Inside SNC
Jamie O’Brien is a professor of business administration – management in the Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Limerick, Ireland, in 2012 for his work on knowledge-assessment frameworks using case-study approaches. In addition, he held the position of research fellow at the Centre for Information & Knowledge Management at the University of Limerick, where he taught both undergraduate and post-graduate courses. Prior to academia, he worked with the comptroller and auditor general of Ireland, DePuy Orthopaedics and Creganna Medical as a consultant. His primary areas of teaching include leading through change, organizational behavior, strategic management and knowledge management.
The first pillar of O’Brien’s teaching philosophy is to challenge his students every day. He does this in a variety of ways: discussions focusing on complex business cases, facilitating dialogue of opposing views, asking students to attempt problems they have not seen before and generally holding students accountable. The second element of his teaching philosophy is to encourage students to be engaged in an environment that fosters an enthusiasm for intellectual curiosity and understanding. He does this by selecting assignments and content that foster a sense of wonder and interest in the students. One example of this comes from his organizational behavior class, in which he uses case studies of the Challenger shuttle disaster to explore groupthink and team dynamics in the workplace. Finally, the third tenet of his teaching philosophy places an emphasis on real-world, practical application and stressing the connection between theory and students’ everyday lives. O’Brien wants his students to leave his classroom and be able to apply what they have learned to their own lives, their next internship or their job. He favors exercises that explore the practical side of the theory – he uses practical simulations to explore business concepts or has the students present to industry experts. SNC’s mission calls us to “provide an educational environment that fosters intellectual, spiritual and personal development.” As an educator at SNC, O’Brien’s first and foremost obligation and joy is to teach. He appreciates being at an institution where he can develop meaningful relationships with his students both inside and outside the classroom.
O’Brien is a member of professional associations including:
He is the recipient of the college’s Leonard Ledvina Award for Excellence in Teaching. His paper, “The Need for Competing Commitments Research: Coping with Change in Knowledge Management,” was the winner of the International Award for Excellence in the Organization Studies Journal Collection. He has given more than 40 lectures and workshops in the local community, including “Cognitive Bias and Decision Making,” “Strategies for Dealing With Change,” “The Challenge of Adaptive Change” and “Adaptive Change – The New Status Quo and Why People Struggle With It”.
Professor O’Brien’s research focuses on the psychological effects of change on individuals and organizations. He also explores knowledge management in organizations. In addition, he writes pedagogical case studies in the area of organizational behavior and strategy for use in undergraduate and graduate classes. His cases – “Mystery Over the Atlantic: The Tragic Fate of Air France 447”, “Behind Closed Doors: The DC-10 and the Demise of McDonnell Douglas”, “Deadly Distraction – Eastern Air 401: The Accident that Changed Aviation Forever”, “Improbable Landing – The Sioux City Miracle”, and “Fatal Communication – Disaster at Quincy” published in The Case Journal, are used in his organizational behavior classes at the graduate and undergraduate level. In this way, Dr. O’Brien brings his research into the classroom in very intentional ways. He has published over 20 journal articles and cases in the “Case Journal”, “The Journal of Service Theory and Practice”, “The Journal of Information and Knowledge Management,” “Knowledge Management: An International Journal,” “Vine: The Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems,” “The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management” and others. He is the recipient of the college’s Donald B. King Distinguished Scholar Award for excellence in research that has gained international recognition. In 2024, he was appointed by Emerald publishing as Associated Editor for the Case Journal, one of the premier case study journals in the world.
B.B.S., Economics and Finance, University of Limerick, Ireland
Ph.D., Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management, University of Limerick, Ireland
BUAD 231 Introduction to Organizational Behavior
BUAD 314 Negotiation
BUAD 337 Advanced Organizational Behavior
BUAD 338 Organizational Theory
BUAD 386 Leading Through Adversity: Historical Case Studies
BUAD 387 Aviation Disaster Exploration: Decision-Making Errors
BUAD 388 International Management
BUAD 485 Strategic Management Capstone Seminar
BUAD 477 Knowledge Management in Society
BUAD 494 Business Administration Summer Internship Program
BUAD 511 Leadership and Change Management (MBA)
BUAD 589 Leading Through Adversity (MBA)
LEAD 200 Introduction to Leadership Studies
Jamie O’Brien is a professor of business administration – management in the Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Limerick, Ireland, in 2012 for his work on knowledge-assessment frameworks using case-study approaches. In addition, he held the position of research fellow at the Centre for Information & Knowledge Management at the University of Limerick, where he taught both undergraduate and post-graduate courses. Prior to academia, he worked with the comptroller and auditor general of Ireland, DePuy Orthopaedics and Creganna Medical as a consultant. His primary areas of teaching include leading through change, organizational behavior, strategic management and knowledge management.
The first pillar of O’Brien’s teaching philosophy is to challenge his students every day. He does this in a variety of ways: discussions focusing on complex business cases, facilitating dialogue of opposing views, asking students to attempt problems they have not seen before and generally holding students accountable. The second element of his teaching philosophy is to encourage students to be engaged in an environment that fosters an enthusiasm for intellectual curiosity and understanding. He does this by selecting assignments and content that foster a sense of wonder and interest in the students. One example of this comes from his organizational behavior class, in which he uses case studies of the Challenger shuttle disaster to explore groupthink and team dynamics in the workplace. Finally, the third tenet of his teaching philosophy places an emphasis on real-world, practical application and stressing the connection between theory and students’ everyday lives. O’Brien wants his students to leave his classroom and be able to apply what they have learned to their own lives, their next internship or their job. He favors exercises that explore the practical side of the theory – he uses practical simulations to explore business concepts or has the students present to industry experts. SNC’s mission calls us to “provide an educational environment that fosters intellectual, spiritual and personal development.” As an educator at SNC, O’Brien’s first and foremost obligation and joy is to teach. He appreciates being at an institution where he can develop meaningful relationships with his students both inside and outside the classroom.
O’Brien is a member of professional associations including:
He is the recipient of the college’s Leonard Ledvina Award for Excellence in Teaching. His paper, “The Need for Competing Commitments Research: Coping with Change in Knowledge Management,” was the winner of the International Award for Excellence in the Organization Studies Journal Collection. He has given more than 40 lectures and workshops in the local community, including “Cognitive Bias and Decision Making,” “Strategies for Dealing With Change,” “The Challenge of Adaptive Change” and “Adaptive Change – The New Status Quo and Why People Struggle With It”.
Professor O’Brien’s research focuses on the psychological effects of change on individuals and organizations. He also explores knowledge management in organizations. In addition, he writes pedagogical case studies in the area of organizational behavior and strategy for use in undergraduate and graduate classes. His cases – “Mystery Over the Atlantic: The Tragic Fate of Air France 447”, “Behind Closed Doors: The DC-10 and the Demise of McDonnell Douglas”, “Deadly Distraction – Eastern Air 401: The Accident that Changed Aviation Forever”, “Improbable Landing – The Sioux City Miracle”, and “Fatal Communication – Disaster at Quincy” published in The Case Journal, are used in his organizational behavior classes at the graduate and undergraduate level. In this way, Dr. O’Brien brings his research into the classroom in very intentional ways. He has published over 20 journal articles and cases in the “Case Journal”, “The Journal of Service Theory and Practice”, “The Journal of Information and Knowledge Management,” “Knowledge Management: An International Journal,” “Vine: The Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems,” “The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management” and others. He is the recipient of the college’s Donald B. King Distinguished Scholar Award for excellence in research that has gained international recognition. In 2024, he was appointed by Emerald publishing as Associated Editor for the Case Journal, one of the premier case study journals in the world.
B.B.S., Economics and Finance, University of Limerick, Ireland
Ph.D., Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management, University of Limerick, Ireland
BUAD 231 Introduction to Organizational Behavior
BUAD 314 Negotiation
BUAD 337 Advanced Organizational Behavior
BUAD 338 Organizational Theory
BUAD 386 Leading Through Adversity: Historical Case Studies
BUAD 387 Aviation Disaster Exploration: Decision-Making Errors
BUAD 388 International Management
BUAD 485 Strategic Management Capstone Seminar
BUAD 477 Knowledge Management in Society
BUAD 494 Business Administration Summer Internship Program
BUAD 511 Leadership and Change Management (MBA)
BUAD 589 Leading Through Adversity (MBA)
LEAD 200 Introduction to Leadership Studies
jamie.obrien@snc.edu
