He earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his BS in Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University. His research and teaching specialize in the areas of leadership and motivation, including emphases on organizational citizenship, creativity, gender, informal and non-hierarchical leadership, and servant leadership. Jim is the author of several articles published in outlets such as the Harvard Business Review and Journal of Applied Psychology, and has written one book, Business Defined. He has presented and received awards for his research at meetings of the Academy of Management and Southern Management Association.