John Dencker is a Professor at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. He is also an Associate Editor at the Academy of Management Journal. John’s research examines the effects of corporate restructuring on the employment relationship, necessity entrepreneurship, and the workforce consequences of generational dynamics. His work has been published in journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Sociological Review, Industrial Relations, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. John received his MA and PhD from Harvard University, and his BA from Northwestern University. Prior to joining Northeastern University, he was a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a post-doctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. He has had visiting appointments at ESADE Business School in Barcelona, and at the National University Singapore.
Education
- PhD Sociology, Harvard University
- AM Sociology, Harvard University
- BA Economics and US History, Northwestern University
Selected Publications
- Dencker, John C., Sophie Bacq, and Marc Gruber. 2021. Continuums and dichotomies in necessity entrepreneurship. Academy of Management Review. 46: 825-827.
- Dencker, John C., Sophie Bacq, and Marc Gruber. 2021. Basic needs as the boundary condition for a reconceptualization of necessity entrepreneurship across contexts. Academy of Management Review. 46: 830-835.
- Dencker, John C., Sophie Bacq, Marc Gruber and Melvin Haas. 2021. Reconceptualizing necessity entrepreneurship. A contextualized framework of entrepreneurial processes under conditions of basic needs. Academy of Management Review. 46: 60-79.
- Nikiforou, Argyro, John C. Dencker and Marc Gruber. 2019. Necessity entrepreneurship and industry choice in new firm creation. Strategic Management Journal, 40: 2165-2190.
- Dencker, John C. and Chichun Fang. 2016. Rent seeking and the transformation of employment relationships: The effect of corporate restructuring on wage patterns, determinants and inequality. American Sociological Review, 81: 467-487.
- Dencker, John C. and Marc Gruber. 2015. The effects of opportunities and founder experience on new firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 36: 1035-1052.
Research & Teaching Interests
Dencker's research examines effects of corporate restructuring on (1) the employment relationship, (2) public policy programs designed to help the unemployed transition to self-employment (entrepreneurship), (3) generational dynamics in the workplace, and (4) causes and consequences of domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He has taught courses on Power and Influence and Organizational Fundamentals at the undergraduate, masters' and PhD levels.
Industry & Academic Experience
Prior to joining Northeastern University, John Dencker was a professor at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a post-doctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany. During the 2011-2012 academic year, he was a visiting professor at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Awards & Recognition
- IDEA Thought Leader Award, Academy of Management. Entrepreneurship Division. For “Individual and Opportunity Factors Influencing Job Creation in New Firms.”
- Saroj Parasuraman Award Finalist. Academy of Management. Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division. For “Unpacking Generational Identities in Organizations.”
- Carolyn Dexter Award Finalist, Academy of Management. Entrepreneurship Division. For “Individual, Organizational, and Environmental Drivers of Job Creation in New Firms.”
