Alec R. Levenson

Senior Research Scientist

Research

Dr. Alec Levenson’s action research and consulting work with companies optimize job and organization performance and HR systems through the application of organization design, job design, human capital analytics and strategic talent management.

Four areas of primary focus include:

Talent management practices for the new generation of workers and world of work
Organization design and effectiveness
Human capital analytics to improve decisions around talent and work design
Organizational and talent strategies for global work & emerging markets

Research Partners & Clients

Dr. Levenson’s work with companies combines the best elements of scientific research and practical, actionable knowledge that companies can use to improve performance. He draws from the disciplines of economics, strategy, organization behavior, and industrial-organizational psychology to tackle complex talent and organizational challenges that defy easy solutions. His recommendations focus on the actions organizations should take to make lasting improvements in critical areas.

He has trained Human Resource professionals from a broad range of Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies in the application of human capital analytics.

Professional Work

Dr. Levenson’s research has been featured in numerous academic and business publications, and in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, CNN, Associated Press, U.S. News and World Report, National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Marketplace, Fox News, and many other news outlets. Alec has received research grants from the Sloan Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, U.S. National Science Foundation, China National Science Foundation, and National Institute for Literacy. He is on the editorial boards of Human Resource Management and Small Business Economics.

Connect with Alec on LinkedIn

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See all books by Alec Levenson.

Education

BA – University of Wisconsin, Madison

MA – Princeton University

PhD – Princeton University

Contact Information

alevenson@marshall.usc.edu

Recent Research

Diagnosing and adjusting transformations to ensure success

This article is the third in a three-part series on applying systems diagnostics to understand the sources of organizational underperformance (Using systems diagnostics to drive process improvement and change), why transformations often fail to deliver (Designing transformations to avoid failure), and how to keep transformations from going off course (this one). It is based in part on my Strategic Analytics book. The issues addressed in the series will be covered in depth in the upcoming workshop Driving Organizational Change with Data.

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Designing transformations to avoid failure

This article is the second in a three-part series on applying systems diagnostics to understand the sources of organizational underperformance (Using systems diagnostics to drive process improvement and change), why transformations often fail to deliver (this one), and how to keep transformations from going off course (Diagnosing and adjusting transformations to ensure success)). It is based in part on my Strategic Analytics book. The issues addressed in the series will be covered in depth in the upcoming virtual workshop Driving Organizational Change with Data.

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Using systems diagnostics to drive process improvement and change

This article is the first in a two-part series on applying systems diagnostics to understand the sources of organizational underperformance (this article) and why transformations often fail to deliver (next article). It is based in part on Alec Levenson's Strategic Analytics book. The issues addressed in the series will be covered in depth in the upcoming virtual workshop Driving Organizational Change with Data.

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Webinar: Driving Change with Data and Diagnostics

Join us to learn how data and diagnostics can be leveraged to facilitate strategic change across all layers of your organization, ensuring a cohesive and scalable transformation.

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Building capabilities and changing the organization

Executing a (new) strategy means two things. You have to build new capability required for the strategy. And the organization has to change from the old capability to the new. Capability building and change. Simple enough, and easy to say. So why do most strategy executions fail?

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