This April, EDWARD LAWLER will be honored with the USC FACULTY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. Since its inception in 1982, the award has been bestowed upon internationally renowned retired faculty from the arts and humanities; social sciences; science, technology, engineering and mathematics; medicine; and other professional disciplines. Each year, this prestigious award is given to only four retired faculty at the annual Academic Honors Convocation, and recognizes eminent careers and notable contributions to the university, the profession, and the community.
When Lawler, the Distinguished Professor of Business, founded the CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS (CEO) at USC Marshall in 1979, it was the first research center of its kind. Today, it is world-renowned for breakthrough research and insights on organizational performance, effectiveness, and talent management. CEO’s worldwide network includes research scientists, faculty experts, best-selling authors, and corporate partners.
Lawler’s vision as director of CEO was to provide forward-thinking leaders with trusted insights and the hands-on learning they needed to help them solve complex problems and build highly effective, sustainable organizations. His legacy and work bridged the gap between theory and practice, developing and communicating knowledge about how organizations can be effectively managed.
The catalogue of Lawler’s work has shaped today’s workplace in profound ways. Today, CEO is at the forefront, discovering and creating the latest knowledge in the design and management of organizations for mid-sized companies to the Global 500. CEO focuses on those issues of organizational effectiveness that involve the design and management of human systems. The center also partners with professionals and organizations as they seek to solve complex issues that impact how people experience the workplace. Lawler’s influence on the field of human resources is one that will endure for generations to come.
Over his long career, Lawler has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at ASTD, the Academy of Management Distinguished Scholar-Practitioner Award, and the inaugural winner of the SHRM Michael R. Losey Human Resource Research Award. He is a member, fellow, and chair of numerous professional societies and has authored over 400 articles and 51 books, including Useful Research: Advancing Theory and Practice, Management Reset: Organizing for Sustainable Effectiveness, and Effective Human Resource Management: A Global Assessment. He is also co-author of The New American Workplace, a groundbreaking work examining critical issues in the workplace.
In addition to being a Distinguished Professor at USC (another honor bestowed upon a select few), Lawler has been honored as a top management expert and one of the country’s leading contributors to research and practice in the fields of human resources management, compensation, organizational effectiveness, and organizational development. BusinessWeek (currently named Bloomberg Businessweek) proclaimed Lawler one of the top six experts in the field of management, and Human Resource Executive called him one of HR’s most influential people. Workforce magazine identified him as one of the twenty-five visionaries who have shaped today’s workplace over the past century. He has been a consultant to many corporations, including several of the Fortune 100, as well as governments at all levels.
In his four-decade tenure at USC, Lawler has brought significant renown to both the university and Marshall. Receiving the USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award is a testament to Professor Lawler’s enduring impact on academia, management practice, and the university community.
