Jeffrey LePine, Ph.D.

Professor of Management

College of Business

2010 Awardee

Jeff LePine conducts research on factors that influence individual and team functioning and effectiveness, especially in stressful and dynamic work contexts. His research on this broad and important topic has shown that the set of factors that influence the success of individuals and teams in work contexts where adaptability is required is fundamentally different than the set of factors involved in work contexts that are more routine and predictable. For example, he has identified traits of individuals and characteristics of teams that make them effective in one context, but ineffective in the other. This research has significant implications to employers who are faced with the dilemma of staffing jobs where employees or teams of employees need to perform effectively in both environments.

LePine is currently focusing his research on the impact that specific types of stressful work demands have on employee effectiveness. His numerous studies have demonstrated that although high levels of all types of work demands deplete energy and result in feelings of exhaustion and burnout, the ultimate effect of work demands on employee effectiveness depends a great deal on the nature of the demands the employee is confronted with. For example, whereas demands such as hassles, politics, red tape, and conflict tend to be associated with lower employee satisfaction, commitment, engagement, and performance, demands such as time pressure, challenge, and responsibility appear to have effects that are exactly opposite.

LePine has also made numerous contributions related to the understanding of factors that can be managed to influence facets of employee performance such as teamwork, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee engagement.

LePine is currently serving as Associate Editor for the Academy of Management Review, and has served on the editorial boards of most of the major journals in management and organizational behavior. He is a fellow of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.