Dr. Paul Hangsan Ahn does research on group problem-solving and decision-making, organizational norms, social belonging, persuasive messaging and more. Primarily using quantitative methods such as experiments and surveys, he also complements these with qualitative methods like interviews and observations as needed. He is currently developing a communication theory called IDEA (Ideas Desire Early Acknowledgement), a theory that shows how specific interpersonal communications needs—such as impression management and self-presentation—influence patterns of idea sharing in organizational work groups. 

At Hope, his courses cover organizational communication and leadership (Comm 330); small group communication (Comm 220); public relations and strategic communication (Comm 358); and communication basics (Comm 101). Prior to joining the Hope faculty in 2023, he taught crisis communication, persuasion, social media, advertising, rhetoric, and interpersonal communication. Throughout his teaching, he enjoys connecting theory with real life.

Earlier, as a member of Hyundai Motor Company’s Marketing Strategy Team he led internal and external organizational communication projects. These included enhancing organizational creativity through design thinking; analyzing PR and marketing in 15 countries; and developing and advertising Hyundai products such as the Sonata, Ioniq and Genesis. He conducted research on customers in California, Dubai, China and South Korea using experiments and interviews. He also contributed to developing the social-media-based strategic communication roadmap for Hyundai’s high-performance brand, Hyundai N.

Areas of Expertise

• Organizational work groups
• Creative decision-making
• Persuasion
• Quantitative methods (Ph.D. minor)
• Social and affective neuroscience (Ph.D. minor)

Education

• Ph.D., communication science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2022
• B.A., Chinese language, and B.A., international studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Seoul, South Korea), 2011

Honors and Awards

• Top Four Paper Award in Group Communication, with L. M. Van Swol et al., National Communication Association, 2022
• Dennis Gouran Research Award for best published article in group communication, with E. F. Bloomfield et al., National Communication Association, 2021
• Top Paper Award, with X. Zhou et al., Communication Science and Biology Interest Group, International Communication Association, 2020
• Top Three Paper Award in Group Communication, with L. M. Van Swol et al., National Communication Association, 2019
• Marketer of the Month Award, Hyundai Motor Company, November 2013

Publications and Presentations

• “Innovative Ideas Desire Earlier Communication: Exploring Reverse Serial-order Effect and Liberating Cognitive Constraint for Organizational Problem-solving,” with L. M. Van Swol et al., Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 2023
• “Enhanced Motivation and Decision Making from Hybrid Creative Problem Solving,” with L. M. Van Swol et al., Small Group Research, 2022
• “Language Use and Feelings of Ostracism in an Online Chat Group,” with L. M. Van Swol, Communication Reports, 2022
• “A Sense of Social Belonging and Subjective Socioeconomic Status in Processing Persuasive Health Messages,” presentation with C. N. Cascio et al., International Communication Association (ICA) conference, 2022
• “Personality Metatraits, Neurocognitive Networks, and Reasoning Norms for Creative Decision-Making,” with L. M. Van Swol, in Consumer Happiness: Multiple Perspectives, edited by T. Dutta and M. K. Mandal, Springer, 2021
• “Demonstrability of Analytics Solutions and Shared Knowledge of Statistics and Operating Room Management Improves Expected Performance of Small Teams in Correctly Solving Problems and Making Good Decisions,” with F. Dexter et al., Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management, 2020
• “Empathy Moderates Neural Correlates Associated with Conformity,” presentation with S. Konrath et al., Social & Affective Neuroscience Society (SANS) conference, 2021
• “Exploring the AB (Abductive-Bayesian) path to C (Creativity) Model: A Case Study of How the Two Reasoning Modes Underlie Shared Reasoning Norms of Designers,” presentation with L. M. Van Swol, INGRoup conference, 2020
• “Reasoning Mode and Creative Performance Using fNIRS,” presentation with X. Zhou et al., International Communication Association (ICA) conference, 2020
• “Updating Osborn’s Brainstorming Paradigm in a Systems View: A Cognitive Constraint for Creative Dual Processing,” presentation with L. M. Van Swol et al., INGroup conference, 2019
• “The Effects of Discussion of Unshared Information on Complexity of Language,” presentation with L. M. Van Swol et al., INGRoup conference, 2018

Talks

• “Organizational Creativity” at the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Seoul National University, 2022
• “Norms of Reasoning for Creativity” at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2022
• “Neurophysiological Methods” at Comm 620, San Diego State University, 2021
• “Reasoning Norms” at the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 2020

Outside the College

Dr. Ahn loves listening to ideas, playing and watching basketball (especially Steph Curry), swimming, playing the guitar (favorites include Simon and Garfunkel), going for a stroll, visiting coffee shops and gently swinging his little one, Lisa.