Thomas Gerrity

Thomas Gerrity
  • Joseph J. Aresty Professor Emeritus

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    2000 SH-DH
    3620 Locust Walk
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Research Interests: leadership and organizational development

Overview

Education

PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1970; MSEE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1964; BSEE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1963

Career and Recent Professional Awards; Teaching Awards

Rhodes Scholar, Oxford University, 1964-65

Academic Positions Held

Wharton: 1990-present (named Joseph J. Aresty Professor, 2001; Dean, 1990-99). Previous appointment: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Other Positions

President, CSC Consulting, 1989-90; Corporate Vice President, Computer Sciences Corporation, 1989-90; Chairman and CEO, Index Group, Inc., 1969-89

Professional Leadership

Member, Committee for Economic Development, 1995-present CORPORATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERSHIP 2005-2009 Member of several corporate and not-for-profit boards

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Teaching

All Courses

  • MGMT7730 - Managing Org Change

    This course focuses on the nature and process of organization change, and how to be successful as a leader, implementer, and recipient of change. It emphasizes the forces for change, the change implementation process, the skills of successful change leaders, and the behavioral theories and management practices of how individuals and organizations change. All of this will help you to better diagnose, orchestrate, and implement the change agendas of organizations. After the initial session that introduces many of the topics and discussions of the course, Module 1 presents the foundations of successful transformations. The goal here is for you to get an understanding for how these major types of transformations unfold, how the motivation for change affects the type of transformation, how well the changes were instituted, sources of resistance, and how leaders are involved in the whole endeavor. Module II focuses on applications to learn the ingredients for successful change management and implement concepts from Module 1. We will start with a merger integration implementation. Next, we you will make a series of decisions to manage recipients of change by focusing on downsizing and privatization. Finally, you will test your implementation acumen in a real world-based simulation. Module III has two parts. The first is designed to expand your insights and apply them to the experiences of early career professionals who initiate, drive, and experience change as members of larger organizations or as startup founders. The course ends on how to build organizations that have the capacity to successfully change. To teach this course I use cases, simulations, and readings that integrate findings from academic research with practitioner experiences and insights. Importantly, the value of the class is maximized when you integrate your own experiences, and I am excited in anticipation of the discussions and debates we will have.

In the News

Knowledge at Wharton

Activity

In the News

CEOs and Market Woes: Is Poor Corporate Governance to Blame?

Many shareholder advocates see the financial collapse and resulting economic woes as stunning proof of their long-held claim that too often the wrong people are in charge of top corporations -- and that attacking this problem demands an overhaul in corporate-governance regulations. But not everyone sees governance as the culprit, and some warn that a kneejerk attack on established corporate practices could backfire.Read More

Knowledge at Wharton - 12/10/2008
All News