Paula Caproni

Research

Paula J. Caproni is on the faculty of the Management and Organizations Department at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.  Professor Caproni received her MBA from the University of Massachusetts and her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Yale University.

In addition to teaching in the Ross MBA and Executive programs, Professor Caproni is the Professional Development Coach for the Executive MBA Program.  She also teaches "Pathways to Professional Success" at the Ford School of Public Policy.  She has taught executives globally, including in Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Nigeria, the Philippines, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Vietnam.  In 2008, Caproni received the Victor L. Bernard Teaching Leadership Award for “outstanding contributions in the areas of leadership, interpersonal skills, and team development” at Ross.  Her book, “Management Skills for Everyday Life: The Practical Coach” is now in its third edition.  The book is designed to help managers enhance their job effectiveness, career potential, and general well-being. She is currently writing a new book called “What Predicts Success: What Researchers Know That You Don’t Know.”

In addition to teaching courses in leadership, management skills, coaching, and creating high performing teams, Professor Caproni teaches and consults with organizations in both the public and private sector.

Executive Leadership

Paula J. Caproni is a faculty member in the Management and Organizations Department at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.  Professor Caproni received her MBA from the University of Massachusetts and her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Yale University.
 
In addition to teaching about leadership skills, effective coaching, developing power and influence, and creating high performing teams in the University of Michigan MBA and Executive Programs, Professor Caproni served as the Academic Director of both the Full-Time and Part-Time MBA Programs.  She has coached over 500 executives and served as the lead Professional Development Coach for the Executive MBA Program and several Executive Education programs.  She has taught for the Helsinki School of Economics, the Catho Group (Brazil), the Ross Global MBA, and Executive Education programs in Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Hong-Kong, Malaysia, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.  She has worked with a variety of organizations, including Asian Development Bank, Ascension Health, Avon, Bank Saudi Fransi, Bank of America, Bank Negara, Bendix, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cigna Asia, Exxon, Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, Flagstar Bank, Ford Motor Company, Ford Medical Group, Internal Revenue Service, Lexmark, Management Sciences for Health, Mead Johnson, M & T Bank, Mopar, National Arts Strategies, the National Football League, Nokia, Onninen, Philips, Phelps-Dodge, Roland Berger Chemicals, Seminarium, University of Michigan Sports Management Program, and Wachovia.  She received the Victor Bernard award for Leadership in Teaching at the Ross School of Business in 2008, as well as the Executive Education Teaching Impact Award in 2013.  Her book, Management Skills for Everyday Life: The Practical Coach, is now in its third edition, and she is currently writing a book about creating high-performing teams.

She has presented her research at several conferences in the U.S. and abroad, including the Academy of Management Meetings, the Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference, the Academy of International Business, the European Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism, and the European Group for Organizational Studies.  Her article, “Work Life Balance: You Can’t Get There From Here” was awarded the McGregor Award by the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.
 
Professor Caproni served as a reviewer for several academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review, Human Resource Management Journal, the Journal of Management Inquiry, Journal of Management Education, and the Journal of Business Ethics.  She has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science and the Academy of Management Journal of Learning and Education.  She has also served on the Teaching Committee of the Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Division and the Board of Directors of the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society.