Jerry
Porras
Jerry Porras is the Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change Emeritus at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
He has taught courses in leadership, interpersonal dynamics, and organizational development and change in the MBA and executive programs. Porras directed the School’s Executive Program on Leading and Managing Change for 16 years. During the period 1988 to 2001, he served as the University’s Faculty Athletic Representative to the Pacific-10 Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association and on two occasions was president of the Pacific-10 Conference Council. From 1991 to 1994, he was an associate dean for academic affairs in the GSB.
Winner of numerous awards, Porras’ honors include the Brillante Award presented by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, the Silver Apple Award presented by the Stanford Business School Alumni Association, the Kantor Medal awarded by the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 2002 Community Educator of the Year from the Hispanic Net, the Robert T. Davis Award from the Stanford Business School, and the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hispanic Business Magazine.
A student of organizational change, Porras has helped numerous clients around the world improve their organizational performance. As a lecturer on visionary companies, he has delivered presentations to over 200 senior management audiences worldwide.
Porras has served on the editorial boards of many academic publications, including the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Business Review and the Journal of Organizational Change Management.
In addition to over 40 articles or reviews for leading publications, Porras has published three books on individual and organizational success. In 1987, he wrote
Stream Analysis: A Powerful New Way to Diagnose and Manage Organizational Change, which has since been converted into an exciting software tool used for diagnosing, planning and managing change within an organization. Working with Jim Collins, Porras co-authored the international bestseller
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. The book is based on the results of an exhaustive six-year research project aimed at discovering the approaches and behaviors of the most visionary companies of the past two centuries. Translated into 25 languages, it has sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, wiith Stewart Emery and Mark Thompson, Porras co-authored
Success Built to Last: Creating a Life that Matters. This book identifies the key approaches to living used by over 200 leaders who have made a significant impact on the world.
In addition to serving on the advisory board of The Decurion Corporation, Porras also serves on the board of directors of the State Farm Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, and he is a member of the Knight Commission.
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