steve Taylor
Email
sst@wpi.edu
Office
Washburn Shops 202
Education
PhD Management and Organizational Studies Boston College 2000
MA Performing Arts Emerson College 1993
BS Humanities Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1982

My research is focused in two areas: Organizational aesthetics takes seriously the idea that management is as much an art as it is a science, and applies art-based scholarship and practice to management and organizations. Reflective practice is the ability to analyze our own actions and learn from that how to be more effective, ethical, and artful as managers and leaders. At the heart of my work as a researcher and teacher, is my own practice as a playwright. My plays have been performed in England, France, Poland, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, and the USA. From my work in the theater, I have come to realize that learning is a whole body sport and this belief informs both my research and teaching.

Visit Digital WPI to view student projects advised by Professor Taylor

steve Taylor
Email
sst@wpi.edu
Education
PhD Management and Organizational Studies Boston College 2000
MA Performing Arts Emerson College 1993
BS Humanities Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1982

My research is focused in two areas: Organizational aesthetics takes seriously the idea that management is as much an art as it is a science, and applies art-based scholarship and practice to management and organizations. Reflective practice is the ability to analyze our own actions and learn from that how to be more effective, ethical, and artful as managers and leaders. At the heart of my work as a researcher and teacher, is my own practice as a playwright. My plays have been performed in England, France, Poland, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, and the USA. From my work in the theater, I have come to realize that learning is a whole body sport and this belief informs both my research and teaching.

Visit Digital WPI to view student projects advised by Professor Taylor

Office
Washburn Shops 202
Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 4: Quality Education - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

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SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

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SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

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Preview Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Goal

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - Reduce inequality within and among countries

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SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

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Research Interests
Organizational Aesthetics
Reflective Practice
First Person Research
Beautiful Action
Creativity
The Craft of Leadership

Scholarly Work

Professor Taylor's research focuses on Organizational Aesthetics and Reflective Practice.

Featured works:

Creed W.E.D., Taylor S.S., Hudson B.A., (2020). Institutional Aesthetics: Embodied Ways of Encountering, Evaluating, and Enacting Institutions. . Organization Studies. , 41, 415-435. . https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840619835254

Taylor, S. S., (2017). Staging Organization. Palgrave Macmillan Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63127-1

Taylor, S. S., (2012). Leadership Craft, Leadership Art. Palgrave Macmillan New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137012784

Ladkin, D., Taylor, S.S., (2010). Enacting the ‘true self’: Towards a theory of embodied authentic leadership,. The Leadership Quarterly, 21, 64-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.10.005

Ladkin, D., Taylor, S.S., (2009). Understanding arts-based methods in managerial development. Academy of Mangement Learning & Education, 8, 55-69. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2009.37012179

Professional Affiliations
Academy of Management
Art of Management & Organization
European Group for Organizational Studies
Applied Improvisation Network
Professional Highlights & Honors
Series Editor, Business, Arts and Humanities, 2016
Palgrave Macmillan
Fulbright Specialist, 2013
Massey University, New Zealand
Founding Editor-in-Chief, 2011
Organizational Aesthetics
Researcher in Residence at the Banff Centre, 2008
Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada
Leadership Arts Playwright in Residence, 2004
Banff Centre

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BeautyMatter
Why sustainable businesses need aesthetics

Steve Taylor, a professor in The Business School, is quoted in a column in BeautyMatter that suggests companies with a sustainability focus must also pay attention to aesthetics to connect with customers. Taylor, who researches organizational aesthetics, discusses storytelling as an aspect of aesthetics.