Linda E. Ginzel

Biography

Linda E. Ginzel is a clinical professor of managerial psychology at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she has taught since 1992. She specializes in negotiation, managerial psychology, leadership, and executive development. An award-winning educator, she authored the best-selling book, Choosing Leadership, whose latest edition adds practical Leadership Modules to help individuals and groups build what she calls Leadership Capital—the courage, wisdom, and capacity to decide when to manage and when to lead.

She served on the faculty at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and is a charter member of the Association for Psychological Science and a member of the Academy of Management. Her teaching has been recognized with numerous honors across Booth’s programs, including the Faculty Excellence Award, the inaugural Global Hillel J. Einhorn Excellence in Teaching Award, the Phoenix Award, multiple Hillel J. Einhorn Excellence in Teaching Awards, the Emory Williams Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the inaugural Master in Management Teaching Award from the Class of 2025.

Ginzel graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado and earned her master’s degree and PhD in experimental social psychology from Princeton University. She also worked as a senior consultant in talent development for Mutual of New York’s Group Pensions and Operations Center.

Beyond the classroom, she is a prominent consumer and child-safety advocate. In 2000, President Bill Clinton presented her with the President’s Service Award, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service addressing critical social problems, in recognition of her work as cofounder of Kids In Danger, a nonprofit dedicated to improving children’s product safety. Linda also served on President Obama's Transition Team, and on the board of Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.

Research Interests

Social cognition and interpersonal perception; the social psychology of organizations; negotiation skills, organizational behavior; ethical leadership; management education and executive development.

Academic Areas

• Behavioral Science