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Jonathan Hinton Westover

Chair and Professor, Organizational Leadership and Change at Utah Valley University and 1 other company
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Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D. is a best selling and award-winning author and podcaster, ranked the # 1 HR, Innovation, Leadership, Culture, and Future of Work Global Thought Leader (Thinkers360), ranked in the Top 20 for Diversity and Inclusion, Change Management, Business Strategy, Coaching, and Careers (Thinksers360), ranked in the Top 20 in Management and Organizational Culture (Global Gurus), and ranked in the top 20 of global researchers in the following topic areas - "Future of Work," "Global Leadership," "Organizational Development, "Public Service Motivation," and "Social Impact" (Google Scholar). Additionally, ScholarGPS has ranked him the #18 scholar in the world for job satisfaction research. LeadersHum's put him on their Power List of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership to watch. He is an entrepreneur, management consultant, teacher, and research academic based in Orem, Utah. He is founder and CEO of Human Capital Innovations, host and producer of multiple shows on the HCI Podcast Network, Chief Academic & Learning Officer of the HCI Academy, and serves on a host of nonprofit, community, and association boards and committees and has received numerous awards for his teaching, research, and service to the community.

Current Professional Roles

Academic: Dr. Westover is a professor and chair of Organizational Leadership in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University, Academic Director of the UVU Center for Social Impact and the UVU SIMLab, and Industry Impact Fellow in the Women in Business Impact Lab. Dr. Westover has been published widely in academic journals, books, and practitioner publications. He is Vice President and member of the Executive Committee of the Western Academy of Management, and he is an affiliate faculty member in UVU's MBA, MPA, and Integrated Studies programs. Dr. Westover has been published widely in academic journals, books, and practitioner publications. He is a regular visiting faculty member in other international graduate business programs.

Consulting: Jonathan is an experienced organizational leadership, people management, and organizational development consultant and managing partner and principal at Human Capital Innovations, LLC). For two decades, he has worked to help transform organizations across the globe. He is also the producer and host of the Human Capital Innovations (HCI) Podcast and Managing Editor of Human Capital Leadership Magazine. Previously, Jonathan was an external consultant with the firm Targeted Learning, and an internal consultant in the Human Resource Development office at Brigham Young University, in the corporate Organizational Development office at InterContinental Hotels, and in the corporate Organizational Development office at LG Electronics in Gumi, South Korea.

Thought Leadership: Jonathan is a member of the Harvard Business Review Advusory Council, the Forbes Coaches Council, a Non-Resident Fellow in Social and Development Policy with the Nkafu Policy Institute (part of the Denis & Lenora Foretia Foundation), member of the HR Certification Institute CEO Advisory Council and past member of the board of directors, member of the Humantelligence Scientific Advisory, Board Chair and Director of the Corporate Division of the Global Listening Centre, a CIPD Academic Fellow, and an Advance HE Senior Fellow. Jonathan has been published widely and quoted as a management expert in popular and professional media locally, nationally, and abroad (such as Forbes, The Economist, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, PBS, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MarketWatch, HR.com, SHRM.org, HRCI.org, The Washington Post, and USA Today).

Highlights of Past Academic and Professional Roles and Distinctions

• Visiting Academic at Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford (2019)
• Fulbright Scholar and AMINEF Senior Scholar at Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta, Indonesia (2018)
• Educational Development Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada (2018)
• Learning Innovation Research Fellow at the Institute of Teaching and Learning Innovation at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia (2017)
• Visiting Scholar at the East-West Center in Washington (2017)
• POSCO Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii (2016)
• Visiting Scholar in the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. (2015)
• Fulbright Scholar at Belarusian State University in Minsk, Belarus (2012)

Education

Jonathan received his Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology: Research and Analysis (with minors in management and Korean) from the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and his Master of Public Administration degree (emphases in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management) from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology (emphases in International Political Economy and Work and Organizations) from the College of Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Utah. He has also received graduate certificates in demography and higher education teaching from the University of Utah.

Employment
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  • Employment Expert Clarifies Legal Rights on Boss Refusing Resignation
    Jonathan confirms that in at-will states, "employees are free to resign at any time." The boss's refusal has "no legal standing." The employee should document the interaction and proceed to the new job without legal worries. Threats of blacklisting could be defamation if false statements are made to future employers.
  • Embracing Flexibility: The Future of Work-from-Home in 2024
    Jonathan highlights that WFH employees naturally juggle personal tasks, which is integral to the flexibility offered. HR should embrace this autonomy if WFH is approved. He emphasizes that flexible work arrangements remain crucial in 2024, especially for younger workers, reflecting ongoing labor market trends.
Recent Quotes
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  • "Dispute Negative Thoughts With Evidence: The first step is to recognize when the internal judge is speaking—questioning your abilities or flooding you with doubts. Catch those thoughts and write them down without judgment. Then, counter each negative thought with a rational, evidence-based positive thought to shift your mindset. With practice, you can learn to dispute distorted thinking and replace it with beliefs that serve your goals."

    - Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes (July 29, 2024)

  • "Have An Honest Talk And Regular Check-Ins: Have an honest discussion about the negative impact of their bullying behavior. While technical skills are important, success also requires cooperation and respect. Regular check-ins can quickly remedy issues. If behaviors don’t improve after coaching, tolerating bullying risks losing other top talent who feel undermined. The potential pitfall is damage to company culture if the disrespect continues."

    - Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes (July 30, 2024)

  • "Model Respectful Debate: Productive conflict involves disagreeing but focusing on problems, not people. Leaders can foster this by modeling respectful debate, encouraging alternative ideas and setting ground rules emphasizing constructive criticism over attacks. An open and psychologically safe environment where team members feel comfortable disagreeing respectfully is key."

    - Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes (July 30, 2024)

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