Stephen Courtright
Director, Flippen Leadership Institute; Professor of Management; Presidential Impact Fellow; Flip and Susan Flippen Endowed Chair, Department of Management- 979-862-3962
- stephen-courtright@tamu.edu
- Wehner 483B
Biography
Stephen Courtright is a Professor of Management, a Presidential Impact Fellow, and holder of the Flip and Susan Flippen Endowed Chair at Mays Business School. He earned his BS in Accounting from Brigham Young University–Idaho in 2006 and his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Iowa in 2012. Following an earlier stint at Texas A&M from 2012 to 2020, Dr. Courtright spent five years at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, where he held the Henry B. Tippie Professorship of Management, served as Director of Executive Education, and founded the Tippie Leadership Collaborative. He returned to Texas A&M in 2025 to help launch the Flippen Leadership Institute and serve as its inaugural director, shaping programs and research initiatives aimed at developing leaders of character in business and beyond.
Dr. Courtright’s research explores why some leaders inspire, empower, and unite while others harm, control, and divide, and how factors such as self-regulation, burnout, job challenges, family relationships, and faith influence those choices. His work has been published in leading journals, earned international awards, and been cited in over 10,000 other research studies. He has been interviewed by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and Forbes, and has written for Harvard Business Review, Deseret News, and Diplomatic Courier.
A recipient of multiple teaching honors, including the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award, Dr. Courtright was named one of the world’s Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors by Poets & Quants in 2022. He has led training and consulting efforts for dozens of organizations, including John Deere, Caterpillar, Halliburton, Saudi Aramco, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Above all, Dr. Courtright and his wife, Nicole, are the proud (and busy!) parents of four children. Together, they enjoy traveling, exploring the outdoors, watching Aggie sports, and serving in their church.
Education
- BS, Accounting (Magna cum Laude), Brigham Young University-Idaho, 2006
- Ph.D., Business Administration (Organizational Behavior), University of Iowa, 2012
Awards
- Faculty Member Making a Difference in the Lives of Graduating Seniors, University of Iowa (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- GREAT Executive MBA Instructor of the Year Award, University of Iowa (2022, 2023)
- Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professor, Poets & Quants (2022)
- Outstanding Service by a Faculty Member Award, University of Iowa (2022)
- MS HRM Program Award for Most Impactful Faculty Member, Texas A&M University (2019)
- Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award (2018)
- Kanter International Award for Research Excellence in Work and Family (2017)
- Outstanding Reviewer Award, Academy of Management Review (2016)
- Faculty Fellow, Innovation in High-Impact Learning Experiences, Texas A&M University (2015)
- Montague-Center for Teaching Excellence Scholar Award, Texas A&M University (2014)
- William H. Newman Award Finalist, Academy of Management (2012)
- Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Oustanding Dissertation Award, Network of Leadership Scholars (2012)
- SHRM Foundation Dissertation Grant Award, HR Division, Academy of Management (2011)
Publications
The beauty bias and leader emergence: A theoretical integration, extension, and meta-analysis.
Courtright, S. H., Thurgood, G. R., Liao, H., Morgan, T. J., & Wang, J. (2026). The beauty bias and leader emergence: A theoretical integration, extension, and meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 52: 1907-1937.
Why do bootlickers get empowered more than boat-rockers? The effects of voice and helping on empowering leadership through threat and goal congruence perceptions.
Smith, T. A., Dennerlein, T., Courtright, S. H., Kirkman, B. L., & Zhang, P. (2026). Why do bootlickers get empowered more than boat-rockers? The effects of voice and helping on empowering leadership through threat and goal congruence perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 111: 138-151.
Work-leisure blending: An integrative conceptual review and framework to guide future research.
Smith, T. A., Butts, M. M., Courtright, S. H., Duerden, M. D., & Widmer, M. A. (2022). Work-leisure blending: An integrative conceptual review and framework to guide future research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107: 560-580.
Transformed by the family: An episodic, attachment theory perspective on family-work enrichment and transformational leadership.
McClean, S. T., Yim, J., Courtright, S. H., & Dunford, B. (2021). Transformed by the family: An episodic, attachment theory perspective on family-work enrichment and transformational leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106: 1848-1866.
Making nice or faking nice? Exploring supervisors’ two-faced response to their past abusive behavior.
McClean, S. T., Courtright, S. H., Yim, J., & Smith, T. A. (2021). Making nice or faking nice? Exploring supervisors’ two-faced response to their past abusive behavior. Personnel Psychology, 74: 693-719.
Resetting the clock on dynamic leader behaviors: A conceptual integration and agenda for future research.
McClean, S. T., Barnes, C. M., Courtright, S. H., & Johnson, R. E. (2019). Resetting the clock on dynamic leader behaviors: A conceptual integration and agenda for future research. Academy of Management Annals, 13: 479-508.
Go your own way: Exploring the causes of individual top executive turnover.
Andrus, J., Withers, M., Courtright, S. H., & Boivie, S. (2019). Go your own way: Exploring the causes of individual top executive turnover. Strategic Management Journal, 40: 1151-1168.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: How teams rebound from early-stage relationship conflict.
Thiel, C. E., Harvey, J., Courtright, S. H., & Bradley, B. H. (2019). What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: How teams rebound from early-stage relationship conflict. Journal of Management, 45: 1623-1659.
Self-leadership: A paradoxical core of organizational behavior.
Stewart, G. L., Courtright, S. H., Manz, C. C. (2019). Self-leadership: A paradoxical core of organizational behavior. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6: 47-67.
Quality charters or quality members? A control theory perspective on team charters and team performance.
Courtright, S. H., McCormick, B. W., Mistry, S., & Wang, J. (2017). Quality charters or quality members? A control theory perspective on team charters and team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102: 1462-1470.
My family made me do it: A cross-domain, self-regulatory perspective on antecedents to abusive supervision.
Courtright, S. H., Gardner, R. G., Smith, T. A., McCormick, B. W., & Colbert, A. E. (2016). My family made me do it: A cross-domain, self-regulatory perspective on antecedents to abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal, 59: 1630-1652.
Channeled autonomy: The joint effects of autonomy and feedback on team performance through organization goal clarity.
Gonzalez-Mule, E., Courtright, S. H., Degeest, D. S., Seong, J. Y., & Hong, D. (2016). Channeled autonomy: The joint effects of autonomy and feedback on team performance through organization goal clarity. Journal of Management, 42: 2018-2033.
Structural interdependence in teams: An integrative framework and meta-analysis.
Courtright, S. H., Thurgood, G. R., Stewart, G. L., & Pierotti, A. J. (2015). Structural interdependence in teams: An integrative framework and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100: 1825-1846.
Collective organizational engagement: Linking motivational antecedents, strategic implementation, and firm performance.
Barrick, M. R., Thurgood, G. R., Smith, T. A., & Courtright, S. H. (2015). Collective organizational engagement: Linking motivational antecedents, strategic implementation, and firm performance. Academy of Management Journal, 58: 111-135.
Fired up or burned out? How developmental challenge differentially impacts leader behavior.
Courtright, S. H., Colbert, A. E., & Choi, D. (2014). Fired up or burned out? How developmental challenge differentially impacts leader behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99: 681-696.
A meta-analysis of sex differences in physical ability: Revised estimates and strategies for reducing differences in selection contexts.
Courtright, S. H., McCormick, B. W., Postlethwaite, B. E., Reeves, C.J., & Mount, M. K. (2013). A meta-analysis of sex differences in physical ability: Revised estimates and strategies for reducing differences in selection contexts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98: 623-641.
Peer-based control in self-managing teams: Linking rational and normative influence with individual and group performance.
Stewart, G. L., Courtright, S. H., & Barrick, M. R. (2012). Peer-based control in self-managing teams: Linking rational and normative influence with individual and group performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97: 435-447.
Applying research to save lives: Learning from team training approaches in aviation and healthcare.
Courtright, S. H., Stewart, G. L., & Ward, M. M. (2012). Applying research to save lives: Learning from team training approaches in aviation and healthcare. Organizational Dynamics, 41: 291-301.
Antecedents and consequences of psychological and team empowerment in organizations: A meta-analytic review.
S. E., Wang, G., & Courtright, S. H. (2011). Antecedents and consequences of psychological and team empowerment in organizations: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96: 981-1003.
Self-leadership: A multilevel review.
Stewart, G. L., Courtright, S. H., & Manz, C. C. (2011). Self-leadership: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 37: 185-222.
Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of research.
Wang, G., Oh, I., Courtright, S. H., & Colbert, A. E. (2011). Transformational leadership and performance across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of research. Group & Organization Management, 36: 223-270.