, justifications) poorly and views them as substitutes that function similarly regardless of whether they are studied from the perspective of perpetrator, target, or third party. So my coauthors Maureen Ambrose, Lauren Locklear, and I develop an integrative theoretical framework that delineates how various intentionality constructs are related to one another in a broader process that can be considered from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. Our theory of (un)intentional workplace mistreatment reveals more depth and complexity of intentionality constructs and their interrelations, illustrates how those complexities can create more nuanced circumstances surrounding an act of workplace mistreatment, and suggests how those circumstances can lead to different outcomes than would be expected according to extant research.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … working in finance, either as a trader, investment banker, or wealth manager.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I think I stand out to students because I try to keep class sessions engaging with individual and group activities with real-world applications, and because I show students I genuinely care about their well-being and success.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Nerve-racking
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: I wish someone would have told me that being a b-school professor was an attractive career option! I suspect most undergraduates only recognize a small portion of what professors do. That was certainly true for me, as I sort of stumbled into the career. So I agree with Jennifer Nahrgang (as she explains here) that business schools—like any other organization competing for talent—should do a better job recruiting our best and brightest students.
Professor I most admire and why: I admire lots of professors! Our field is full of talented, passionate, interesting, caring people. Here are a few who come immediately to mind: I admire Maureen Ambrose for her keen eye and incisive observations to make a research project better. I admire Ron Piccolo for his leadership abilities, including his composure, charisma, and strategic vision. And I admire Beth Campbell because she is constantly working hard behind the scenes devising clever plans to help people, improve situations, and bring about positive change.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I get a great deal of pleasure from seeing the lightbulb light up when students grasp a concept, and I especially love when they want to talk with me about their workplace and how they can use the ideas discussed in class to improve their situation at work.
What is most challenging? One big challenge is getting students out of the mindset that there is “one right way” to do all things. When confronted with a management problem, many students are eager to know the “right” answer so they can memorize it and then apply it on an assignment or exam. This is understandable. After all, finance, economics, and accounting all have mathematical formulas to solve various problems. But in management, when we’re dealing with people, there are more shades of gray, and the “right” answer depends on the people involved, the organization’s culture, and other specific circumstances.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Entitled
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … fair
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? I enjoy playing soccer, learning and speaking French, playing ukelele, reading, and spending time with my wife, kids, and dog.
How will you spend your summer? We typically take a few trips to visit family in various parts of the country. When we’re at home, I work on research in the morning, then in the afternoon I head to the pool with the kids.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: There’s a stretch of road in the Florida panhandle, County Highway 30A, between Rosemary Beach and Seaside, that’s only about 8 miles long. Dotted along this narrow two-lane road are a few tiny beach towns that are absolutely idyllic. The neighborhoods are peaceful, the homes are beautiful, and the beaches are some of the best in the country. The entire vibe is very relaxing and rejuvenating. It’s paradise.
Favorite book(s): I admire faculty who write books for the public because it takes skill to translate dense, technical academic research into clear, useful lessons for employees and managers with breezy prose. I especially enjoyed Magic Words by Jonah Berger, Hidden Potential by Adam Grant, and The Surprising Science of Meetings by Steven Rogelberg. I also enjoy Michael Lewis’s storytelling—for example, in Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, and The Big Short.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? This is going to make me sound like a snob, but between work, family, and other commitments, I don’t watch a lot of television, and I only watch few films a year—on long flights or the last week of December. The last few films I watched were Lincoln, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Napoleon. And I loved the series 1883: it had grit and depth, it was both beautiful and devastating. I enjoy these shows because I like learning about history and especially what daily life was like in the past.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? A few years ago, I started creating a playlist for the year (labeled 2022, 2023, 2024, and so on), and I add songs that I heard throughout the year that resonate with me. I might add a song I heard while at a store or restaurant, while out with friends, or while watching a show with my wife. So when I listen to the playlist (commuting to/from work, during a run, etc.), it reminds me of these moments I had with my friends and family. Looking back at the playlists, you could say my music tastes are eclectic. The playlists include pop, rock, indie, folk, and a few other genres.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … emphasis on worker well-being and ethical behavior as important ends in their own right, on par with the attention and importance we give to firm performance and career success. A more human-centered approach could redefine what it means to lead effectively.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … treating their employees like people—the fully complex, social beings we are—rather than as unreliable machines or expendable commodities. I hear too many stories from students, managers, and others about organizations that treat their people like dirt. It’s a real shame that so many organizations have forgotten that treating your people well is both morally right and good for business.
I’m grateful for … so much! I have a loving family; funny, caring friends; and talented and supportive colleagues at UCF and around the world.
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