Michael R. Parke
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
“Michael is a total star in the classroom and as a researcher. He’s one of our highest rated professors at Wharton, as well as one of our most well-published young scholars. Not only is he supremely competent, he’s also supremely caring.
“Michael is the kind of teacher who goes above and beyond. He’ll stop to listen to students who need help. He’ll over prepare to ensure that he’s covered all the bases of a difficult concept. He’s the kind of person who doesn’t just do what’s required because it’s rewarded. Instead, he’ll do what’s best for students even if it’s not measured or expected. Because he cares. He really cares.” – Exequiel (Zeke) Hernandez; Max and Bernice Garchik Family Presidential Associate Professor
Michael R. Parke, 38, is Assistant Professor of Management at The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Charles W. Evans Distinguished Faculty Scholar. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School.
He studies proactivity at work — that is, how “we can work better,” and “make work better.” With the ever-accelerating pace, complexity, and dynamism of work, organizations increasingly rely on the proactivity of employees to anticipate and solve problems and generate ideas that capitalize on new opportunities. He investigates the environmental and emotional factors that motivate employees to speak up when problems arise and offer their insights in order to improve the overall effectiveness of their teams and organizations.
His work has been published in the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, Organization Science, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
He has received the Wharton Teaching Excellence Award every year he has taught at Wharton (2021, 2022, and 2023). In 2019, he was voted the Best Teacher by the graduating MBA class at London Business School.
Prior to academia, he worked as a management consultant and held leadership roles in several start-up companies.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2020
Education: PhD, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park; BBA, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
List of MBA courses you currently teach: Teamwork and Leadership
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… As an undergrad, I had no clue what I wanted to be, but I did know that I cared deeply about self-development and helping others become better versions of themselves. I also loved coaching, entrepreneurship, and organizational psychology. So, after I graduated, I experimented. I tried to craft a career based on my interests—I coached youth soccer, worked in several startups, conducted research with management professors, and did some freelance management consulting. After several years working these different gigs, I realized that being a professor of management might be the best way to combine and pursue my many interests while simultaneously living out my core values of autonomy, entrepreneurial spirit, and empowering others.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? One current project I am very excited about is my work with Grace Simon on the concept of “affect labeling”—which is identifying and verbalizing your feelings (i.e., putting feelings into words). I think we can all relate to a time when we felt frustrated or worried about an issue we were facing at work. We wanted to understand what happens when employees label these types of feelings to their managers (e.g., saying out loud “I’m worried” or “I’m frustrated”), and the results are quite cool.
Traditionally, the advice has been to keep a lid on negative emotions because they might make managers see the issue you raise as less important or even disruptive. However, we show how the act of verbalizing one’s negative feelings when raising issues to managers can help transform negative feelings from being seen as a harmful disruption to being seen as useful data. Across both field and experimental studies, we find that affect labeling of negative feelings when speaking up with issues (compared to non-verbal expressions of negative emotions) leads managers to value and act on these employees’ issues more because managers feel they can better trust and rely on the information being shared.
So based on our findings, next time you feel upset or worried about an issue at work, you may want to avoid leaking the negative emotion to your manager; instead, you may benefit from labeling it.
If I weren’t a business school professor… I’d be some type of musician or music producer—most likely an aspiring electronic record producer and DJ.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? My ability to balance my bald head with my big beard.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Affirming—It felt like what “I want to be doing” and “what I should be doing” were in alignment.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: Someone did tell me this, which was invaluable! Rather than reading your course evaluations by yourself, have a trusted colleague read through your course evaluations with you. This colleague will help you avoid the negativity bias where you downplay the good and exaggerate the bad. And chances are they will be more balanced, objective, and compassionate in interpreting the feedback than you would be.
Professor I most admire and why: I admire so many professors, but if I had to comment on just one, I would say Sigal Barsade. As a doctoral student, I fell in love with research investigating emotions at work, and it was Sigal who transformed the field by establishing emotions as a legitimate and important topic to study in management research. In my personal interactions with Sigal, every time I spoke with her, I would always learn something new and feel uplifted. I will forever be grateful for the positive and inspirational impact Sigal has had on my research and career. Sigal, you are truly missed.
TEACHING MBA STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Their eagerness to apply what they learn in class to their work and life.
What is most challenging? 8:30am classes – they require more patience and gentle nudges from me because it turns out that getting to class on time and participating in class discussions is a bit harder for students at 8:30am compared to classes that start later in the day 😊
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious.
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Entitled.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… I think (and hope) they would describe me as fair and considerate.
LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? While I’m not sure this technically qualifies as a hobby, spending time with my two daughters and wife occupies most of my non-work time, and I absolutely cherish the time spent with them (and, I’m not just saying that in case they read this 😊). Additionally, I enjoy playing drums, guitar, and singing; recently, I’ve started experimenting with producing electronic music. I also love to travel and spend time with extended family and friends. Lastly, I’m a big sports fan—mainly University of Michigan sports and soccer.
How will you spend your summer? Working, family-ing, and traveling.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Tanzania and Zanzibar. My wife has family in Dar es Salaam, and we’ve been fortunate enough to travel to that region of Africa several times, most recently embarking on a safari to the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Favorite book(s): Can you ask me again in 40 years? I love most books I read, and it’s too difficult to choose a favorite right now. That said, the best book I’ve read recently is “A Death on W Street” by Andy Kroll.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? The Expanse! I highly recommend this TV series. In my opinion, it is the best television show I have ever seen. It is a realistic sci-fi show taking place a few hundred years in the future when humans have colonized the Solar System. It is a near perfect combination of (a) scientific intrigue: exploring the physics, dynamics, and wonder of outer space and the Solar System; (b) human psychology: applying psychological principles of the human species and applying them in this futuristic world; (c) thriller: cliff hangers, mysteries, and action-packed—the show keeps you on your toes!
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? This question is even more difficult than the book question! I enjoy most genres of music and have a wide variety that I listen to, including electronic, indie, pop, hip hop, folk, R&B, various types of rock, and so on.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… More emphasis on fostering students’ intellectual interests rather than just their instrumental interests. I think business schools should encourage and enable students to explore more of the topics they are intrinsically and genuinely interested in rather than create academic tracks where students feel they can only study topics that directly relate to their post-school careers.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… Seeking, valuing, and utilizing employees’ voices to improve the organization.
I’m grateful for… It takes a village to raise a professor. I’m deeply grateful for everyone who has had a profound impact on my journey: my wife, my kids, my parents, my siblings, my friends, my mentors, and my colleagues and students at Wharton, London Business School, and Maryland.
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