ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jennifer J. Deal is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL©) in San Diego, California, an Affiliated Research Scientist at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California, and a contributor to the Wall Street Journal’s “Experts” panel on leadership. Her research focuses on global leadership and generational differences and has been featured in numerous academic and business publications, and in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Guardian, The Economist, Strategy&, Forbes, the Associated Press, CNN, National Public Radio, South China Morning Post, the Globe and Mail, and Training Development magazine.

She is the manager of CCL’s World Leadership Survey and the Emerging Leaders research project. In 2002 she coauthored Success for the New Global Manager (Jossey-Bass/Wiley Publishers), and she has published articles on generational issues, the strategic use of information in negotiation, executive selection, cultural adaptability, global management, and women in management. Her second book, Retiring the Generation Gap, was published in 2007. An internationally recognized expert on generational differences, she has spoken on the topic on six continents (North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia).

She holds a BA in psychology from Haverford College and an MA and PhD in industrial/organizational psychology with a specialty in political psychology from the Ohio State University.

Alec Levenson is an Economist and Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Effective Organizations, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. His action research and consulting work with companies optimize job and organization performance and HR systems, focusing on the following:

•  Organizational and talent strategies for emerging markets and global organizations

•  Talent management practices for the new generation of workers and world of work

•  Human capital analytics to improve decisions around talent

•  Organization design and effectiveness

His work with companies combines the best elements of scientific research and practical, actionable knowledge that companies can use to improve performance. He draws from the disciplines of economics, strategy, organization behavior, and industrial/organizational psychology to tackle complex talent and organizational challenges that defy easy solutions. His recommendations focus on the actions organizations should take to make lasting improvements in critical areas.

He has trained HR professionals from a broad range of Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies in human capital analytics. He has authored two previous books, Employee Surveys That Work: Improving Design, Use, and Organizational Impact and Strategic Analytics: Advancing Strategy Execution and Organizational Effectiveness.

His research has been featured in numerous academic and business publications and in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, CNN, BusinessWeek, the Associated Press, U.S. News and World Report, National Public Radio, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Marketplace, Fox News, and many other news outlets.

He received his PhD and MA in economics from Princeton University, specializing in labor economics and development economics, and his BA in economics and Chinese language from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.