Michael Alan Sacks
Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization and Management
Email: michael.sacks@emory.edu
Mailing Address:
Goizueta Business School
Emory University
1300 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
Biography
Professor Michael Sacks joined the Goizueta Business School faculty in fall 2000 after completing his Ph.D. in Organization Behavior and Sociology in the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. In his current role as an Associate Professor in the Practice of Organizaton & Management, Michael is heavily involved in teaching core organizational behavior, strategy, and leadership classes across all of our programs. In addition, Michael is heavily engaged in Emory Executive education, serving as faculty director for several of our open enrollment and custom programs. Michael also recently served as Interim Associate Dean and Director of the Evening MBA Program.
Michael's research explores how entrepreneurs use social capital to negotiate economic opportunities. His most recent work investigates how social networks heighten entrepreneurial access to venture capital money, and how the management of social capital affects future funding and ultimate economic profits. Other projects have been published in outlets including Research in the Sociology of Organizations, American Behavioral Scientist, Negotiation Journal, and The Financial Times.
Michael has consulted and done executive education work in the areas of negotiations, organizational change, strategic decision-making, managing conflict, leading teams, and leadership development. He teaches frequently for Goizueta's Executive Education program and currently serves as faculty director for several programs including:
- The Managerial Leadership Program, Goizueta’s open-enrollment program in leadership
- The Woodruff Leadership Academy, Emory’s leadership academy for the health sciences
- Emory’s South Africa Drug Discovery Executive Education program
Publications
- How Many ‘Friends’ Do You Need? Teaching Students How to Network Using Social Media, with Nikki Graves, Business Communications Quarterly, 75: 80-88, 2012
- Cognitive Biases in Decision-Making, in Vicky Smith (Ed.), Sociology of Work: An Encyclopedia. Sage Publications, 2012
- Reducing Human Error in Revenue Management Decision-Making, with Elliot Bendoly, E&Y Performance, 2012
- Concession in Negotiations,” in Encyclopedia of Global Business, Sage Publications, 2008
- The Social Structure of Entrepreneurial Financing: Stratification and the Differential Liability of Newness in U.S. Venture Capital, Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 2002
- Turning Disputes into Corporate Advantage, with Andy Lewis, Financial Times, Reprinted in Mastering People Management (edited by James Pickford, Prentice Hall, 2002), November 26, 2001
- Global Institutions and Networks: Contingent Change in The Structure of World Trade Advantage, 1965-1980, with Marc Ventresca and Brian Uzzi, American Behavioral Scientist, 43 (3), 2000
- Stateness and System in the Global Structure of Trade: A Network Approach to Assessing Nation Status, Questioning Geopolitics: Political Projects in a Changing World System, edited by Georgi M. Derluguian and Scott Greer, Greenwood Press, 2000
- The Structuration of Interfirm Ties: The Case of Stick Versus Switch Decisions, Embedded Organizations: Sociological Conceptions on Organizational Evolution in Three Transitioning Economies, edited by Rueyling Tzeng, Peter Lang Publishing, 2000
- Broadening the Evaluation of Dispute Resolution: Context and Relationships Over Time, with Kara Reichert and Trexler Proffitt, Negotiation Journal, 15 (4), 1999
Working Papers
- Embeddedness is Not an Option: Social Capital and Escalation of Commitment in Real Options Investments, with Russ Coff and Kevin Laverty, under review at Strategic Management Journal
- Revisiting the Weberian Iron Cage: A Diversity-Centered Approach to Studying Organizational Structure, with Rodney Lacey
Areas of Specialization
- Negotiations and Conflict Resolution
- Leadership Development
- Organizational change
- Strategic Decision-making
- Social Networks
Achievements and Honors
Teaching- Outstanding Teaching Award: Kellogg Graduate School of Management
- College of Arts and Sciences Teacher of the Year, Northwestern University
- University Teaching Fellow: Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University
Grants Received
- Research Grant (with Karen Mumford): Arthur M. Black Family Foundation. Major grant to incorporate the study of park usage in the Atlanta Parks system with the core MBA leadership class. May 2005-July 2006.
- Service-Learning Grant: Emory University Office of Community Partnerships/Kenneth Cole Foundation, awarded to support the incorporation of service-learning in the core MBA leadership class, 2004-2005 academic year.
- Teaching Grant: Violence Studies Program, Emory University, awarded to support the incorporation of violence studies in my negotiations and dispute resolution course, 2002-2003 academic year.
- Research Grant (with Brian Uzzi). Dispute Resolution Research Center, Northwestern University, April 1998
- Research Grant (with Brian Uzzi). Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, June, 1998
Memberships and Activities
- Certified 360o feedback, Birkman Method, and other professional coaching tools
- Academy of Management: Organizational Management and Theory, Entrepreneurship, Conflict Management, Social Issues in Management, Gender and Diversity in Organizations
- American Sociological Association: Economic Sociology, Organizations, Occupations and Work, Conflict Management
Selected Consulting Clients
- Microsoft
- Delta Airlines
- Coca Cola Enterprises
- Newell Rubbermaid
- Intercontinental Hotels Group
- Centers for Disease Control
- Bayer Pharmaceuticals
- Genuine Parts
- Alston & Bird
- Hanson Brick
- Bard
Education
| 2001 | PhD | Organization Behavior and Sociology | Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University | |
| 1996 | MS | Organization Behavior and Sociology | Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University | |
| 1993 | BA | Sociology | University of California, Santa Barbara |
