Johnathan Cromwell

Associate Professor Johnathan Cromwell's research focuses on how people collaborate with each other as they define, solve, and change problems while working on creativity and innovation projects in organizations. This work helps advance a nascent theoretical framework called "dynamic problem solving," which aims to explain when, why, and how people can fluidly shift between different models of problem-solving as they work within various constraints in organizations.

Cromwell's teaching focuses on helping students learn how to understand and apply multiple perspectives during problem-solving so that they can become a bridge between organizational silos in their future careers. To this end, Cromwell teaches an exciting new course called Product Engineering, which aims to give non-technical students a better understanding of how engineers think, solve problems, and view the world around them. He also teaches a course on Creativity, Innovation, and Applied Design, in which students learn the theory and application of various models of problem-solving.

• Entrepreneurship
• Innovation
• Creativity
• Organizational behavior

• Creative thinking
• Creative problem solving
• Innovation in teams

• Affiliated faculty member of the Department of Engineering

• Harvard Business School, DBA Management, 2018
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.B. in Chemical-Biological Engineering, 2009

• Editorial Board, Academy of Management Review: 2023-2026
• Outstanding Conference Paper, INGRoup Conference: 2021
• Best Paper Award, Academy of Management, OB Division: 2018
• Conference Proceedings (x6), Academy of Management: 2017 (x2), 2018, 2020 (x2), 2022
• Academy of Management Review Outstanding Reviewer Award: 2020

• Cromwell, J. R. (2023) How combinations of constraint affect creativity: A new typology of creative problem solving in organizations. Organizational Psychology Review.

• Harvey, J.-F., Cromwell, J. R., Johnson, K. J., & Edmondson, A. C. (2023). The dynamics of team learning: Harmony and rhythm in teamwork arrangements for innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 68(3), 601–647.

• Cromwell, J. R., Harvey, J.F., Haase, J. & Gardner, H. K. (2023) Discovering where ChatGPT can create value for your company. Harvard Business Review. 

• Cromwell, J. R., Haase, J., & Vladova, G. (2023). The creative thinking profile: Predicting intrinsic motivation based on preferences for different creative thinking styles. Personality and Individual Differences, 208.

• Cromwell, J. & Kotelly B. (2021). A framework for innovation in the COVID-19 era and beyond. MIT Sloan Management Review.