Robert Joss

Research Statement

Robert Joss has been a long-time student and practitioner of general management and organizational leadership. His interests and work lead him to explore such issues as (a) what makes managers and leaders effective, (b) how can people be developed to be good managers and leaders, and (c) what causes people to succeed or fail in these important roles.

Bio

A leader in global banking, a former U.S. Treasury Department official, and a Stanford Graduate School of Business MBA (’67) and PhD (’70), Robert Joss became the eighth dean of the Business School in 1999. He served as dean for 10 years–overseeing the introduction of a new MBA curriculum, the institution of new collaborations between the school and Stanford University, and the construction of a new Business School campus which opened in 2011. He continues to teach leadership and management in the school’s MBA curriculum.

Prior to joining the Business School as dean, Joss was chief executive officer of Westpac Banking Corporation, one of Australia’s largest banks, a post he held for six years. At Westpac, he was credited with refocusing the bank strategically, modernizing operations, and building a culture of teamwork, customer focus, open communication, and community support. Bank shareholders also benefited substantially during and after his tenure.

Before going to Australia, Joss held a variety of posts at San Francisco-based Wells Fargo Bank between 1971 and 1993, serving from 1986 onward as vice chairman. Prior to Wells Fargo, Joss worked 3 years at the U. S. Treasury, first as a White House Fellow and then as deputy to the assistant secretary for economic policy.

He is currently a director of Bechtel Group, Makena Capital Management, SRI International and CM Capital; was formerly a director of Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co, Westpac Banking Corp, and Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd.; and is active in Australian-American affairs, serving as Co-chair of the Advisory Board for the U.S. Studies Center at Sydney University and is a member of the U.S. Advisory Council for the American Australian Association. In 2001 he received the Centenary Medal for service to Australian society, and in 2013 was named by the Australian Financial Review as one of the 50 figures who most shaped the nation’s business landscape over the preceding half century. In 2016 he received the Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest national citizen honor, in recognition of his service to Australia’s business, financial, and academic sectors.

Academic Degrees

• PhD, Stanford University, 1970
• MBA, Stanford University, 1967
• Sloan Fellow, Stanford University, 1966
• BA (magna cum laude) University of Washington, 1963

Academic Appointments

• At Stanford University since 1999

Professional Experience

• CEO and Managing Director, Westpac Banking Corporation, 1993-1999
• Vice Chairman, Wells Fargo Bank, 1986-1993
• Executive Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank, 1981-1986
• Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank, 1975-1981
• Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank, 1972-1975
• Assistant Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank, 1971-1972
• Deputy to Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Treasury Department, 1968-1971
• White House Fellow, The White House, 1968-1969

Awards and Honors

• Companion of the Order of Australia, 2016
• Ernest C. Arbuckle Award, Stanford GSB Alumni Association, 2012
• Honorary Doctor in Business, Konkuk University - William F. Miller School of Management, Korea, 2009
• Centenary Medal, Commonwealth of Australia, 2001
• Meritorious Service Award, U.S. Treasury Department, 1971
• White House Fellow, The White House, 1968
• Phi Beta Kappa, 1963

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

GSBGEN 550: Issues in Leadership

This seminar will explore the nature and role of leadership in organizations. We will examine such questions as (1) What is leadership? (2) Why is it important? (3) What is it that leaders actually do? (4) How do they do it? (5) How are leaders...

2016-17

GSBGEN 550: Issues in Leadership

This seminar will explore the nature and role of leadership in organizations. We will examine such questions as (1) What is leadership? (2) Why is it important? (3) What is it that leaders actually do? (4) How do they do it? (5) How are leaders...

In the Media

How Can Leaders Inspire People in Difficult Times?

Journal of High Tech HR Forums, January 2009

Firm Belief in a Noble Calling

Financial Times, June 11, 2009

On the Record: Robert Joss

US New & World Report, October 24, 2006

Dean Joss Envisions Larger Business School Role in Multidisciplinary Graduate Education

Stanford Report, November 12, 2005

It's About People, Not Product: Evolution of Curriculum at Stanford GSB

Silicon Valley Business Journal, March 28, 2005

View from the Top: Former GE CEO Jack Welch in Conversation with Dean Joss

Commonwealth Club audio, January 2005

Stanford Dean Has Seen Boom, Bust, and Beyond

Boston Globe, December 7, 2004

Your Career Matters: Business Schools Expand MBAs for Executives

Wall Street Journal, January 2003

Dean's Corner

AACSB eNewsline, January 2003

Risky Business

Sydney Morning Herald, August 13, 2002

How to Make a Leader

The Economist, February 28, 2002

Rethinking, Even at the Top

The Economist, February 28, 2002

School Seeks to Lead the Field in Leadership

Financial Times, January 2002

Stanford Looks Ahead

Bloomberg Businessweek, November 19, 2001

Where Small is Beautiful

Financial Times, January 2001

Management: American Accents in Australian Executive Suites

New York Times, December 15, 2000

Wells Fargo & Co. Names Robert L. Joss to Board of Directors

Wells Fargo Press Release, October 28, 1999

Stanford Picks Alum to Run Its B-School

BusinessWeek, May 15, 1999

Insights by Stanford Business

writtenJapanese Alumni Test Their Post-Disaster Leadership Mettle

May 1, 2011

As Japan shifts from disaster relief to rebuilding, GSB alumni see opportunities for change and renewal.

writtenManagement Values that Count

May 11, 2009

Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Robert L. Joss recalls powerful lessons from his grandfather, a dairy farmer.

writtenLeadership Is Responsibility, Not Power

May 1, 2009

Stanford GSB Dean Robert L. Joss delivers the year's last View From The Top lecture. He plans to continue teaching after leaving the dean's office.

writtenRobert Joss Outlines Modern Finance and Leadership Challenges

December 12, 2007

Stanford GSB dean delivers International Distinguished Lecture at the Melbourne Centre for Financial Studies in Australia.

writtenRobert Joss: "Leadership Is Not About You"

August 1, 2007

The dean of Stanford GSB says, the day you become a leader, it's about the people who work for you.

writtenJoss Challenges Alumni to Change the World

March 1, 2005

Business is not only an economic, but also a social institution that should be used to solve some of the world's most difficult challenges, said Joss.

writtenRobert Joss: Beware the Shortcut to the Top

February 1, 2002

In a seminar, the Stanford GSB dean explains that many organizations don't properly think through when to put certain employees in top jobs.