The Novartis chair was established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises, thus contributing to the betterment of society.
She has received worldwide recognition for her work and writing on leadership, teaming, and organisational learning. Her most recent book, The Fearless Organisation: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, distils two decades of pioneering research on psychological safety into a guide to organisational transformation. It is ranked in the top 10 best-selling management books on Amazon, and has been featured on prominent 'best of' lists for business books.
Edmondson has been recognised by the biennial Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and has been nominated for its 2019 Breakthrough Idea Award. Her other awards include the Accenture Award for significant contribution to improving the practice of management and the Cummings Award for mid-career achievement from the Academy of Management.
Her prior books – Teaming: How organizations learn, innovate and compete in the knowledge economy and Teaming to Innovate – explore teamwork in dynamic work environments. In Building the Future: Big teaming for audacious innovation, she examines the challenges and opportunities of teaming across industries.
She has published more than 70 articles and case studies on leadership, teams, innovation, and organisational learning.
Prior to entering academia she was director of research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on transformational change in large companies. In the early 1980s she worked as chief engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller, and her book A Fuller Explanation: The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller clarifies Fuller's mathematical contributions for a non-technical audience.
Edmondson received her PhD in organisational behaviour, AM in psychology, and AB in engineering and design all from Harvard University.
Recommended content
Edmondson's book: The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth
Her new book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (Wiley, 2018), offers a practical guide for organizations serious about success in the modern economy.
