Michael Sacks

Michael Sacks

Professor in the Practice of Organization & Management, Goizueta Business School; Professor of Sociology (by courtesy), Emory College of Arts & Sciences; Faculty Director, Woodruff Leadership Academy, Woodruff Health Sciences Center

Biography

Michael Sacks has been a faculty member at the Goizueta Business School for the past twenty years after earning his Ph.D. in Organization Behavior and Sociology at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Michael recently completed a term as Emory’s Vice Provost for University Strategies where he integrated multiple school initiatives towards common university goals. He also previously served as Associate Dean and Director of Emory’s Evening MBA Program.

Michael’s teaching is centered in the area of Strategic Leadership -- aligning the leadership skills of employees with an organization’s culture in order to best execute strategy. This approach integrates traditional leadership topics with the cultural and strategic contexts in which an organization operates. As such, Michael’s teaching spreads across topics such as leadership development, organizational management, and strategic thinking.

Professor Sacks teaches extensively in Goizueta’s executive education programs, currently serving as Faculty Director for several open enrollment sessions and custom clients. Michael additionally serves as Faculty Director for Emory Healthscience's Woodruff Leadership Academy, and he coordinates multiple leadership programs across Emory’s campus. Professor Sacks has customized many executive education programs for specific business clients on such topics as Leading Organizational Change, Aligning Organization Culture with Strategy, Influence without Authority, Diversity & Inclusion, Situational Leadership, Personality and Performance, Conflict Management, Negotiations, and Strategic Thinking.

Some of Michael's current and previous clients include Microsoft, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), Toyota, Delta Airlines, Turner Broadcasting Services (TBS), Newell Brands, Genuine Parts Company, United Parcel Service (UPS), The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, The American Bankers Association, Alston & Bird, King & Spalding, Mailchimp, and Spanx.

The high quality of his teaching has been formally recognized via several teaching awards over the course of his career. Michael has also presented papers at international conferences and has published his research in several international outlets. Michael’s work has been supported by grants from the Dispute Resolution Research Center, the Heizer Center for Entrepreneurship, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Michael can be reached at: michael.sacks@emory.edu

Education

  • PhD in Organization Behavior and Sociology
    Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management
  • MS in Organization Behavior and Sociology
    Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management
  • BA in Sociology
    University of California, Santa Barbara