About Stephan
Photo Credit: Hallie Burton
I am the Chair of the Management Division and the James P. Gorman Professor of Business Strategy at Columbia Business School.
I grew up in Switzerland, a country where many cultures interact, and I have been fascinated by how people interact with each other since I was young. This interest led me to an MA in history, economics and political science at the University of Zuerich (Switzerland) and then a doctorate in economics at the same institution. Ever since my work as a PhD student, I have studied how both motivation beyond income maximization and limited rationality affects decision-making and impacts organization. My doctoral thesis was on non-selfish behavior and its implication for organizations. After I came to the U.S., I worked as a senior economist at the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision-Making at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. At the Fed, I began to deeply appreciate the value and importance of evidence-based policy making.
Since 2008, I have been teaching and researching at Columbia Business School. I teach about the ‘human side’ of strategy in our MBA program and executive education programs. As the coordinator for our core strategy course, I shaped how our MBA students learn about strategy formulation. In addition, I designed and taught a number of electives about global business, future of work and consulting. I was honored with an award for Excellence in the Classroom.
I live with my family in Manhattan and have opportunities to observe human behavior on a daily basis in the Big Apple. In my free time, I enjoy traveling to as many places as possible, going to all types of art events, sailing, playing the drums (not good but loud!) and spending time with my family.
In some of my free time, I create LEGO stop-motion movies related to my book and research. How did it all start? In the winter of 2022/23, I was writing my first book while juggling professional responsibilities such as chairing the management division, teaching multiple classes, and keeping up with my research. To say I was stressed and exhausted would be an understatement. I desperately needed something grounding for my own sake and my family’s. At an airport bookstore, I came across a book about LEGO stop-motion movies, bought it, and embarked on a journey of meditative stop-motion movie making. Nothing more grounding than moving minifigures a tiny bit frame by frame 😀
All the movies are connected to concepts from the book. They remind me that work can and should be enjoyable, and that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. Hope you find them fun too.