Jon M. Jachimowicz
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Jon M. Jachimowicz is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School, where he teaches the Leadership and Organizational Behavior course (LEAD) in the Required Curriculum. He studies the experience, antecedents, and consequences of passion. His work reveals that scholars and the broader public often fundamentally misunderstand passion.
Jon M. Jachimowicz is an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior Unit at Harvard Business School, where he teaches the Leadership and Organizational Behavior course (LEAD) in the Required Curriculum. He studies the experience, antecedents, and consequences of passion. His work reveals that scholars and the broader public often fundamentally misunderstand passion.
In line with the popular adage, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” many participants in his studies believe that it is easy to pursue their passion, but his research shows it is actually difficult to do so. In fact, the German word for passion, Leidenschaft, translates to “the ability to endure hardship,” hinting at its demanding nature. Prior literature also commonly assumes that when it comes to passion, “you either have it or you don’t,” but his research shows that passion fluctuates day-to-day, or even within each day. And perhaps most importantly, scholars often position passion as a resource that can address countless challenges, from motivating employees to tackling social issues, but his research shows that sustaining passion over the long term is its own challenge, and requires proactive effort from individuals, managers, and organizations.
His research suggests that these misconceptions can create a vicious cycle that impedes people from realizing the benefits of pursuing passion. His research leverages both theory and data to offer practical pathways for people and organizations to overcome these pitfalls and unlock the true potential of passion.
To capture the dynamic nature of passion, he predominantly uses experience sampling or daily diary methods within organizations, in which people respond to short surveys multiple times per day over the course of several weeks. He also leverages surveys, laboratory and field experiments, interviews, and archival data to complement this approach. Jon received a Ph.D. from Columbia Business School, M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and undergraduate degree from the University of St Andrews. He was listed as a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, a Poets & Quants 40 under 40 honoree, a Forbes 30 under 30, and on the Thinkers 50 Radar List. His work has been published in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Nature Human Behaviour, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and others.
- Featured Work
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Passion for work is highly coveted, but many employees report struggling to maintain their passion over time. In the current research, we explain the challenge of pursuing passion by conceptualizing passion as an attribute with temporal variation. Viewed through a daily lens, we argue that self-regulation plays a critical role in understanding the challenges underlying the daily maintenance of passion. More specifically, we hypothesize that—unless employees adequately regulate their passion on any given day—higher levels of passion will lead them to invest more time and energy into their work, decreasing their psychological detachment from work after the workday, and consequently resulting in higher levels of emotional exhaustion the next day. Higher levels of emotional exhaustion on a given day subsequently prompt a greater need for recovery, shifting employees’ focus away from devoting time and energy into work, thereby eroding their passion on the following day. Two daily-diary studies covering 30 and 10 consecutive working days provided support for our predictions (N = 798; k = 15,702). Employees who felt more in charge of their passion on any given day engaged in self-regulation during their workday, increasing their psychological detachment from work and subsequently being less likely to suffer the detrimental consequences of higher daily passion. Our theory and findings demonstrate the daily interplay between passion and emotional exhaustion and specify why passion may be self-limiting unless employees adequately manage it, reflecting a challenge they need to navigate each day in pursuing their passion.Passion is stereotypically expressed through animated facial expressions, energetic body movements, varied tone, and pitch—and met with interpersonal benefits. However, these capture only a subset of passion expressions that are more common for extraverts. Indeed, in an initial dyadic study of supervisors and their subordinates (N = 330), extraverts expressed their passion more strongly through these stereotypical expressions of passion, and observers perceived extraverts as more passionate than introverts. Across three studies (N = 1,373), we subsequently developed a more comprehensive passion expressions and behaviors scale (PEBS). Using this measure in a daily diary study (N = 206, k = 1,862), we found that extraverts not only expressed their passion in more stereotypical ways, but through a broader variety of expressions in general. Extraverts are perceived as more passionate because they have a broader behavioral repertoire, express their passion more frequently and diversely, and thereby attain greater interpersonal rewards.We’re often told to follow our passion. But research shows that many of us don’t know how to do so. How do we fix this? Research on passion suggests that we need to understand three key things: (1) passion is not something one finds, but rather, it is something to be developed; (2) it is challenging to pursue your passion, especially as it wanes over time; and (3) passion can also lead us astray, and it is therefore important to recognize its limits.
- Journal Articles
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- Bailey, Erica R., Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "A Potential Pitfall of Passion: Passion Is Associated with Performance Overconfidence." Social Psychological & Personality Science 15, no. 7 (September 2024): 769–779. View Details
- Krautter, Kai, Anabel Büchner, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Extraverts Reap Greater Social Rewards from Passion Because They Express Passion More Frequently and More Diversely." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (forthcoming). (Pre-published online, November 25, 2023.) View Details
- Bredehorst, Joy, Kai Krautter, Jirs Meuris, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "The Challenge of Maintaining Passion for Work over Time: A Daily Perspective on Passion and Emotional Exhaustion." Organization Science 35, no. 1 (January–February 2024): 364–386. View Details
- Kwon, Mijeong, Julia Lee Cunningham, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Discerning Saints: Moralization of Intrinsic Motivation and Selective Prosociality at Work." Academy of Management Journal 66, no. 6 (December 2023): 1625–1650. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Hannah Weisman. "Divergence Between Employer and Employee Understandings of Passion: Theory and Implications for Future Research." Research in Organizational Behavior (in press). View Details
- Blesch, Kristin, Oliver P. Hauser, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Measuring Inequality beyond the Gini Coefficient May Clarify Conflicting Findings." Nature Human Behaviour 6, no. 11 (November 2022): 1525–1536. View Details
- Wang, Ke, Erica R. Bailey, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "The Passionate Pygmalion Effect: Passionate Employees Attain Better Outcomes in Part Because of More Preferential Treatment by Others." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 101 (July 2022). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Shai Davidai, Daniela Goya-Tocchetto, Barnabas Szaszi, Martin Day, Stephanie Tepper, L. Taylor Phillips, M. Usman Mirza, Nailya Ordabayeva, and Oliver P. Hauser. "Inequality in Researchers' Minds: Four Guiding Questions for Studying Subjective Perceptions of Economic Inequality." Journal of Economic Surveys (April 27, 2022). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Embracing Field Studies as a Tool for Learning." Nature Reviews Psychology 1, no. 5 (May 2022): 249–250. View Details
- Landis, Blaine, Jon M. Jachimowicz, Dan J. Wang, and Robert W. Krause. "Revisiting Extraversion and Leadership Emergence: A Social Network Churn Perspective." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 123, no. 4 (October 2022): 811–829. View Details
- Hensel, Lukas, Marc Witte, Stefano Caria, Thiemo Fetzer, Stefano Fiorin, Friedrich M. Goetz, Margarita Gomez, Johannes Haushofer, Andriy Ivchenko, Gordon T. Kraft-Todd, Elena Reutskaja, Christopher Roth, Erez Yoeli, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Global Behaviors, Perceptions, and the Emergence of Social Norms at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 193 (January 2022): 473–496. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Erin L. Frey, Sandra C. Matz, Bertus F. Jeronimus, and Adam D. Galinsky. "The Sharp Spikes of Poverty: Financial Scarcity Is Related to Higher Levels of Distress Intensity in Daily Life." Social Psychological & Personality Science 13, no. 8 (November 2022): 1187–1198. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Andreas Wihler, and Adam D. Galinsky. "My Boss' Passion Matters as Much as My Own: The Interpersonal Dynamics of Passion Are a Critical Driver of Performance Evaluations." Special Issue on Work Passion Research: Taming Breadth and Promoting Depth. Journal of Organizational Behavior 43, no. 9 (November 2022): 1496–1515. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Energy Conservation Behaviour: Three Thumbs Up For Social Norms." Nature Energy 5, no. 11 (November 2020): 826–827. View Details
- Gladstone, Joe J., Jon M. Jachimowicz, Adam Eric Greenberg, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Financial Shame Spirals: How Shame Intensifies Financial Hardship." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 167 (November 2021): 42–56. View Details
- Anicich, Eric, Jon M. Jachimowicz, Merrick Osborne, and L. Taylor Phillips. "Structuring Local Environments to Avoid Diversity: Anxiety Drives Whites' Geographical and Institutional Self-Segregation Preferences." Art. 104117. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 95 (July 2021). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Ruo Mo, Adam Eric Greenberg, Bertus Jeronimus, and Ashley V. Whillans. "Income More Reliably Predicts Frequent Than Intense Happiness." Social Psychological & Personality Science 12, no. 7 (September 2021): 1294–1306. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Julia Lee Cunningham, Bradley Staats, Francesca Gino, and Jochen I. Menges. "Between Home and Work: Commuting as an Opportunity for Role Transitions." Organization Science 32, no. 1 (January–February 2021): 64–85. View Details
- Götz, Friedrich M., Andrés Gvirtz, Adam D. Galinsky, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "How Personality and Policy Predict Pandemic Behavior: Understanding Sheltering-in-Place in 55 Countries at the Onset of COVID-19." American Psychologist 76, no. 1 (January 2021): 39–49. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Barnabas Szaszi, Marcel Lukas, David Smerdon, Jaideep Prabhu, and Elke U. Weber. "Higher Economic Inequality Intensifies the Financial Hardship of People Living in Poverty by Fraying the Community Buffer." Special Issue on Racism in Action. Nature Human Behaviour 4, no. 7 (July 2020): 702–712. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Shannon Duncan, Elke U. Weber, and Eric J. Johnson. "When and Why Defaults Influence Decisions: A Meta-analysis of Default Effects." Behavioural Public Policy 3, no. 2 (November 2019): 159–186. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Joe J. Gladstone, Dan Berry, Charlotte L. Kirkdale, Tracey Thornley, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Making Medications Stick: Improving Medication Adherence by Highlighting the Personal Health Costs of Non-compliance." Behavioural Public Policy 5, no. 3 (July 2021): 396–416. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Christopher To, Shira Agasi, Stéphane Côté, and Adam D. Galinsky. "The Gravitational Pull of Expressing Passion: When and How Expressing Passion Elicits Status Conferral and Support from Others." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 153 (July 2019): 41–62. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Oliver P. Hauser, Julia D. O'Brien, Erin Sherman, and Adam D. Galinsky. "The Critical Role of Second-order Normative Beliefs in Predicting Energy Conservation." Nature Human Behaviour 2, no. 10 (October 2018): 757–764. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Andreas Wihler, Erica R. Bailey, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Why Grit Requires Perseverance and Passion to Positively Predict Performance." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, no. 40 (October 2, 2018): 9980–9985. View Details
- Popular Articles
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- Bailey, Erica R., Kai Krautter, Wen Wu, Adam D. Galinsky, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Research: How Passion Can Backfire at Work." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (July 24, 2024). View Details
- Krautter, Kai, Anabel Büchner, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Stop Assuming Introverts Aren't Passionate About Work." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (December 4, 2023). View Details
- Bredehorst, Joy, Kai Krautter, Jirs Meuris, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Don't Let Passion Lead to Burnout on Your Team." Harvard Business Review (website) (May 17, 2023). View Details
- Kwon, Mijeong, Julia Lee Cunningham, and Jon M. Jachimowicz. "Research: Your Love for Work May Alienate Your Colleagues." Harvard Business Review (website) (June 14, 2023). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., K. Blesch, and Oliver P. Hauser. "Income Inequality Is Rising. Are We Even Measuring It Correctly?" Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (August 29, 2022). View Details
- Howe, Lauren C., Jon M. Jachimowicz, and Jochen I. Menges. "To Retain Employees, Support Their Passions Outside Work." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 30, 2022). View Details
- Stein, Daniel, Nick Hobson, Jon M. Jachimowicz, and Ashley Whillans. "How Companies Can Improve Employee Engagement Right Now." Harvard Business Review (website) (October 13, 2021). View Details
- Anicich, Eric, Jon M. Jachimowicz, Merrick Osborne, and L. Taylor Phillips. "Design Physical and Digital Spaces to Foster Inclusion." Harvard Business Review (website) (August 11, 2021). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Passion Meets Purpose: Do I Need to be Passionate about Work or My Job?" Headspace, June 5, 2021. View Details
- Howe, Lauren C., Jon M. Jachimowicz, and Jochen I. Menges. "Your Job Doesn't Have to Be Your Passion." Harvard Business Review (website) (June 4, 2021). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Adam Eric Greenberg. "Lower Income Translates to Fewer Happy Experiences—Here Is How We Can Fix It." Character & Context (January 25, 2021). https://www.spsp.org/news-center/blog/jachimowicz-greenberg-wealth-happiness-inequalities. View Details
- Davidai, Shai, Martin Day, Daniela Goya-Tocchetto, Oliver Hauser, Jon M. Jachimowicz, M. Usman Mirza, Nailya Ordabayeva, L. Taylor Phillips, Barnabas Szaszi, and Stephanie Tepper. "We Have a Rare Opportunity to Create a Stronger, More Equitable Society." Behavioral Scientist (June 1, 2020). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Shannon Duncan, Elke U. Weber, and Eric J. Johnson. "Defaults Are Not the Same by Default." Behavioral Scientist (April 16, 2019). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "3 Reasons It's So Hard to 'Follow Your Passion'." Harvard Business Review (website) (October 15, 2019). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Joyce He, and Julian Arango. "The Unexpected Benefits of Pursuing a Passion Outside of Work." Harvard Business Review (website) (November 19, 2019). View Details
- Gino, Francesca, Bradley Staats, Jon M. Jachimowicz, Julia J. Lee, and Jochen I. Menges. "Reclaim Your Commute: Getting To and From Work Doesn't Have to be Soul Crushing." Harvard Business Review 95, no. 3 (May–June 2017): 149–153. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "The Passion Paradox: A Conversation with Brad Stulberg." Behavioral Scientist (April 9, 2019). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Oliver P. Hauser, Julie O'Brien, Erin Sherman, and Adam D. Galinsky. "Research: People Use Less Energy When They Think Their Neighbors Care About the Environment." Harvard Business Review (website) (January 28, 2019). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "The Study Premortem: Why Publishing Null Results Is Only the First Step." Behavioral Scientist (October 16, 2018). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Sandra Matz, and Vyacheslav Polonski. "The Behavioral Scientist's Ethics Checklist." Behavioral Scientist (October 23, 2017). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Elke U. Weber, and Jaideep C. Prabhu. "The Conditions that Help Poor People Make Better Decisions, According to New Research." Quartz (May 2, 2017). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "What to Do When Someone Angrily Challenges Your Data." Harvard Business Review (website) (April 5, 2017). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "A 5-Step Process to Get More Out of Your Organization's Data." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 16, 2017). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Sam McNerney. "The Problem with Following Your Passion." Washington Post, On Leadership (November 6, 2015). View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Sam McNerney. "Should Governments Nudge Us to Make Good Choices?" Scientific American Mind (September 1, 2015). View Details
- Book Chapters
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- Ruggeri, Kai, Jana Berkessel, Jascha Achterberg, Gerhard M. Prinz, Alessandra Luna-Navarro, Jon M. Jachimowicz, and A. V. Whillans. "Work and Workplace." Chap. 9 in Behavioral Insights for Public Policy: Concepts and Cases, edited by Kai Ruggeri, 156–173. New York: Routledge, 2018. View Details
- Cases and Teaching Materials
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- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Alexis Lefort. "Choosing the Course of Passion: Brooke Boyarsky Pratt at knownwell." Harvard Business School Case 424-040, May 2024. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Toby Norman: Is Passion Enough for Simprints to Thrive?" Harvard Business School Teaching Note 424-066, February 2024. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "A Manager's Introduction to Passion for Work." Harvard Business School Technical Note 424-071, February 2024. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., Amram Migdal, and Max Hancock. "Toby Norman: Is Passion Enough for Simprints to Thrive?" Harvard Business School Case 424-015, August 2023. (Revised February 2024.) View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Kwame Owusu-Kesse at Harlem Children's Zone." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 423-042, October 2022. (Revised September 2023.) View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Francesca Gino. "Sarah Robb O‘Hagan: The Rocky Road of Passion." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 423-034, August 2022. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Francesca Gino. "Case Study: What's the Right Career Move After a Public Failure?" Harvard Business Review 100, no. 5 (September–October 2022): 144–149. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Kwame Owusu-Kesse at the Harlem Children's Zone." Harvard Business School Case 422-020, September 2021. (Revised November 2021.) View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M., and Francesca Gino. "Sarah Robb O'Hagan: The Rocky Road of Passion." Harvard Business School Case 422-055, July 2021. (Revised September 2021.) View Details
- Presentations
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- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "How to Transition In and Out of Work." Headspace, Boston, MA, October 6, 2021. View Details
- Jachimowicz, Jon M. "Passion Meets Purpose: Do I Need to be Passionate about Work or My Job?" Headspace, June 5, 2021. View Details
- Additional Information
- Areas of Interest
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