Dr. Denise M. Rousseau holds the distinguished position of H.J. Heinz II University Professor of Organizational Behavior and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, with joint appointments at Heinz College and the Tepper School of Business. A scholar of exceptional caliber, she received her A.B., M.A., and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley, completing her doctoral studies in 1977 with a specialty in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Since joining Carnegie Mellon in 1994, she has risen to the rank of University Professor, the institution's highest academic honor, awarded in recognition of her extraordinary scholarly contributions. Her leadership extends beyond the classroom as she serves as Chair of the Health Care Policy and Management program, Director of the Project on Evidence-Based Organizational Practices, and Academic Board President of the Center for Evidence-Based Management, shaping the field through institutional innovation and academic governance.
Dr. Rousseau's groundbreaking research has fundamentally reshaped understanding of employment relationships through her pioneering work on psychological contracts and evidence-based management practices. Her influential book Psychological Contracts in Organizations: Understanding Written and Unwritten Agreement earned the Academy of Management's prestigious Terry Award in 1995, establishing foundational concepts that continue to guide research on employer-employee relationships. Her innovative concept of I-deals (idiosyncratic deals workers bargain for themselves) earned her a second Terry Award in 2006, demonstrating her sustained impact on organizational theory. Her development of evidence-based management principles has transformed organizational decision-making, culminating in the widely adopted textbook Evidence-Based Management: How to Use Evidence to Make Better Organizational Decisions with Eric Barends, which has been implemented by over 80 universities worldwide and serves as the foundation for Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative course.
Beyond her scholarly contributions, Dr. Rousseau has profoundly influenced management practice through her leadership roles as President of the Academy of Management (2004-2005) and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Organizational Behavior (1998-2007). She founded the Evidence-Based Management Collaborative, which evolved into the Center for Evidence-Based Management, creating a global network connecting scholars, consultants, and practitioners to advance evidence-informed organizational practices. Her extensive recognition includes honorary doctorates from Athens University of Economics and Business and Tallinn University of Technology, along with election as a Fellow to multiple prestigious academies including the Academy of Social Sciences. As she continues her research examining how social networks and organizational contexts support evidence-based management implementation, Dr. Rousseau remains at the forefront of efforts to transform management from an art into a discipline grounded in systematic evidence and rigorous analysis.
