Malcolm Johnson, Ph.D.

Dr. Malcolm Johnson is president of Salient Insight, a management consulting firm he founded over twenty years ago. Arising from its research focus, the firm works with organizations to boost performance through positive organizational change and enhancing the contribution of employees through alignment of personal aspirations and organizational objectives.

Johnson has led a team of researchers at a national institute in Australia producing benchmarking reports on management capability. He initiated and continues collaborative research in the areas of human capital, organizational performance, and innovation.  His contribution to thought leadership has been featured in a range of News Corporation newspapers, industry magazines, and on radio including Australia’s national public broadcaster the ABC.

With significant management experience across wealth management, not-for-profit, and downstream oil, he has contributed to higher education as an adjunct professor and member of faculty. He continues this contribution with guest lectures to MBA students at the iconic University of Queensland, Australia.

Johnson earned his MBA (thesis on corporate strategy) and Ph.D. (thesis on decision behaviours) at the University of Queensland. His ongoing work has provided specialist insights in the areas of organizational change, leadership development, employee alignment and engagement, and decision dynamics for which he was awarded an Australian Innovation Patent.

Bridging the worlds of academia and industry, his publications have sought to provide managers with actionable findings from evidence-based best practice. As a commentator on management matters to media and industry he has presented research insights at a range of conferences including the Australian Human Resources Institute, the Governance Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Management, and Occupational Therapy Australia.

Johnson is currently completing the manuscript for What Gives: The edge for effective work/life alignment, being published by Wiley in 2016. Mapping a pathway for company-wide action, Whatgives provides perspectives, strategies, and tools that help unlock motivation levels by positioning the organization as a vehicle where personal aspirations and organizational objectives can be simultaneously achieved.  He is also co-editor and contributing author to the Research Handbook on Positive Organizations: What it takes to get there and stay there, being published by Elgar in late 2016.