Amy Edmondson Explained

Amy C. Edmondson
Nationality:	American
Alma Mater:	Harvard University
Occupation:	Social science
Known For:	Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School

Amy C. Edmondson is an American scholar of leadership, teaming, and organizational learning.^[1] She is currently Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School.^{[2] [3]} Edmondson is the author of seven books and more than 75 articles and case studies.^[4] She is best known for her pioneering work on psychological safety, which has helped spawn a large body of academic research in management, healthcare and education over the past 15 years. Her books include "Right Kind of Wrong, the Science of Failing Well" (September 5, 2023),^[5] “The Fearless Organization,Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth” (2018)^[6]) and “Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate and Compete in the Knowledge Economy” (2012).^[7]

Education

Edmondson received her PhD in organizational behavior, MA in psychology, and BA in engineering and design from Harvard University.^[8]

Career

Edmondson studies teaming, psychological safety, and organizational learning, and her articles have been published numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and California Management Review.^[9]

Before joining Harvard, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on transformational change in large companies. She also worked as Chief Engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller.^[9]

She has been ranked by the biannual Thinkers50 global list^[10] of top management thinkers since 2011 (most recently number 1 in 2023), and selected in 2019 as the number 1 most influential thinker in Human Resources by HR Magazine.^[4]

Awards

• Winner of the 2019 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Organization Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management.^[11]
• Named the Most Influential International Thinker in Human Resources by HR Magazine in 2019.^[12]
• Winner of the 2019 Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award for being a “pioneer of psychological safety and author of The Fearless Organization, a ground-breaking blueprint on creating a fear-free culture.”^[10]
• Ranked #3 in the 2019 Thinkers50 list—a list of world's most influential management thinkers.^[10]
• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (John Wiley & Sons, 2018) was named one of the Best International Non-Fiction Books of 2019 by the Sharjah International Book Fair.^[13]
• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth (John Wiley & Sons, 2018) was listed as #14 on the Porchlight Business Best Seller list in 2019.^[14]
• Winner of the 2018 Sumantra Ghoshal Award for Rigour and Relevance in the Study of Management from London Business School.^[15]
• Winner of the First Annual OBHR Distinguished Scholar Award from Purdue University's Krannert School of Management in 2017.^[16]
• Awarded the Doctorem Honoris Causa from Universiteit Maastricht in 2013.^{[17] [18]}
• Finalist for the 2019 McKinsey Award for the Best Article in Harvard Business Review for "Cross-Silo Leadership" (May–June 2019) with Tiziana Casciaro and Sujin Jang.^[19]
• Winner of the FT Business Book of the Year for 2023 for The Right Kind of Wrong ^[20]

Personal

Edmondson married George Q. Daley in 1995.^[21]

Published works

• Edmondson, A. (2018). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. (John Wiley & Sons)
• Edmondson, A & Jean-François Harvey (2017). Extreme Teaming: Lessons in Complex, Cross-Sector Leadership. (Emerald Publishing Limited).
• Edmondson, A & Susan Salter Reynolds. (2016). Building the Future: Big Teaming for Audacious Innovation. (Berret Kohlers Publishers, Inc).
• Edmondson, A. (2012). Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy. (John Wiley & Sons)
• Edmondson, A. (2013) Teaming to Innovate. (John Wiley & Sons)
• Edmondson, A. (2023) Right Kind of Wrong. Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster).

Notes and References

1. Book: Henn, Rebecca L. Constructing Green: The Social Structures of Sustainability. Hoffman. Andrew J.. MIT Press. 2013. 9780262019415. Cambridge, MA. 384.
2. News: Why Aren’t We Talking About LinkedIn?. Herrman. John. 2019-08-08. The New York Times. 2019-10-18. en-US. 0362-4331.
3. Web site: 737 Max Crashes Raised Questions About Boeing's Culture. Soon Its CEO Will Have to Answer Them. Fortune. en. 2019-10-18.
4. Web site: Amy Edmondson. 4 May 2021. Ted.
5. Web site: Right Kind of Wrong.
6. Web site: Make Your Employees Feel Psychologically Safe. 2018-11-26. HBS Working Knowledge. en-us. 2019-10-18.
7. Web site: Amy Edmondson. 4 May 2021. Cross Knowledge.
8. Web site: Amy Edmondson. 4 May 2021. Institute of Education.
9. Web site: Amy Edmondson. 4 May 2021. Harvard Business School.
10. Web site: Amy Edmondson. 4 May 2021. Thinkers 50.
11. Web site: ODC Distinguished Scholar Presentation: Amy Edmondson. 4 May 2021. AOM.
12. Web site: HRMI 2019: Amy Edmondson tops list of influential thinkers. 4 May 2021. HR Magazine.
13. Web site: 38th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair inaugurated. 4 May 2021. Bahrain News Agency.
14. Web site: Business Bestsellers. 4 May 2021. Porchlight Books.
15. Web site: London Business School. 4 May 2021. 2010 - 2020 Ghoshal Award Winners.
16. Web site: OBHR Distinguished Scholar Speaker Series, Amy C. Edmondson - Harvard School of Business. 4 May 2021. Purdue University.
17. Web site: Prof. Amy Edmondson Receives Honorary Doctorate from Maastricht University. 4 May 2021. Harvard Business School.
18. Web site: Amy C. Edmondson receives honorary doctorate at 38th Dies Natalis Maastricht University. 4 May 2021. Talk In Business.
19. Web site: Harvard Business Review Announces 61st Annual HBR McKinsey Award Winners. 4 May 2021. Harvard Business School.
20. News: Hill . Andrew . 2023-09-21 . FT Business Book of the Year 2023 — the shortlist . Financial Times . 2023-09-24.
21. Web site: Weddings - Amy Edmondson George Q Daley. 4 May 2021. New York Times.