March 19, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 pm ET
Free, registration required to obtain login information
Online
Justin Berg
Associate Professor of Management & Organizations
University of Michigan
About the talk
In today’s world, the ability to consistently innovate and keep delivering hits is more important than ever before. But what are the secrets behind repeat innovation? How do some creators manage to not only break through once but continue to produce innovative work time and time again? In this talk, Justin Berg will dive deep into the mechanisms that fuel continuous creativity and success. Drawing on his cutting-edge scientific research, Justin will unveil the patterns, practices, and mindsets of those who achieve sustained innovation, using compelling case studies to bring these concepts to life. He will explore the benefits of building a diverse portfolio of ideas and experiences, the critical balance between leveraging past successes and venturing into new territories, and the role of continuity and conviction in overcoming inevitable setbacks.
About Berg
Justin Berg is an award-winning researcher and teacher on the science of creativity and innovation. He holds a PhD in management and organizational behavior from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. After spending a decade on the faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, he realized his longtime dream of returning to the University of Michigan – his undergraduate alma mater – as a tenured professor at the Ross School of Business. His groundbreaking research reveals how we can identify our own and others’ most promising ideas, and what differentiates “one-hit wonders” who struggle to repeat their initial success from “hitmakers” who are able to consistently produce successful innovations.
Justin has studied and consulted for a wide range of organizations and industries, uncovering how to unleash originality in Hollywood films, songs, and circus acts, as well as in Fortune 50 technology companies and manufacturing firms. He has been invited to discuss his pioneering work on top podcasts, including Hidden Brain and Freakonomics, and his insights have been featured in BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Harvard Business Review. Prior to graduate school, Justin was an R&D Consultant for the Center for Positive Organizations at Michigan Ross. During this time, he led the invention of the Job Crafting™ Exercise (along with Jane Dutton and Amy Wrzesniewski), which is a tool that helps people creatively redesign their jobs to be more engaging and fulfilling.
Stay connected with Justin:
LinkedIn profile
Personal website
Host
Monica Worline, Faculty Director, Center for Positive Organizations
Positive Links Speaker Series Sponsors
The Center for Positive Organizations thanks the Sanger Leadership Center, Tauber Institute for Global Operations, and Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies for their support of the 2024-25 Positive Links Speaker Series.
Positive Links Series Promotional Partners
Additionally, we thank Ann Arbor SPARK, the Managerial and Organizational Cognition (MOC) Division of the Academy of Management, and the Organization Development and Change (ODC) Division of the Academy of Management for their Positive Links Speaker Series promotional partnerships.
