Eric J. Michel

Assistant Professor

Department

Management

Awards

• NIU Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award for outstanding undergraduate teaching (distinction at the University-wide, College of Business, and Department of Management levels), 2024
• NIU “Most Valuable Professor” Award for best NIU College of Business instructor as voted on by B.S. in Business Administration students, 2021 and 2023
• Best Overall Doctoral Student Paper Award, Southern Management Association, 2019
• Overall All-Academy Finalist, William H. Newman Award for Best Paper Based on a Dissertation, Academy of Management, 2018
• Best Paper in the Human Resources Division Based on a Dissertation, Academy of Management, 2018
• Finalist/Runner-Up, Saroj Parasuraman Award from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division of the Academy of Management for best peer-reviewed journal article in the field of gender and diversity, 2018
• Best Overall Conference Paper, Southern Management Association, 2014

Education

• Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior
• Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Scholar, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
• M.B.A., Bradley University, Peoria, IL, Management
• B.A., Bradley University, Peoria, IL, Political Science and International Studies

Biography

Eric J. Michel (last name pronounced "Michelle") is an assistant professor of Management in the Department of Management at NIU. He earned his Ph.D. in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019. While pursuing his doctorate, Professor Michel was a Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Scholar at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. A two-time graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, IL, he earned a B.A. in 2004 (double major in Political Science and International Studies) and an MBA in 2007.

Professor Michel’s research program explores the mechanisms that contribute to positive experiences at work. Specifically, he conducts research on topics in both organizational behavior (e.g., leadership, predictors of career success) and human resource management (e.g., work engagement, the employee-organization relationship). He has a particular interest and expertise in frontline service environments, as he has researched the work experiences of registered nurses, business consultants, and management teams of a national restaurant chain. Professor Michel is a member of the Cross-Cultural Collaboration on Contemporary Careers (5C) consortium of international careers researchers where he represents the United States delegation.

Professor Michel’s research has appeared or been accepted for publication in the Journal of Management, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, among other academic outlets. To date, his research program has generated in excess of $123,000 in research grant funding from organizations including the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation and the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership and received numerous "Best Paper" awards from organizations including the Academy of Management, American Marketing Association, Southern Management Association, and the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion International Conference. Professor Michel possesses expertise in the areas of employee engagement, servant leadership, and the strategic implications of organizational culture and has served as a consultant for numerous small- and medium-sized organizations.

Teaching Areas

• Principles of Management (MGMT 333)
• Introduction to Human Resource Management (MGMT 355)
• Compensation and Benefits Administration (MGMT 436)
• Employment Law (MGMT 448)
• Negotiations (MGMT 457)
• Organizational Behavior (MGMT 635, Global MBA and Chicago MBA)
• International Management (MGMT 647, Schaumburg MBA)

Selected Publications

Lindsey-Hall, K., Michel, E. J., Kepes, S., Qi, M., Weinzimmer, L. G., Wheeler, A. R., and Leon, M. R (2023). A Q&A primer and systematic review of meta-analytic reporting in organizational frontline service research. Journal of Service Management, 34(5), 995-1020.

Michel, E. J., Lindsey-Hall, K., Kepes, S., Qi, M., Leon, M. R., Weinzimmer, L. G., and Wheeler, A. R. (2023). Bridging two tales of engagement: A meta-analytic review of employee engagement and customer engagement in service contexts. Journal of Service Management, 34(5), 843-866.

Weinzimmer, L. G., Esken, C. A., Michel, E. J., McDowell, W. C., and Mahto, R. V. (2023). The differential impact of strategic aggressiveness on firm performance: The role of firm size. Journal of Business Research, 148, 113623.

Zhong, M., Wayne, S. J., and Michel, E. J. (2023). When the past and the present collide: Contrast effect of sequential psychological contract breaches on employee outcomes. Journal of Management, 49(3), 919-943.

Hoobler, J. M., Masterson, C. R., Nkomo, S., and Michel, E. J. (2018). The business case for women leaders: Meta-analysis, research critique, and path forward. Journal of Management, 44(6): 2473-2499.