Wayne Baker

Wayne E. Baker is an American sociologist and author whose work focuses on economic sociology, social networks, and organizational behavior. Baker holds the Robert P. Thome Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Management & Organizations chair at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He also serves as Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan and Faculty Associate at the Institute for Social Research. Baker earned a doctorate in sociology from Northwestern University and completed post-doctoral research at Harvard University. Before joining the Michigan faculty, he was a faculty member at the University of Chicago business school.

Baker is recognized for research in economic sociology, demonstrating that financial markets function as social networks, and for survey research on American values. His data indicate that Americans share more core values than often portrayed by news media and political campaigns, including patriotism, belief in God, individualism, success, equal opportunities, freedom and liberty, respect, and support for the free market. These findings are central to his book "America's Crisis of Values: Reality and Perception" and "United America," which examine common ground among Americans across political and demographic lines.

Baker led the creation of the Section on Economic Sociology of the American Sociological Association and served as the first director of the Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship at the Ross School of Business. He is Faculty Director of the Center for Positive Organizations. Baker served as Principal Investigator and Team Leader for the Detroit Arab American Study, supported by the Russell Sage Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the University of Michigan. His management and leadership articles have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive Magazine, and Sloan Management Review.

Baker has published six books and more than 60 articles. His book "All You Have to Do Is Ask" provides a practical guide on the power of seeking help in organizations. He is co-creator of the Reciprocity Ring, a group exercise used in corporations and business schools to facilitate asking for and giving help at work. His earlier book "Networking Smart" was named one of the thirty best business books by Executive Book Summaries.

Baker has received awards including the Senior Faculty Research Award from the Ross School of Business, the Best Article Published Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity, the Emory Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Max Weber Award for Distinguished Scholarship, the Joanne Martin Trailblazer Award, and the SO!WHAT! Award for best article in Strategic Organization. Baker is a co-founder and board member of Give and Take, Inc., which developed Givitas, a SaaS platform designed to provide employees with access to collective intelligence and expertise. Baker is a frequent speaker and consultant, sharing academic research and practical insights with audiences in business, academia, and public sectors.