15 Questions with Brian Gunia

Brian Gunia, PhD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

What classes have you taught at Carey, and in what programs?

I have taught several negotiations and organizational behavior classes to part-time and full-time MBA students.

What are your research interests?

I am interested in issues related to negotiations, ethical decisions, and organizational failure.

What’s your favorite way to keep current with research? (e.g. website, library, conferences)

I like to work with a wide variety of coauthors who expose me to developments from across my field.

What don’t your students know about why you pursued your field as a career?

I see negotiations all around me, and I wanted (and still want) to understand them.

When did you know you wanted to study this for a living?

I realized while working as a consultant that I wanted to return to academia.

What should they take away from your class?

I hope my students see negotiations all around them too, and I hope that they feel equipped to handle them in the most effective way (including, at times, not treating them like a negotiation).

Does your research make you feel a certain way? Inspired? Depressed? Amused?

My research makes me feel intrigued and sometimes perplexed, which inspires additional research.

What does being at Johns Hopkins mean to you?

Being at Johns Hopkins means the opportunity to try something new. For me, that something is the Johns Hopkins Business in Government (BIG) Initiative, which provides a vehicle for translating between organizational research and national government.

Where is your favorite place to hang out on campus?

At Harbor East, I usually hang out in my office. At Homewood, I like “The Hut,” the Hutzler reading room at Gilman Hall.

What’s the proudest you’ve been at Carey?

My proudest moment at Johns Hopkins was the day I arrived, as I had spent five years at Northwestern aspiring for that day.

What have you been able to achieve here that would have been impossible elsewhere?

The Johns Hopkins Business in Government (BIG) Initiative would have been impossible at a school without the entrepreneurial spirit of Carey.

Tell us about your other endeavors… How does Carey inform or help you move forward in those?

I love riding my bike around Baltimore and playing my trombone.

Are you active on Twitter or other social media?

I use LinkedIn and Facebook, but I would not call myself “active” on either. I do, however, have a website: http://briangunia.com.

What is your favorite concept to teach?

I like to discuss the concept of making the first offer in a negotiation because of negotiators’ intuitions about whether to make the first offer often conflict with scientific evidence.

What do you like best about teaching Carey students?

I like that they are in business school, and at this particular school, because they want to be here.