Distinguished University Professor Richard Boyatzis of Case Western Reserve University has again emerged as one of the 10 most influential international thinkers in a recently released 2014 HR Magazine survey of more than 11,000 human resources directors worldwide.
Boyatzis, a New York Times bestselling author renowned for his expertise on emotional intelligence, coaching and leadership, ranked ninth on the prestigious list—the same ranking he received from the London-based magazine in 2012. He recently gained international recognition for his free massive open online course (MOOC), Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence, which attracted about 325,000 students from nearly 190 countries.
“It’s gratifying to know that others appreciate what I’m working on—leadership, better coaching and the neurosciences research with one of CWRU’s tenured faculty members, Professor Tony Jack,” he said. “This also helps raise awareness of Case Western Reserve University.”
Boyatzis joins such names as Sylvia Ann Hewlett, founder and CEO of Center for Talent Innovation, and Harvard business professors John Kotter and Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the list of 21 HR Most Influential International Thinkers 2014.
According to HR Magazine, those who made the list “are taking HR in new directions, such as neuroscience, while building the evidence base in older areas like change management. It’s these people that have the ear of HR directors today.”
Boyatzis’ research has focused increasingly on the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to illustrate the neural activation on different parts of the brain. Boyatzis, whose primary faculty appointment is in the Department of Organizational Behavior at Weatherhead School of Management, also holds appointments in psychology and cognitive science. He is the H.R. Horvitz Professor in Family Business.
He collaborated with Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee on Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, and then with McKee alone on Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting With Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion.
Boyatzis joined Case Western Reserve in 1987 after an extensive career consulting in management and psychology in the private sector. He earned his doctorate in social psychology at Harvard University and his undergraduate degree in aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.