The Grade Stood.
The Bird Honked.
Connected stories about work, family, friendship, and the people we keep learning.
Explore the MemoirAuthor, Educator & Researcher
Michael J. Tews Jr.
I’m an author, educator, researcher, and workshop facilitator interested in the human side of work.
My work explores how people connect at work, why they stay or leave, and how they learn from one another. I’m particularly interested in workplace relationships, leadership, and fun.
Across my research, teaching, books, and workshops, I explore the relationships that shape our experiences with others.
Two books.
People at the center.
The Grade Stood.
Human Resource
Management Briefs
Forthcoming from Cognella
A human resource management text for people who make decisions about people.
Across 22 short briefings, readers encounter evidence, competing priorities, and choices that require judgment.
It begins with a young manager and a huckleberry milkshake machine.
Explore the TextbookSomething to do.
Something to discover.
Interactive workshops for leaders, teams, educators, and organizations across industries.
People are more than the pieces we first see.
MiniCandidate uses LEGO characters to explore how we understand people. Participants build personas and consider how personality, background, experiences, and circumstances come together.
The activity can take different directions, from hiring and team dynamics to leadership, inclusion, and belonging. The characters give participants something concrete to discuss, question, and reconsider.
Across these uses, the invitation is the same. Look beyond a first impression and consider what else there is to learn about a person.
Get in Touch
Maastricht
Maastricht
A little
background.
I'm an associate professor in Penn State's School of Hospitality Management. Through research, teaching, writing, and workshops, I explore workplace relationships, employee retention, learning, leadership, and workplace fun.
I started working in hospitality long before I started studying it. At fourteen, I washed dishes at Sherrianne's Restaurant in Bay City, Michigan. At fifteen, my younger brother Ben and I pushed an ice-cream cart through our neighborhood. At sixteen, I worked the grill at McDonald's.
The cook at Sherrianne's made me dinner after my shifts. Joel and I made each other laugh at McDonald's. In Montana, I went whitewater rafting with Holly, my boss.
At twenty, I unexpectedly found myself managing people who had once been my coworkers.
I thought I was learning jobs.
I was.
I was also learning about people.
I've lived in State College for more than 17 years and am happy to call Happy Valley home. I share it with my partner, Mike, and our golden conure, Zuko.
Let’s talk.
For workshops, book inquiries, or research conversations.
mjt17@psu.eduFind Me on LinkedIn