Mentorship Award

The OB Division Mentorship Award recognizes a scholar who has excelled at mentoring others in achieving their career objectives through moral, social, and intellectual support. We define each of these criteria in more detail below:

  • Intellectual support: Helps the mentee develop ideas constructively (e.g., by brainstorming, offering a sounding board, suggesting a diverse perspective, providing written feedback) – investing one’s intellectual capital in the service of mentees.
  • Social support: Helps the mentee develop a professional network that will allow him/her to be successful (e.g., introducing them to others, writing reference letters, suggesting them as coauthors/reviewers/editors) – investing one’s social capital in the service of mentees.
  • Personal support: Genuinely cares about the wellbeing and development of the mentee (e.g., encouragement through difficult times, helps maintain self-efficacy, provides perspective or specific career/work strategies) – investing one’s personal energy in the service of mentees.

Any member of the OB Division is eligible for this award. This award is not meant to recognize research productivity, advocacy activities in the field, or personal longevity in the field but rather to recognize a scholar who has an impactful effect on other scholars through their outstanding mentorship. To be eligible, the person needs a minimum of three mentees who are willing to write a letter of nomination on behalf of their mentor. Based on the letters or recommendation received, a young and upcoming artist, being mentored by a more senior artist, will develop a personalized piece of art representing the award winner as a mentor. The award winner will be announced at the Academy of Management conference. To nominate an individual for the 2024 Mentorship Award, a nomination packet must include:

  1. A letter of nomination that identifies the candidate, the individual(s) making the nomination, and a short motivation about why this person is being nominated (one page, single spaced);
  2. As supporting evidence, we ask the three nominators to each write a supporting letter (one page, single spaced) about how this person (mentor) has impacted their development, career and lives. These letters will be used as input for the artist crafting the award. We need a minimum of three, and a maximum of 10, letters per person. Nominations are accepted from all OB Division members. 
  3. If you nominated a candidate in a prior year/years who was not successful, you will need to resubmit the nomination materials this year. 

The deadline to submit for the 2024 OB Division Mentorship Award is February 20, 2024 using this link.

The 2023 winner: Blake Ashforth


Blake has made a tremendous impact on many scholars in the field. Nominators described him as “unique is his selfless kindness” and “one of the best mentors I have experienced, or even heard of” and “one of the warmest, most selfless, but simultaneously intellectually stimulating mentors I have ever had (and that I think exist in our field).”  Everyone who nominated him emphasized that his mentorship extends not just to those he has an institutional affiliation with, but to anyone who reaches out to him – “While we were never at the same institution, Blake was a consistent positive presence throughout my graduate school experience”.

Past award winners: