About
The study is a research partnership led by professors at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business in conjunction with Silicon Slopes, The Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the Utah Department of Workforce Services, and the Cicero Group.
Professors Leading the Project
Timothy Gubler, Assistant Professor of Strategy
Tim Gubler joined the Marriott School of Business in 2019. His research lies at the intersection of strategy, human capital, and human resources, and investigates the role of individuals in firm performance and strategy. He focuses on micro-macro links between individuals and organizations, and consequently studies the organization at all levels, from its boundary, organizational design, and human resource policies to the productivity, motivations, mobility, and health of its employees. He has primarily focused on three settings to date: 1) Industrial laundry, 2) Residential real estate, and 3) EMS service providers (e.g., ambulances).
His work has been nominated for and received multiple awards, including the Sumantra Ghoshal Best Paper Award in 2017 from the Academy of Management and the Robert J. Litschert Best Doctoral Student Paper Award in 2015 from the Academy of Management. His work has also been featured in many news outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NPR, USAToday, the Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Tim was elected as a Representative-at-Large for the Strategic Management Society’s Human Capital Interest group in 2021.
Tim completed his PhD in business strategy at Washington University in St. Louis, and joined the faculty at the University of California, Riverside in 2015. Prior to his PhD, Tim studied economics at Brigham Young University and worked as an electrician and manager for a family-owned electrical contracting business. When not researching or teaching, Tim enjoys spending time with his wife and 5 children, exploring the outdoors, mountain biking, scuba diving, skiing, working with his hands, and playing music.
DK Kryscynski, Associate Professor of Strategy
Dr. Kryscynski received a BSE in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2003 and practiced as a Process Engineer, Production Analyst and Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials Manager for Holcim (US) Inc. prior to receiving his Ph.D. in Strategy from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Dr. Kryscynski’s research focuses on human capital development. He has published his findings in several top Academic Journals. Dr. Kryscynski has also served on several editorial boards including the Academy of Management Review, the Journal of Management, and the Strategic Management Journal.
James Oldroyd, Associate Professor of Strategy
Professor James Oldroyd is an associate professor of Strategy at the Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University and the Ford Motor/Richard Cook Research Fellow. He received his Ph.D. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2007. He was an associate professor of management at SKK-GSB in Seoul, South Korea for five years and an assistant professor of international business at The Ohio State University for three years. His research explores the intersection of networks and knowledge flows. This work has been published in outlets such as the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science and Harvard Business Review. He teaches courses on strategy, strategy implementation, international business, and negotiations to undergraduates, MBAs, and executives. In addition, to teaching at SKK, OSU and BYU, he has taught at the Indian School of Business and the University of North Carolina. He is actively involved in delivering custom leadership training courses for numerous companies including Samsung, Doosan, SK, Quintiles, and insidesales.
Troy Nielson, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
Troy Nielson is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at Brigham Young University. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Utah in 1998 and a B.S. in Information Management from Brigham Young University in 1991. He was an Associate Professor of management at Utah Valley University from 2005 to 2008 and an Assistant professor of Management at California State University-San Marcos, from 1998 to 2004. He has received numerous awards for teaching including the Dean Fairbanks Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship in 2018. Dr. Neislon has consulted for companies such as Western Union and Providence Commerce.
Shad Morris, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
Shad Morris is the William F. Edwards Distinguished Fellow and Associate Professor of Management at the Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University. In addition to co-authoring 5 books on people management and international business, he has over 30 scholarly publications in journals such as Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, and Harvard Business Review. In addition, Professor Morris conducts research and consults on how to align people and teams with global strategies. He has been a visiting professor at the Indian School of Business, China Europe International Business School, the Copenhagen Business School, and the Sloan School of Management at MIT. He has been a Fulbright Scholar and a Research Fellow at Cambridge University. He has also received numerous awards for his international research, including one of the top research awards from the Academy of Management. Prior to becoming an academic, he worked for the World Bank, for Management Systems International, and for Alcoa.
