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Daniels School Faculty

Jordan Nielsen

Jordan Nielsen

Associate Professor of Management

Education

Ph.D. Business Administration, The University of Iowa
B.S. Economics, Brigham Young University

CV

Jordan specializes in how organizations and individuals can make work meaningful. He has authored multiple articles on the experience of work as a calling, and the consequences of that calling for employees and organizations. He is currently exploring how people can respond effectively to situations or experiences that threaten the meaning of their work. He has examined this issue in a variety of contexts including the employee-client interface, leadership, and the transition to and from entrepreneurship.

Jordan currently teaches undergraduates at the Daniels School of Business in his Introduction to Organizational Behavior course, where he shares evidence-based insights about how to help people both enjoy their work and do it effectively. Prior to his time in academia, Jordan worked as a full-cycle recruiter in a small start-up team providing executive recruiting, coaching, and organizational culture analysis. He also spent two years as a volunteer missionary doing religious outreach in western Mexico. Jordan has partnered with various organizations in his research including healthcare systems and professional associations.

Journal Articles

  • Schabram, K., Nielsen, J., & Thompson, J. (2023). "The dynamics of work orientations: An updated typology and agenda for the study of jobs, careers, and callings." Academy of Management Annals vol. 17 (2), 405-438.
  • Liao, H., Su, R., Ptashnik, T., & Nielsen, J. (2022). "Feeling Good, Doing Good, and Getting Ahead: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Outcomes of Prosocial Motivation at Work." Psychological Bulletin forthcoming.
  • Nielsen, J., Firth, B., & Crawford, E (2022). "For Better and Worse: How Proactive Personality Alters the Strain Responses to Challenge and Hindrance Stressors." Organization Science forthcoming.
  • Seibert, S., Nielsen, J., & Kraimer, M. (2021). "Awakening the entrepreneur within: Entrepreneurial identity aspiration and the role of displacing work events." Journal of Applied Psychology vol. 106 (8), 1224-1238.
  • Nielsen, J. & Colbert, A. (2021). "It's Not Always Sunny in Relationally Rich Jobs: The Influence of Negative Beneficiary Contact." Academy of Management Journal forthcoming.
  • Bloom, M., Colbert, A., Nielsen, J. (2021). "Stories of calling: How called professionals construct narrative identities." Administrative Science Quarterly vol. 66 (2), 298-338.
  • Nielsen, J., Thompson, J., Wadsworth, L., & Vallett, J. (2020). "The moderating role of calling in the work-family interface: Buffering and substitution effects on employee satisfaction." Journal of Organizational Behavior vol. 41 (7), 622-637.
  • Li, C., Kristof-Brown, A., Nielsen, J. (2019). "Fitting in a group: Theoretical development and validation of the Multidimensional Perceived Person-Group Fit scale." Personnel Psychology vol. 72 (1), 139-171.
  • Carter, K., Mead, B., Stewart, G., Nielsen, J., & Solimeo, S. (2019). "Reviewing work team design characteristics across industries: Combining meta-analysis and comprehensive synthesis." Small Group Research vol. 50 (1), 138-188.
  • Prosocial Motives

    Does a Desire to Help Others at Work Make You Better or Worse Off?

    Do nice people really finish last? And what exactly does it mean to be “nice” anyway? According to Purdue Assistant Professor Jordan Nielsen, people have long debated whether a desire to help others — prosocial motivation — is an asset in the workplace, or a liability.

    Full story: Does a Desire to Help Others at Work Make You Better or Worse Off?

  • Man holding entrepreneur sign

    Stay or Go? Research explores the transition from paid employment to entrepreneurship

    Leaving a safe and secure job to pursue a business venture as an entrepreneur can be a daunting endeavor. What motivates these people to take the leap of faith? A new study coauthored by Jordan Nielsen, an assistant professor at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management, examines events that may motivate people to leave their employment and pursue entrepreneurship.

    Full story: Stay or Go? Research explores the transition from paid employment to entrepreneurship

Contact

jniel@purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 494-3771
Office: YONG 942

Quick links

Personal website

Area(s) of Expertise

Compensation, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Future of Work, Healthcare, Human Resource Management, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Negotiations, Organizational Culture, Performance Management, Virtual Teams, Work/Family Balance