John (Jack) M. Ivancevich

(August 16, 1939–October 26, 2009):

In Memoriam .

Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Chair and Professor of Organizational Behavior and Management, C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston ; BS from Purdue University, and MBA and DBA from the University of Maryland .

The management discipline lost a passionate and award-winning educator, and an influential leader with an incomparable work ethic and sense of integrity. Jack led by example and those of us who were fortunate enough to know him were inspired to work harder and reach higher than we ever thought possible.

Jack was committed to higher education and the creation and dissemination of management knowledge. He was comfortable in the classroom and would encourage students to think critically about the concepts and theories of organizational behavior and management and apply them to their lives. Jack had an “open door” policy, and spent countless hours helping students and answering their questions. His reputation as a tough teacher was softened by his appreciation for the need of many students to balance a desire for education with a full-time job and family demands. Among Jack's most valued honors was the Ester Farfel Award for Research, Teaching, and Service Excellence , the highest honor bestowed to a University of Houston faculty member.

Complementing his passion for teaching, Jack loved to write books. He tried to write at least 300 days a year, averaging about 1,200 words per day. Over a 40-year period, Jack reached well over a million students by authoring or co-authoring 88 books about various aspects of management and organizational behavior. Currently in its twelfth edition, Human Resource Management continues to be well received by students and instructors alike. After working as a contributor on the previous three editions of HRM , it is an honor to become a co-author on the twelfth edition. A sample of Jack's other textbooks include the award-winning Organizations: Behavior, Structure, Processes (co-authored with Robert Konopaske, James L. Gibson, and James H. Donnelly); Organizational Behavior and Management (co-authored with Robert Konopaske and Michael T. Matteson); Global Management and Organizational Behavior (coauthored with Robert Konopaske); Management and Organizational Behavior Classics (co-authored with Michael T. Matteson); Fundamentals of Management: Functions, Behavior, Models (co-authored with James L. Gibson and James H. Donnelly); and Management: Quality and Competitiveness (co-authored with Peter Lorenzi, Steven Skinner, and Philip Crosby).

Jack was not only an accomplished educator and book author, but he was also a prolific and respected researcher. Well known for his highly disciplined work ethic, Jack authored or co-authored some 160 research articles that were published in such journals as Academy of Management Journal , Academy of Management Review , Administrative Science Quarterly , Journal of Applied Psychology , and Harvard Business Review . His research was influential and explored a range of management and organizational behavior topics, including job stress, white-collar crime, diversity management, global assignments, job loss, absenteeism, job satisfaction, goal setting, job performance, training method effectiveness, and organizational climate. The diversity of Jack's research reflected the complex and interrelated nature of management issues in organizations. In 2000, in recognition of publishing a substantial number of refereed articles in Academy of Management journals, Jack was inducted into the Academy of Management 's Journals Hall of Fame as one of the first 31 charter members. This is an impressive achievement when considering that in 2000, theAcademy of Management had approximately 13,500 members.

In addition to teaching, writing books, and conducting research, Jack applied his knowledge of organizational behavior and management to the several leadership positions he held since joining the University of Houston faculty in 1974. In 1975, he was named chair of the Department of Organizational Behavior and Management, and in the following year, Jack became the associate dean of research for the College of Business Administration at UH. In 1979, Jack was awarded the Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Chair of Organizational Behavior and Management , among the most prestigious positions at the University of Houston . From 1988 to 1995, he served as dean of the UH College of Business Administration . In 1995, Jack was named UH executive vice president for academic affairs and Provost, a position he held for two years. Through visionary, performance-driven, and principled leadership, Jack left a lasting and meaningful imprint on the entire University of Houston community, including internal constituents like fellow administrators, deans, program directors, faculty, staff, and students, as well as external stakeholders like legislators, donors, alumni, and area company executives. His accomplishments were even more extraordinary given the fact that Jack continued to teach classes, write books, and publish research articles while holding these myriad leadership positions.

Jack made innumerable contributions to all facets of higher education, all of which will be felt for years to come. Perhaps one of Jack's greatest and longest-lasting legacies will be from the many individuals he mentored during his 45 years in higher education. As busy as he was throughout his entire career, Jack was extremely generous with his time and made it a priority to mentor a large number of individuals, including current and former students, junior faculty, colleagues from the publishing industry, and many others. He wanted people to succeed and would do everything he could to help them accomplish their goals. Jack would often invite younger faculty members to collaborate with him on research projects. As a member of 80 doctoral and master's committees, Jack relished his role as mentor and would spend hours with graduate students, helping and guiding them through the process of conducting original research for their theses or dissertations. Jack was always willing to make phone calls and write detailed letters of recommendation on behalf of his students to help them get hired or, later in their careers, get promoted or be awarded tenure. He invested heavily in these individuals and expected hard work and commitment to excellence in return. Many of these former graduate students are professors at universities and colleges throughout the United States and now find themselves mentoring and inspiring their own students.

On a personal note, Jack was my mentor, colleague, and friend. Words cannot capture how grateful and honored I feel to have worked so closely with him on several textbooks and research projects over the past 10 years. We became acquainted in 1999 after Jack agreed to be my dissertation chair at the University of Houston . Given Jack's stature and commanding presence, I was a little intimidated by him in the beginning but quickly realized he was a “gentle giant” who could switch rapidly between discussions of research, books, academic careers, teaching, and the importance of being a good family man and father, and achieving balance in one's life. Jack was a great storyteller and especially liked relating tales of his early years on the south side of Chicago . He taught me many things; some lessons were passed along during thoughtful conversations but most came by observing him in action. Jack taught me to take life “head on” with a strong, positive, and can-do attitude while never losing sight of the importance of being a loving and committed husband and father. He will be sorely missed by all of us who were fortunate to have been touched by his warm friendship and guided by his generous spirit. Jack is survived by his wife of 37 years, Margaret (Pegi) Karsner Ivancevich; son Daniel and wife Susan; daughter Jill and husband David Zacha, Jr.; and grandchildren Kathryn Diane and Amanda Dana Ivancevich, and Hunter David Michael, Hailey Dana, and Hannah Marie Zacha. Jack was preceded in death by his beloved daughter Dana, and by his first wife, Diane Frances Murphy Ivancevich.