Faculty staff profile

Ian O. Williamson

PhD (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) BA (Miami University)
Professor Human Resource Management

Ian O. Williamson is the Helen Macpherson Smith Chair of Leadership for Social Impact at the Melbourne Business School (Australia).  He currently serves as the Director of the Asia Pacific Social Impact Leadership Centre.  He is also a Research Fellow of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) and an Associated Scholar of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business (USA) and the Lorange Institute of Business Zurich (Switzerland).  He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA) and a bachelor's degree in business from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio USA). 

In his role as the Director of the Social Impact Centre, Prof. Williamson's focus is on developing effective partnerships between the Melbourne Business School, not-for-profit, for profit, and government entities for the purposes of addressing key social issues.  Prof. Williamson's research focuses on how the development of effective "talent pipelines" can enhance organizational and community outcomes.  His research also examines how organizations recruit, select, and retain knowledge workers, talent management in the context of small businesses, the management of diverse workforces and the role of human resource practices in driving firm innovation. 

Professor Williamson's research has been published in several leading academic journals (e.g., Academy of Management Journal, MIT Sloan Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology).  Professor Williamson has presented his research on six continents in many difference countries.  His research has been covered by several leading media outlets across the world, including BRW, Business Week, El Cronista Comercial, Expresso, HR Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. 

In 2007 Williamson was awarded the best paper prize by the Academy of Management Human Resource Division for his research on the effect of employee mobility on firm performance in the profession service sector.  He also was the co-recipient of the 2005 Academy of Management Best Practices Mentoring Award for his role as the founding President of the Management Faculty of Color Association (MFCA).  In 2002 Williamson received the Academy of Management Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award for his research examining the top management team (TMT) selection decisions of Fortune 500 firms.  In 2000 he received the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award.  He has served on the editorial boards of the journals Academy Management Review, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal and Journal of Management.

Professor Williamson teaches in the Melbourne Business School MBA, EMBA and executive education programs.  Williamson has previously provided consultant services in the areas of strategic human resource management, employee recruitment and retention, assessment centers, and executive coaching for such organizations as ANZ, Bunnings, Colonial First State Property Management, Clemenger, McCormick & Company, Melbourne Water, Pacific Brands, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Lockheed Martin, NAB, Sensis, The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Medical Program and Urbis.