2015 Best 40 Under 40 Professors: Jennifer Petriglieri, INSEAD

Jennifer Petriglieri

Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour

INSEAD

 

Jennifer Petriglieri

Appreciation at INSEAD for professor Jennifer Petriglieri comes at all levels. A recipient of a dean’s commendation for teaching excellence last year and the year before, the organizational behavior prof was also nominated by MBA students last year for a best-teacher award. Petriglieri’s research has also been lauded, with the Academy of Management awarding her best-paper honors and nominations. In her work on leadership development, she has studied the effects of sudden crises on the identities and behavior of senior executives. After receiving a BS in genetics from the University of Nottingham in 1998, she earned an MBA from IMD in Switzerland, a master’s in management from INSEAD, and a PhD in organizational behavior from INSEAD.

Age: 38

At current institution since: 2012

Education:  PhD in organisational behavior, INSEAD, 2011

Courses currently teaching: Psychological Issues in Management (PIM) in the INSEAD MBA and High Impact Leadership for executives.

Professor you most admire: My husband.

“I knew I wanted to be a b-school professor when…” I did my MBA at IMD and realized that, for many students, going to business school is not just a way to get a better job. It can and does change people’s lives.

“If I weren’t a b-school professor…” I would run a boutique hotel in a ski resort in the Alps.

Most memorable moment in the classroom or in general as a professor: It was only a few minutes into the first class of the semester. I had asked students why they were taking the course. Several raised their hands. The first to speak paused for a second, and then said, “I want to know if I’m the only one.” It was the most concise demonstration of existential clarity and courage that students have and will show if given a chance.

What professional achievement are you most proud of? Having kept the commitment to being myself at work–or more precisely, in work–much more often than I’ve broken it. And knowing that, at its best, my work has helped others do the same.

What do you enjoy most about teaching? Those moments when, after preparing (read that obsessing) for hours, the teaching plan moves to the background, the class conversations comes to life, and it becomes possible to speak the truths one fears might be ignored or misunderstood.

What do you enjoy least? Students arriving late to class. You know who you are.

Favorite book: Narcissus and Goldmund, by Hermann Hesse

Favorite movie: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Favorite type of music: Silence.

Favorite television show: Even if I had the time to, I probably wouldn’t watch TV.

Favorite vacation spot: The road that winds up the mountains from Visp, in Switzerland’s Valais region, bifurcates at Stalden. Either way you take, from that point upwards my heart is at home. The thin air helps my writing, I have found–and the skiing is good in winter, too.

What are your hobbies? Skiing, running, tennis, cooking, reading, arts projects with my kids.

Twitter handle: @jenpetriglieri

“If I had my way, the business school of the future would…” be as concerned with meaning as it is with productivity, with followers as much as leaders, and with humanity as much as with efficiency.

Students say…

Jennifer Petriglieri is that rare breed of professor that re-discovers her passion and commitment to her field in every moment she teaches. She courageously faces the softer aspects of management with a razor sharp focus on discovery, research, and community. Through her innovative course Psychological Issues in Management at INSEAD, Professor Petriglieri smoothly transitions from themes of purpose, passion, family, and motivation by challenging her students to engage and discover themselves alongside her. Like every good leader, she models the behavior that she hopes to inspire in her students. Over time, and through the relational trust that she facilitates in the classroom, I came to build courage, resilience, and ambition. I left her classroom hopeful for my future, feeling brave and ready to jump out of the classroom and into my life, knowing that with a healthy dose of honesty, ambition, and reflection, no task would ever be too great to conquer.

– Itamar Stern, MBA 2014

Jennifer Petriglieri makes you not want to miss a minute of her class. She is energetic, empathic and  inspiring. Her class is beyond identifying management style or leadership style. Style is outward; in Jennifer’s class, you discover your identity. Her “10 years later” case was one the highlights of the entire MBA program at INSEAD.

– Leili Rasouli, MBA 2014

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