William P. Barnett

Professor, Organizational Behavior

William P. Barnett

The Thomas M. Siebel Professor of Business Leadership, Strategy, and Organizations

Professor, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Senior Fellow, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
Academic Area:

Additional Administrative Titles

Director, Stanford Initiative on Business and Environmental Sustainability
Director, Stanford Executive Program: Be a Leader Who Matters

Research Statement

Barnett studies how organizations are responding to the challenge of environmental sustainability. He is now establishing research sites around the world, investigating a number of areas where organizational adaptation is key, including: the proliferation of climate tech start ups, issues around environmental justice, the challenge of climate migration, and the urgent need to preserve the world's rainforests.

Bio

William Barnett is the Thomas M. Siebel Professor of Business Leadership, Strategy, and Organizations at Stanford Graduate School of Business. After receiving his PhD in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988, Barnett was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Business. In 1991, Barnett came to Stanford Graduate School of Business as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor in 1994 and received tenure in 1996, and has been a full professor since 2001. Barnett has also twice been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and is a senior fellow of the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. Barnett serves as a senior or associate editor for several academic journals.

Academic Degrees

  • PhD in Business Administration, University of California, Berkeley, 1988
  • BA in Political Science and Economics, University of California, Berkeley, 1982

Academic Appointments

  • The Thomas M. Siebel Professor of Business Leadership, Strategy, and Organizations, Stanford GSB, 2004-present
  • Professor of Strategic Management and Organizational Behavior, Stanford GSB, 2001–04
  • Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Organizational Behavior, Stanford GSB, 1996–2001
  • Associate Professor of Strategic Management, Stanford GSB, 1994–96
  • Assistant Professor of Strategic Management, Stanford GSB, 1991–94
  • Assistant Professor of Management, Graduate School of Business, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1988–91

Awards and Honors

  • Srivani Faculty Fellow, 2022–23

Publications

Journal Articles

William P. Barnett, Mooweon Rhee, Elise Tak
Strategy Science
December 2022 Vol. 7 Issue 4 Pages 267–349
William P. Barnett, Xiao Xiao, Yi Zhou
Sociological Science
June 21, 2021 Vol. 8 Issue 11 Pages 211–229
William P. Barnett
Strategy Science
December 2017 Vol. 2 Issue 4 Pages 212-219
Elizabeth Pontikes, William P. Barnett
Administrative Science Quarterly
March 1, 2017 Vol. 62 Issue 1 Pages 140-178
William P. Barnett, Daniel Levinthal
Strategy Science
March 2017 Vol. 2 Issue 1 Pages i-v
Elizabeth Pontikes, William P. Barnett
Strategy Science
March 2017 Vol. 2 Issue 1 Pages 64-82
Elizabeth Pontikes, William P. Barnett
Organization Science
2015 Vol. 26 Issue 5 Pages 1415-1431
William P. Barnett, Mi Feng, Xaioqu Luo
Industrial and Corporate Change
2013 Vol. 22 Issue 3 Pages 585-615
William P. Barnett, Stanislav D. Dobrev
Academy of Management Journal
2005 Vol. 48 Issue 3 Pages 433-449
William P. Barnett, David G. McKendrick
Administrative Science Quarterly
December 2004 Vol. 49 Issue 4 Pages 535-571
William P. Barnett, Michael Woywode
American Journal of Sociology
May 2004 Vol. 109 Issue 6 Pages 1452-1499
William P. Barnett, Aimee‐Noelle Swanson, Olav Sorenson
Industrial and Corporate Change
2003 Vol. 12 Issue 4 Pages 673-695
William P. Barnett, Olav Sorenson
Industrial and Corporate Change
2002 Vol. 11 Issue 2 Pages 289-325
William P. Barnett, John Freeman
Organization Science
2001 Vol. 12 Issue 5 Pages 539-558
William P. Barnett, James N. Baron, Toby E. Stuart
American Journal of Sociology
2000 Vol. 106 Issue 1 Pages 88-144
William P. Barnett, Gary A. Mischke, William Ocasio
Organization Studies
2000 Vol. 21 Issue 2 Pages 325-354
William P. Barnett
Administrative Science Quarterly
1997 Vol. 42 Issue 1 Pages 128-160
William P. Barnett, Robert A. Burgelman
Strategic Management Journal
1996 Vol. 17 Issue S1 Pages 5-19
William P. Barnett, Morten T. Hansen
Strategic Management Journal
1996 Vol. 17 Issue S1 Pages 139–157
William P. Barnett, Henrich R. Greve, Douglas Y. Park
Strategic Management Journal
1994 Vol. 15 Issue S1 Pages 11–28
William P. Barnett, Glenn R. Carroll
Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization
1993 Vol. 9 Issue 1 Pages 98-126
Terry L. Amburgey, Dawn Kelly, William P. Barnett
Administrative Science Quarterly
1993 Vol. 38 Issue 1 Pages 51-73
William P. Barnett
Industrial and Corporate Change
1993 Vol. 2 Issue 2 Pages 249-278
William P. Barnett, Anne S. Miner
Administrative Science Quarterly
1992 Vol. 37 Issue 2 Pages 262-281
William P. Barnett
Administrative Science Quarterly
1990 Vol. 35 Issue 1 Pages 31-60
Charles A. O’Reilly, David F. Caldwell, William P. Barnett
Administrative Science Quarterly
1989 Vol. 34 Issue 1 Pages 21-37
William P. Barnett, Glenn R. Carroll
Administrative Science Quarterly
1987 Vol. 32 Issue 3 Pages 400-421

Books

William P. Barnett
Princeton University Press
Princeton
2008

Book Chapters

William P. Barnett
Emerging Trends in the Behavioral and Social Sciences
2017
William P. Barnett, Elizabeth G. Pontikes
Research in Organizational Behavior
2004 Vol. 26 Pages 351–371
William P. Barnett, Glenn R. Carroll
Annual Review of Sociology
1995 Vol. 21 Pages 217-236
William P. Barnett
Evolutionary Dynamics of Organizations
23, 1994 Pages 337-354
William P. Barnett, Glenn R. Carroll
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Organizations
1993
William P. Barnett, Terry L. Amburgey
Organizational Evolution: New Directions
1990 Pages 78-102

Teaching

Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs

Guide your organization through growth with innovative CFO training that blends financial expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership skills.
Drive and sustain innovation and operational excellence. Strengthen collaboration with C-suite leaders to translate strategies into actionable plans.
Discover business growth strategies and build a stronger company designed to sustain progress, scale management, and facilitate market expansion.
Gain general management training — combining conceptual knowledge with individual experiences — and increase your impact in the nonprofit sector.
Effectively diagnose and solve problems using proven frameworks for executing change in this multidisciplinary strategic management course.
Evolve as a leader in an executive education program that reinvigorates and ramps up your professional journey.
Transform knowledge into impact and drive innovation and change in your organization with Stanford LEAD, our flagship online business program.
Make the business case for sustainability with strategic and financial frameworks, personal leadership skills, and a deeper knowledge of today’s sustainability landscape.

Stanford Case Studies

Mooweon Rhee, Jae-Gu Kim, William P. Barnett
2022
Mooweon Rhee, Jae-Gu Kim, William P. Barnett
2021
William F Meehan III, Charles G Prober, Randi Zeeler
2020
William F Meehan III, Charles G Prober, Sheila Melvin
2020
William Barnett, Robert Siegel, Laila AlJasem
2020
William F Meehan III, Charles G Prober, Sheila Melvin, Bernadette Clavier
2020
William Barnett, Gary Mekikian, Christy Johnson
2020
Yong Suk Jang, Mooweon Rhee, Tae-won Chey, William P. Barnett
2019
Mooweon Rhee, Dongyoub Shin, William P. Barnett
2019
William Barnett, Christy Johnson, Morgan Salama
2018
William Barnett, Adam Markovitz
2018
William Barnett, Christy Johnson
2017
SM289
William P. Barnett, Christy Johnson, Sahver Kaya
2017
William P Barnett, Mooweon Rhee, Dongyub Shin
2017
William Barnett, Pamela Matson, Julia Novy-Hildesley, Julia G. Mason, Alana F. Springer
2016
William P. Barnett, Debra Schifrin
2016
William P. Barnett, Mooweon Rhee, Sang-Hoon Kim
2015
William Barnett, Gary Mekikian
2013
William Barnett, Arar Han
2012
William Barnett, Mi Feng, Xiaoqu Luo
2010
William Barnett, Sara Leslie
2010
William Barnett, Sara Leslie
2010
Condoleezza Rice, William Barnett, Cameron Bell
2009
William Barnett, Sara Leslie
2009
Condoleezza Rice, William Barnett, Cecilia Hyunjung Mo
2009
William Barnett, Gary Mekikian
2008
William Barnett, Jae-Gu Kim, Mooweon Rhee
2008
E224
William Barnett, Mike Harkey
2006
SM92
William Barnett, Peter Lorentzen
2005
E77A
William Barnett, Keith Sigg
2005
William Barnett, Dave Boennighausen
2004
William Barnett, Brad Wolfe
2004
SM128
William Barnett, Ilya Levtov
2004
William Barnett, David McKendrick, Kyra Gebhardt
2004
William Barnett, Terry Cumes, William Durham, Roderick Morris
2003
William Barnett, William Durham
2003
William Barnett, William Durham, Nathaniel Fisher
2003
William Barnett, James March, Mooweon Rhee
2003
William Barnett, Jamie Earle
2003
William Barnett, Charles Holloway, Jamie Earle
2003
William Barnett, Charles Holloway, Jamie Earle
2003
William Barnett, Erik Budde, William Durham
2003
William Barnett, Janet Feldstein
2002
William Barnett, Andrea Higuera, Aimee Swanson
2002
William Barnett, Andrea Higuera, Aimee Swanson
2002
William Barnett, Peter Lorentzen
2002
William Barnett, Brady Beaubien, William Durham
2002
William Barnett, Glenn Carroll, Victoria Chang
2001
William Barnett, Glenn Carroll, Victoria Chang
2001
William Barnett, Christopher Flanagan, Jason Salgado
2001
William Barnett, Jeff Chambers, Nathaniel Durant
1999
William Barnett, Heather MacDonald Stefanski
1999
William Barnett, Jeff Chambers, Pratap Mukherjee
1999
William Barnett, Lauren Dutton
1998
William Barnett, Jane Wei
1997
William Barnett, Glenn Carroll, Wendy Harrington
1995
William Barnett, Paul Reddy
1995
William Barnett, Nicolas Vandenberghe
1994
William Barnett, Wendy Harrington
1994

Insights by Stanford Business

February 20, 2024
If we want to seriously address the climate crisis, then we need to encourage foolish business ideas.
December 07, 2023
Communication. Power. Technology. Finance. This year’s podcast roundup has something for everyone.
December 06, 2022
Our favorite episodes from the past year delve into business topics from workplace communication and power to technology, finance, and economics.
December 03, 2019
Good leaders recognize the negative consequences of pitting people and teams against each other.
December 04, 2017
Readers keyed into humor’s workplace value, the secret to improving communication skills, and advice from Sheryl Sandberg and Marc Andreessen.
March 07, 2017
It’s not that big companies are bad at inventing; it’s that they’re bad at organizational shifts.
January 25, 2017
Kill consensus and beware the false negative, says one Stanford GSB professor.
April 21, 2016
Want to spot a unicorn? Look for the horse running against the herd.
November 23, 2015
Sometimes it pays to define your product market more broadly.
April 30, 2015
Those in the know share where to go to learn more about reward and related topics.
November 21, 2014
Competition raises the bar for rivals to do better.
October 02, 2014
A study finds that bucking the trend can lead to entrepreneurial success.
December 01, 2010
New studies show that firms implementing systematic management practices improved their productivity by 10 percent reduced defects by 60 percent.
August 01, 2002
Researchers in the growing field of organizational ecology say it's vital to look at the entire life cycle of the business, including the failures.

School News

January 18, 2024
If/Then aims to help business leaders address modern problems
October 19, 2023
Executives focused on sustainability and impact talk about their expanding roles and how collaboration drives their work.
May 31, 2023
Bolstered by a partnership with Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford GSB increases support for resources catalyzing climate solutions.
April 11, 2023
Sustainability conference series aims to “accelerate progress.”
June 02, 2022
Stanford Executive Program participants say immersive sessions reenergized their work lives.
November 01, 2016
A leading program to train executives to drive change in their organizations, Stanford’s flagship SEP itself underwent changes this year.
January 31, 2011
Structured trips provide intellectual and emotional experiences with other cultures for Stanford MBA students learning to lead in a global economy.
June 14, 2008
At commencement, Dean Joss expressed appreciation for the “record-smashing” MBA class gift of more than $1.2 million, pledged by 96% of the class.
September 01, 2007
Uncommon gathering of people from private, public, and nonprofit sectors come together to grapple with tough issues.