Nelson P. Repenning

Nelson P. Repenning is the Faculty Director of the MIT Leadership Center and the School of Management Distinguished Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on system dynamics and organization studies, with an emphasis on understanding organizational challenges and developing new approaches to work design. He has worked extensively with organizations to improve capabilities in manufacturing and product development, and has studied the failure to implement safety practices in industrial settings. Repenning is also a partner at ShiftGear Work Design and serves as its chief social scientist. He has received several awards, including the International System Dynamics Society’s Jay Wright Forrester Award and the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching. His book, co-authored with Don Kieffer, titled 'There Has Got to Be a Better Way,' was published in 2025. He holds a BA in economics from Colorado College and a PhD in operations management and system dynamics from MIT.

Nelson Repenning is a Professor of Management at MIT, specializing in organization theory. His research explores the dynamics of organizational improvement, process management, and the challenges of implementing quality programs. Repenning's work investigates how organizational structures and behaviors contribute to both success and failure in complex systems. He examines topics such as capability traps, self-confirming attribution errors, and the paradox of improvement. His research also addresses the role of feedback delay, temporal context, and decision-making in organizational settings. Repenning's studies often use simulation-based approaches to model the complexities of innovation, resource allocation, and conflict dynamics within organizations.