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Celebrating Thomas Kochan, Paul Osterman and Barbara Dyer

On May 25, the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER), held a virtual celebration of the careers and contributions of three esteemed IWER faculty members: Thomas Kochan, Paul Osterman, and Barbara Dyer.

Each of the three is making a transition in their work life. Kochan and Osterman served as IWER Co-Directors for decades but have now passed that baton to MIT Sloan Professors Erin L. Kelly and Emilio J. Castilla, the current IWER Co-Directors. Kochan is also transitioning to the role of MIT Sloan Professor, Post-Tenure—a position that will allow him to focus on those projects of most importance to him. Osterman is taking a sabbatical. Dyer, meanwhile, is stepping down as Senior Lecturer and Executive Director of the Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative at MIT Sloan and becoming an IWER Research Affiliate—a change that will allow her to continue research, writing, and other projects, but without having to fly every week from her home in Washington, D.C. to teach in Cambridge.

The event featured introductory remarks by MIT Sloan School Dean David Schmittlein and IWER Co-Directors Castilla and Kelly. The afternoon then segued into panel discussions in which panelists—and then other attendees—shared their perspectives on Kochan, Osterman, and Dyer.

Thomas Kochan: A Community-Building Leadership Style  

The first panel focused on Kochan, who is the George M. Bunker Professor of Management at MIT Sloan and who became a Co-Director of IWER (under its earlier name, the Industrial Relations Section) in 1980. Panelists and attendees alike praised Kochan for his great skill at building community, for his committed mentorship of graduate students, and for a leadership style that emphasizes relationships and connecting people and that serves as a model for others when they take on leadership roles.  They also praised the rigor and relevance of his research on his work and employment.

Panelist Elizabeth Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, also noted Kochan’s extensive intellectual contributions to the contemporary labor movement in the U.S. and his willingness to partner with labor leaders, including on a new course being planned for labor representatives. “We owe you a huge debt of gratitude,” she said to Kochan.

Paul Osterman

Paul Osterman: “An Incredibly Sharp Mind and a Big Heart”

Some common themes also emerged in the panel and comments honoring Osterman, the Nanyang Technological University Professor of Human Resources and Management at MIT Sloan as well as a former Deputy Dean of the School. Osterman, noted MIT Economics Professor Emeritus Michael Piore, is an institutional labor economist whose boundary-spanning work moves across incredible amounts of intellectual and social territory but always has a concern for the “the edges of the labor market, the edges of society.”  Other participants praised Osterman for “an incredibly sharp mind and a big heart,” and, in particular, for asking rigorous, pointed questions that improve others' work. “We are better scholars because of Paul,” one attendee said.

Osterman was also praised for the practical implications of his work in the field—and for making sure that graduate students get out in the world, too. Participants also expressed appreciation for the way Osterman models work-family balance by openly prioritizing commitments to his family. And, attendees noted, Osterman has a lively sense of humor characterized by what one described as “inspirational, contagious irreverence.”

Barbara Dyer: A Creative, Visionary Leader and Connector

Some participants commented on Dyer’s work as President and CEO of the Hitachi Foundation, where she focused on business as a way of strengthening society and identified “Pioneer Employers” whose strategy includes providing good jobs to workers. Others spoke of her work since coming to MIT Sloan, where she launched the Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative and led a team that developed and launched USA Lab, an award-winning Action Learning Lab class that pairs teams of MIT graduate students with community-based organizations across the U.S. to tackle important local economic development questions.

Dyer was characterized as a creative and visionary leader who loves making connections between people and has a big heart—but isn’t shy about giving candid feedback when it’s needed.  One colleague also observed that Dyer has played an important role at MIT Sloan by encouraging her fellow faculty members to always think about the implications of their work in the world beyond the academy.

Students and former students praised her genuine interest in them and support of their work. “She’s an incredible connector,” explained MIT Sloan alumna Jenny Weissbourd, who is now Associate Director of the Workforce Strategies Initiative at the Aspen Institute. “Somehow, Barbara seems to know literally everybody.”

IWER: A Strong Community

As the program drew to a close, after comments from MIT Sloan Deputy Dean Michael Cusumano and a celebratory virtual toast using IWER mugs, a number of participants reflected on the strength of the IWER intellectual community that has developed over the years. As one attendee observed, “I’m really just bowled over by how much IWER has been able to foster a sense of community at Sloan”—without sacrificing intellectual rigor.