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About

Bart Cunningham specializes in studying workplace issues related to leadership, human resource management, stress and job satisfaction and insight problem solving.

Over the last 10 years, he has been a visiting professor at Johannes Kepler University in Austria and has previously held visiting positions at the Czech Management Center, the California School for Professional Psychology in San Diego,and the Waikato Management School in New Zealand.

He has been a visiting scientist at the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London, England and was an associate professor at the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he was the Research Director of the Enterprise Development Center.

His most recent book is Strategic Human Resource Management in the Public Arena: A Managerial Perspective. Previous books include: Understanding Values and Beliefs: The Echo Approach (Quorum Books); The Stress Management Sourcebook 2nd ed. (Lowell House); Action Research and Organizational Development (Praeger) and Quality of Working Life (LabourCanada). He has been involved with a number of organizational initiatives which are focused on workplace stress and hardiness, and using the Balanced Scorecard as a strategic planning process.

Recent research applications

• applications of the Echo Approach in understanding cultural values and nuances
• decision-making and framing of complex sustainability problems
• recruitment of minorities and First Nations in public organizations
• experimental research on insight problem solving

Selected publications

Journal articles

Cunningham, J.B., Kempling, J.S. and Mason, L., (2024). Wicked problems in Canada’s Arctic during Cold War 2.0. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, (in press).

Cunningham, J.B., Okwengu, M. and Mukasa, M. (2024). Speaking up for soft skills in developing an inclusive climate: experiences of Black public service employees. Book chapter in Chouinard, J.  and Thiessen, S. (editors) (in press).

Cunningham, J.B. (2023) . Administrative Sciences. 

Darling, S., and Cunningham, J.B. (2023) . Administrative Sciences.

Darling, S. and Cunningham, J.B. (2022) Gatekeepers influencing careers of Canadian public sector employees: views from managers and union employees. Journal of Management Development, 41(9/10), pp. 469-495.

Enhancing recruitment and retention of visible minority police officers in Canadian policing agencies. Policing and Society, with C. Rigaux. 2020.

The role of leadership and team culture in enhancing sport performance outcomes. The International Journal of Sport and Society, with J. Walinga, P. Obee, P. and D. Cyr, 2020.

An experimental comparison of approaches to training insight. Creativity: Theory, Research, Practice, with J.N. McGregor and J. Walinga, 2020.

Recruiting and retaining of Indigenous probation officers: steps to creating diverse workplaces that reflect community cultures. Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, 39(2), 145-165, with F. Morven, 2019.

To be or not to be...at work while ill: effects of leader support, goal clarity, trust and creativity on sickness presenteeism and sickness absenteeism in the workplace. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, with J.N. MacGregor, 2018.

Indigenous leadership in structuring firefighting: Developing tomorrow’s leaders in British Columbia. First Nations’ Emergency Services Society, with B. Langlois, N. Caverley and J.N. MacGregor, 2017.

A self-report measure of productive thinking in solving insight problems. Journal of Creative Behavior, 51, 1-12, with J.N. MacGregor, 2016.

Underlying values, competencies and management: public and private sector managers. Asian Education and Development Studies, 5, 4, 371-387, with S. Darling 2016.

The effects of performance rating, leader-member exchange, perceived utility and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: applying a moral judgment perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 119: 265-273, with C. Dusterhoff and N. MacGregor, 2014.

Productive and reproductive thinking in solving insight problems. Journal of Creative Behavior, 48, 1, 44-63, with J.N. MacGregor, 2013.

Understanding occupational health and safety culture for BC Aboriginal fire crews and emergency service personnel: research update. Journal of Ecosystems and Management, 14, 1, 1–3, with N. Caverley, B. Langlois, A. Krishnaswamy, J. MacGregor, J. Eustache, M. Carlson and K. Strobl, 2013.

Developing benchmarks for guiding CAO performance. Local Government Studies, 40, 6, 851-868, with E. Gunn and J.N. MacGregor, 2013.

Books, chapters, monographs

Cunningham, J.B. (2016). Strategic Human Resource Management in the Public Arena: A Managerial Perspective. New York, U.K.: MacMillan (refereed). 

Cunningham, J.B. (2017). Teaching Website: Strategic Human Resource Management in the Public Arena: a Managerial Perspective.

J.B. Cunningham (2001). Researching Organizational Values and Beliefs: The Echo Approach. Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books, with a foreword by Janet Bavelas.

J.B. Cunningham (2000). The Stress Management Sourcebook, (2nd Edition) McGraw Hill, with a foreword by Joe Lischeron.

J.B. Cunningham (1997). The Stress Management Sourcebook, California, Lowell House

J.B. Cunningham (1993). Action Research and Organizational Development. New York: Praeger, with a foreword by Alex McEachern.

J.B. Cunningham and T. H. White, (eds.) (1984). Quality of Working Life: Contemporary Cases.  Ottawa:  Supply and Services, with a foreword by Eric Trist.

Other publications (book reviews, reports, etc.)

• Cunningham, J.B. and MacGregor, J.N. (2014). To be or not to be…at work sick? Path models of presenteeism. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California. March, 2014.
• Cunningham, J.B. and MacGregor, J.N. (2012). Developing a test for creative problem solving: Productive and reproductive thinking. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California. March, 2012.
• MacGregor, J.N. and Cunningham, J.B. (2011). The effects of performance rating, leader-member exchange, perceived utility, and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: ßÉßɱ¬ÁÏing a moral judgment perspective. La Jolla, California. March, 2012.

Grants & awards

SSHRC grant (2011-2015): Insight Problem Solving (with J.N. MacGregor).

Workplace B.C. Safeguarding our indigenous communities: Measuring the health and safety culture of Aboriginal fire crews and emergency service personnel in British Columbia. (With Brent Langlois, Natasha Caverley and Jim MacGregor).

SSHRC grant (2004-2010): Insight Problem Solving (With J.M. MacGregor).

Recent speaking engagements

Decision-making Biases on Real Life Wicked Problems. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Vancouver, Canada, Feb 21-22, 2019.

The Cognitive Roots of Transformational Change. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Vancouver, Canada, Feb 21-22, 2019.

Framing and insight problem solving. Annual conference of the Experimental Psychology Society, Manchester, UK (April 2019).

Charting the effects of decision making biases on real-life wicked problems. Paper presented at the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, January 2-5, 2019.

Decision-making on wicked problems: Implications of how the framing of the decision affects the choices made. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Konstaz, Germany (with Walter Lepore and J.N. MacGregor). March 2018.

Propositions guiding research on transformational change. Paper presented at the Organizational Studies Conference in Konstaz, Germany (with J.N. MacGregor and J. Kroeker-Hall). March 2018.

Analyzing the traditions of transformational thinking and behavioral change. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Conference in Atlanta, (with J.N. MacGregor and J. Kroeker-Hall). August 2017.

Older workers: Multigenerational motivation. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Conference in Anaheim (with D. Campbell and J. Kroeker-Hall). August 2016.

Sustaining motivation for older workers: Contributing to economic and social health. Paper presented at the Western Academy of Management Conference (with D. Campell and J. Kroeker-Hall). March 2015.

Selecting people who have the ability to creatively solve problems. Paper presented at the Western Academy of Management Conference (with J.N. MacGregor). March 2015.

The dynamics of sickness presenteeism and absenteeism: An empirical examination. Paper presented at the Western Academy of Management Conference (with J.N. MacGregor). March 2015.

To be or not to be…at work sick? Path models of presenteeism. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California (with J.N. MacGregor). March 2014.

Developing a test for creative problem solving: Productive and reproductive thinking. Western Academy of Management Conference, La Jolla, California (with J.N. MacGregor). March 2012.

The effects of performance rating, leader-member exchange, perceived utility, and organizational justice on performance appraisal satisfaction: ßÉßɱ¬ÁÏing a moral judgment perspective. La Jolla, California (with C. Dusterhoff and J.N. MacGregor). March, 2012.

Developing benchmarks to guide CAO performance. IPAC Conference, Victoria, B.C. (with E. Gunn and J.N. MacGregor). August, 2011.

Defining and encouraging informal learning. Western Academy of Management Conference, Victoria, B.C. (with E. Hillier). March 24-25, 2011.

Developing a curriculum for supervisorial training. Western Academy of Management Conference, Victoria, B.C. March 24-25 (with S. Kearsey). 2011.

Taxomonic categorization effects in insight problem solving. Granada, Spain (with J.N. MacGregor and J. Walinga). 2010.

Training insight problem solving through focus on barriers and assumptions Granada, Spain (With J.N. MacGregor and J. Walinga). 2010.

Testing hypotheses about insight problem solving, New Perspectives in Problem Solving, Purdue University (with J.N. MacGregor). 2008.

Understanding the characteristics of creative insights. Academy of Management Conference, Anneheim, California (with J.N. MacGregor, J.Gibb, and J. Haar). 2008.

Competencies that older workers use in successfully adapting during their careers. European Academy of Management, Paris, France.(with J.N. MacGregor). 2007.

Stress, absenteeism, and presenteeism. Western Academy of Management, Missoula, Montana (with J.N. MacGregor). 2007.

An experimental test of rebus puzzles as insight problems. Australian/New Zealand Psychological Societies Conference, Aukland, New Zealand (with J.N. MacGregor). 2006.

Imagination, ideas, and productive thinking in insight problem solving: A description and measure. Irish Academy of Management Conference in Cork, Ireland (with J.N. MacGregor). 2006.

Assessing creative problem solving: The roles of productive and divergent thinking in insight. British Academy of Management Conference in Belfast, UK (with J.N. MacGregor). 2006.

Training insightful problem solving. Western Academy of Management Conference in Long Beach, CA (with J.N. MacGregor). 2006.

Courses taught

• ADMN 507: Leadership and Ethics in the Public Sector
• MACD 511: Developing Personal Capacity to Facilitate and Lead Change
• ADMN 531: Performance and Strategic Human Resource Management
• ADMN 409: Governance and Management of Non-Profit Organizations
• ADMN 312: Managing in Public and Non-Profit Organizations
• ADMN 431a: Public Sector Human Resource Management
• ADMN 431b: Negotiations in Labour Relations and Human Resource Management
• ADMN 600: Doctoral Seminar
• ADMN 607: Organizational Behavior
• ADMN 645: Organization Change and Development

Professional appointments & memberships

• Academy of Management
• Western Academy of Management
• Administrative Sciences Association of Canada
• Member, ßÉßɱ¬ÁÏ Speakers Bureau