human resource

In: Emerging Trends in Global Organizational Science Phenomena ISBN: 978-1-53619-175-2

Editors: G. R. Ferris, P. L. Perrewé and A. Akande ©2021 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 9

CRAFTING INSPIRATIONAL, MEMORABLE, AND

PRACTICAL THEORIES: THE LESSONS OF

THE LAST SUPPER

Thomas Li-Ping Tang* Department of Management, Jennings A. Jones College of Business,

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, USA

ABSTRACT

Publishing articles and communicating novel ideas to readers requires scholars to

become excellent scientists, researchers, creative artists, and storytellers. Inspiring a brand-

new inquiry contributes to scientists and artists’ victory. This article illustrates the lessons

from Leonardo da Vinci’s best work: “The Last Supper.” It took Leonardo da Vinci 15

years to develop a theory and three years to paint it. His influential approach with an

original “research question” and a sharp focus made him famous. Nobel Laureates do not

discover the answers to others’ questions. They ask innovative questions that no one else

has asked. Researchers must demonstrate expository writing skills, well-constructed

logical arguments, adequate conceptual development, vibrant, imaginative insight and

analysis, a deep appreciation for the relevant literature, and a grounding in ultimate reality.

We ask: What’s Important Now? Our sharp focus must challenge assumptions and

stimulate counter-intuitive discoveries. Following de Vinci’s advice: “Simplicity is the

ultimate sophistication.” We must write for our human readers and AI’s search engine

optimization (SEO), making our stories simple, insightful, memorable, rhymed, and

discoverable. I hope that The Last Supper’s rich story will indeed spark researchers’

inspiration, excite innovative theory development and testing, and help breed future Nobel

Prize Winners.

Keywords: research question, focus, simplify, challenge assumptions, original thoughts,

creativity, innovation, ultimate reality

Cite this book chapter as: Tang, T. L. P. (2021). Crafting inspirational, memorable, and

practical theories: The lessons of the Last Supper. In G. R. Ferris, P. L. Perrewé, & A. Akande

(Eds.). Emerging trends in global organizational science phenomena (pp. 183-195). Nova

Science Publishers, Inc.

 Corresponding Author: Thomas Li-Ping Tang, Department of Management, Jennings A. Jones College of Business,

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132 the USA. E-mail: Thomas.Tang @mtsu.edu

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8536-2809.

Thomas Li-Ping Tang 2

Figure 1. The Last Supper. It took da Vinci 15 years to develop a theory and three years to paint it (1495-

1497). He asked an original research question and demonstrated well-constructed logical arguments, rich

and novel insight, adequate conceptual development, a deep appreciation for the relevant literature, and

this painting’s focus. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

The Lessons of The Last Supper 3

INTRODUCTION

What Makes Your Theory Famous?

What makes a theory notable, influential, and famous? An excellent paper has a compelling

theory. An article’s inspirational, memorable, and novel theory consists of an original research

question, an overarching conceptual development, well-constructed logical arguments, lavish

and unique insight, and a deep appreciation for the relevant literature. Most people will not only

consider a robust theory as authentic and real but also, and more importantly, this new theory

challenges “the assumptions” underlying existing arguments “in some significant way”

(Alvesson & Sandberg, 2011, p. 247). The critical element is to ask the right, totally original,

and creative research questions.

The 1937 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, was born in

Budapest, Hungary. He isolated vitamin C and discovered the components. He pointed out:

“Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.”

Here is another story, expanding that point. Dr. James M. Buchanan was born in

Murfreesboro and graduated from Middle Tennessee State Teachers College (MTSTC) with a

BA degree in 1940. MTSTC is now Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). He won the

Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1986. On November 21, 1991, MTSU honored him and

invited him to offer a seminar to his alma mater. The University President, faculty, students,

and community people attended this fantastic event. After one hour of presentation, there was

a 10-minute break. Most participants took a break or went for coffee and refreshment.

What’s Important Now (WIN)?

I had one thing in my mind: What’s Important Now (WIN) (Holtz, 2006)? What issues are

at stake? It will be a natural choice: “Coffee” vs. “Nobel Laureate.” I went directly to Dr. James

M. Buchanan and asked him a question: “What was the secret to your success”?

He was very generous and immediately wrote on the Seminar brochure the following

profound statement: “Hard work, a sense of self-confidence, a willingness to challenge all

authority, scientific or otherwise.” Dr. James M. Buchanan also signed his name using his three

initials in one stroke.

Since then, I have been sharing this top secret with all my students. I have adopted it as my

motto for success. I am sharing this precious gift, from this Nobel Laureate, with you, our

readers. There are several points here. Please ask yourself: What’s Important Now (WIN)?

Besides hard work and a sense of self-confidence, always ask questions, challenge all authority,

scientific or otherwise. Remember: “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7: 7). We also

need to ask ourselves: What is the purpose of our lives? Are we making contributions to our

society?

The Last Supper (the upper room) is Leonardo da Vinci’s most essential and famous work.

Here is an interesting point. It took da Vinci about 15 years to develop the ideas—i.e., the

overarching theory—for The Last Supper, while he worked on various other projects. It took

him three years (1495-1497) to complete the largest of his paintings.

Thomas Li-Ping Tang 4

The Mona Lisa. Similarly, da Vinci started to paint the Mona Lisa around 1503 and finished

it in 1519. It took him about 16 years to complete this painting. The Mona Lisa has been on

display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797. Most people have considered The Last

Supper and The Mona Lisa as two of Leonardo da Vinci’s best works.

Originality

Many critics considered his on-and-off work style a waste of time, but his optical

experiments and other distractions became vital to his originality. It takes time to dream up

some novel and original ideas. “Far from being a distraction—like many of his contemporaries

thought—they represent a lifetime of productive brainstorming, a private working out of the

ideas on which his more public work depended,” according to historian William Pannapacker

(2009). Additional time allows the originals to “improvise,” open themselves up, become

strategically flexible, and “change their strategies to capitalize on new opportunities and defend

against threats” (Grant, 2016, p. 101).

Adam Grant graduated from Harvard University (BA, magna cum laude) and the

University of Michigan (Ph.D. in less than three years). He was the youngest tenured professor

(aged 28) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In his 2016 book, Adam Grant

argued that originality could not be rushed. People of “genius sometimes accomplish most

when they work the least, for they are thinking out inventions and forming in the minds the

perfect idea” (Grant, 2016, p. 97). Originals need time to think. “But genius is uncontrolled and

uncontrollable. You cannot produce a work of genius according to a schedule or an outline”

(Pannapacker, 2009). In a recent article, Shin and Grant (2020) pointed out a curvilinear

relationship between procrastination and creativity. With high intrinsic motivation levels and

the opportunity to generate new ideas, moderate procrastination can foster creativity.

Creativity and Asking Questions

Some people attributed this quote, with many variations, to Albert Einstein: “If I had only

one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem, and one minute

solving it”. Thus, it takes more time to ask original questions and define the problem than solve

it. Following Nobel Prize Winners, e.g., Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, “thinking what nobody has

thought” or asking novel questions that no one else has asked before is more important than

answering someone else’s problems.

Professor Teresa Amabile, who received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford

University, is most famous for her research on creativity (Amabile, 1998; Amabile, Conti,

Coon, Lazenby, & Herron, 1996). According to Amabile (1998), creativity is a function of three

components: (1) expertise, (2) creative-thinking skills, and (3) motivation. Managers can

influence these components and improve creativity and innovation. She also mentioned in her

article, “how to kill creativity,” the following stories.

Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Arthur Schawlow suggested: “The labor-of-love aspect is

important. The most successful scientists often are not the most talented, but the ones who are

just impelled by curiosity. They’ve got to know what the answer is” (Amabile, 1998, p. 80).

Albert Einstein discussed intrinsic motivation as “the enjoyment of seeing and searching” (p.

80). “When creativity is under the gun, it usually ends up getting killed,” according to Harvard

The Lessons of The Last Supper 5

Business School Professor Teresa Amabile (Amabile, Hadley, & Kramer, 2002). Thus,

deadlines and extrinsic rewards undermine individuals’ intrinsic motivation on a task.

Grit: Passion and Perseverance

For my dissertation research, I worked under an esteemed advisor, Professor Roy F.

Baumeister, who finished his Ph.D. at Princeton University in two years (one of the disciples

of Edward E. Jones). He was the youngest professor on the campus of Case Western Reserve

University in Cleveland, Ohio. I was his first Ph.D. student. Under Professor Baumeister’s

guidance, I finished my dissertation in two years. “Turning play into work” using explicit labels

may increase “intrinsic motion” among individuals who truly value work (the Protestant Work

Ethic) (Tang & Baumeister, 1984).

Professor Angela Lee Duckworth completed her degrees at Harvard (1992), Oxford (1996),

and University of Pennsylvania (2006) and is currently the Christopher H. Browne

Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She found that many

strongest performers did not have stratospheric IQ scores, but they had grit (Duckworth &

Quinn, 2009; Yeager et al., 2016). With passion and perseverance, grit has emerged as a

significant predictor of success, living a life like a marathon, but not a sprint. The 8-item, 2-

factor Short Grit Scale (passion and perseverance) is associated with educational attainment

and fewer career changes among adults, predicts high GPA and fewer hours watching television

among adolescents, retention of cadets at the United States Military Academy, West Point, and

the attainment of the final round status in Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. The

parenting style that is good for grit is also the parenting style good for most other things: Be

really, really demanding, and be very, very supportive. It appears: Grit is also good for

creativity and innovation. This notion supports and expands the construct of Max Weber’s

(1905) book: The Protestant work ethic and the spirit of Capitalism.

Time and Relaxation

Time. Here, time is an interesting topic. Based on my experiences, it is hard to proofread

an article right after we finish it because we remember what we have done. It is much easier to

catch a typo and find a mistake after doing something else and returning to the same work we

have completed several days or weeks ago. Here is an example. The deadline for returning

proof within 48 hours to the publisher causes stress and fatigue.

A relaxed mind provides a fresh mind. Take a break. Changing one’s environment changes

one’s thinking, lifestyles, and cognitive mindset. A nature experience (NE) is the greatest

between 20 and 30 minutes (Hunter, Gillespie, & Chen, 2019). Taking a nature pill will reduce

stress, improve happiness, attract synergy, and create the positive Matthew Effect (see Tang,

2021, in this book). We need to get away and re-think our original ideas consistently. Creativity

or novel ideas will come out quickly when one is completely relaxed or in a trance. It is like

the state when we hypnotize someone. The three critical ingredients for successfully

hypnotizing people are (1) relaxation, (2) concentration, and (3) accepting suggestions. Post-

hypnotic suggestions can do magical things to individuals who believe in them, creating the

Pygmalion Effect and Galatea Effect (see Howard, Tang, & Austin, 2015).

Thomas Li-Ping Tang 6

Intuition. When you think about it, talk to many people about it, and think about it again,

the inspiration will come to you, according to Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook.

According to psychologists Herbert A. Simon and Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winners in

Economic Sciences in 1978 and 2002, respectively, intuition is nothing more and nothing less

than recognition (Kahneman, 2011, p. 11). Our experience will make our “intuition more

accurate” (Grant, 2016, p. 53). Most Nobel Laureates did not find the answers to the question.

Instead, they asked a new and original question. For an excellent research paper, the most

significant contribution is to ask the right question. Editors and reviewers will focus on the

extent to which submitted articles make specific, influential, and value-added theoretical,

empirical, and practical contributions to literature. Extent research suggested that the relative

importance of contributions is listed as follows: theoretical (41%), empirical (42%), and

practical (17%) (Rynes, 2005).

The Theory of The Last Supper

What was Leonardo da Vinci’s theory behind his famous painting? The Last Supper

represents the climactic moment when Jesus Christ announced: “One of you will betray me”

(Matthew 26: 21; John 13: 21). This “theory” behind this impressive painting has a simple but

profound “focus.”

If we Google the images of the last supper, we will find numerous paintings. How did

Leonardo da Vinci set the most famous painting—The Last Supper—apart from the rest of the

arts? His insightful research question for his painting made a difference.

All disciples’ reactions reflected Leonardo’s sharp focus, rich insight, and deep

understanding of the literature—the Holy Bible. For example, do you notice three windows in

the background (see Figure 1)? Further, all disciples are clustered together in groups of three.

Both reveal a symbol of the Trinity—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

From Sub-Theories to a Coherent Theory

Leonardo also prepared many pages of “manuscript” that documented each individual’s

characteristics in the painting. There was a theory (subconstruct) for each of the 12 disciples,

i.e., a set of independent hypotheses, forming an overall coherent theory (the overall latent

construct). Leonardo put “The Last Supper” in a brand-new context: “one of your will betray

me” (Matthew 26: 21; John 13: 21). This new context creates a new meaning. It is plausible

that no other artists have done so. [This analogy represents the statistical term of a formative

structural equation theoretical model. For detailed information, readers may find Tang (2020

and 2021, also in this book, Tang et al., 2018a) regarding items, constructs, and immediate and

omnibus contexts helpful.] Viewers, like us, must have a good understanding of the background

literature to appreciate Leonardo’s interpretation of the event. It is creative, memorable,

symbolic, novel, unique, and totally “original.” Ordinary people without the knowledge of the

Bible will not set The Last Supper apart from the rest of the paintings in museums around the

world.

The Lessons of The Last Supper 7

Location, Location, Location

When we have families and friends eating together, do we all sit around the table? Leonardo

also challenged traditional wisdom. All the disciples and Jesus, a total of 13 people, sat on one

side of a very long table facing viewers. No one had done it before. There are many paintings

of the Last Supper in museums and cathedrals around the world. Interestingly, in almost all

cases, disciples sat around the table. Some paintings have dogs, cats, servants, angles, wine,

vessels, candles, and chandeliers. It is plausible that dogs are symbols of faith. Therefore, in

Sir Peter Paul Ruben’s Last Supper, you may find a dog with a bone. You even may find one

of the disciples taking a nap right in front of Jesus in some paintings. These artists missed the

point, putting unnecessary distractions (dogs, cats, servants, and a sleepy disciple) in their

paintings. Besides, these artists had no focus and no theory. What should artists do?

Louis Leo Holtz has been a football coach at various universities. He was a coach at the

University of Notre Dame (1986-1996). Holtz’s Notre Dame team went 12-0 and won the Fiesta

Bowl, the national champion. He was the only one who led six different programs to bowl

games and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Holtz (2006) identified the crux

of the matter in his book: To WIN, he asked: “What’s Important Now”? So, we should ask the

same question: What’s Important Now”?

Whetten (2009) discussed contributions of theory and contributions to theory together with

theories in context and theories of context. Please read the whole special issue of the

Management and Organization Review (2009). Rousseau and Fried (2001) and Johns (2017)

stressed “location, location, location,” and the importance of contextualization. We must be

aware of theory building and theory testing in contexts (Colquitt & George, 2011; Colquitt &

Zapata-Phelan, 2007).

Monetary Wisdom asserts that individuals select deep-rooted personal values as a lens

and frame critical concerns in the proximal (immediate) and distal (omnibus) contexts to

maximize their expected utilities and ultimate serenity. Individuals’ monetary values lead to

the dark side (unethical intentions, lower academic course grade, and low stock happiness) and

the bright side (higher pay satisfaction and life satisfaction) across different contexts (N. Tang,

Chen, Li, & Tang, 2019; N. Tang, Chen, Zhang, & Tang, 2018; Tang, 2016, 2020, 2021; Tang

et al., 2018a, 2018b, 2019).

Leonardo was bold and radical in his approach. He had a specific purpose due to the

exceptional location of this painting. Leonardo painted The Last Supper on the north wall of

the refectory (dining room) in the Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. In the

refectory, the monks and nuns will be eating their three meals there every day. It is now a

museum which allows only about 20 visitors to visit and stay for only about 15 minutes each

time.

What was the importance of the context here? Leonardo strategically invited us and

“gracefully” let us sit at the same table with Jesus having meals together. That is, Jesus and his

disciples in The Last Supper were seated on one side of the table. We are sitting across from

Jesus and his disciples on our side of the table. Therefore, dinners, monks, nuns, and viewers

like us, in the refectory, face Jesus and his 12 disciples, having supper together, in the real

dining room. The special meaning of The Last Supper is that Jesus is among us. We are all his

disciples.

Thomas Li-Ping Tang 8

There Is Nothing So Practical as a Good Theory

When I walked into the refectory in the Convent of Santa Maria Delle Grazie, Milan, Italy,

in July of 2015, I was shocked. I immediately felt the presence of Jesus in the room with me.

That was one of the most profound experiences in my life. I attended the 14th European

Congress of Psychology (ECP), July 7-10, 2015, in Milan, Italy. The ECP theme was: “Linking

Technology and Psychology: Feeding the Mind, Energy for Life.” The theme of the conference

worked perfectly well and was an exciting and life-changing experience. I hope that my readers

can see my feelings, feel my emotions, and experience the presence of Jesus in The Last Supper.

A strong theory creates feelings and emotions.

Kurt Lewin, one of the founding fathers of social psychology, surmised it briefly: “There

is nothing so practical as a good theory.” One may turn knowledge into wisdom. Sutton and

Staw (1995) stated: Data describe empirical patterns, and “theory explains why empirical

patterns” exist (p. 374). Leonardo showed us not only the painting but also the theory (why).

Leonardo had provided us with an exciting and unique perspective. It allows us to have

interaction and vivid, engaging conversations with those in his painting. Moreover, Leonardo’s

superb, purposeful “conceptual development” for this painting has included his viewers in

mind, providing us another strong indication of a good theory. Similarly, for a good paper, the

authors must have a strong theory and readers in mind. This will surely attract a lot of readers’

attention and future citations. How do you attract other academic scholars to cite our research?

Engage Viewers and “Search Engine Optimization”

Besides our human readers, authors must craft each word carefully in the information age.

Considering search engine optimization (SEO), scholars must pay attention to the title, abstract,

and keywords. “What’s Important Now”? Repeat critical constructs consistently in the first 55

characters (including spaces) of the title, the first two sentences of our abstract, and keywords.

SEO helps capture repeated keywords easily, identify the essence of the article quickly, and

readers find what they are looking for in their search. Following the American Psychological

Association (APA) publication manual, we eliminate unnecessary words from the title. Make

the title simple, brief, rhymed, and memorable (Kahneman, 2011; see Tips for Journal Authors:

Writing and Search Engine Optimization and Wilkinson’s (2020, April 16) Blog—Hunt down

the right research papers: five tips every researcher should know).

Telling a Story

In viewing this painting now, Jesus is looking at us, eyeball to eyeball. When Jesus

says: “one of you will betray me,” what will be our reactions in the refectory? Do we follow

the Ten Commandments, love our God, love our neighbor, and love one another in our everyday

lives? Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:

19). Are we following him? Do we do what he asked us to do? Do we aspire to be like him and

please him (2 Corinthians 5: 9; see, for example, Tang & Liu, 2010)? Words are powerful.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever

The Lessons of The Last Supper 9

loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16: 24-25). We must answer these questions

ourselves. These are some of the great lessons from one painting. When we view this painting,

what are we thinking? What are the practical implications?

There is much more to learn. Here, I offer my interpretations of the painting. For example,

Thomas, the disciple who raised the index finger with his right hand, asked: “Who will betray

our master and teacher? We must find out immediately”. Philip said: “Thomas is right. Lord

Jesus, what do you want me to do”? James major held his right arm out, protecting Jesus, and

said: “Please calm down”! Thomas was the most curious disciple, always wanted to ask

questions, and see it with his own eyes, and have solid proof and facts, to believe it. Thomas

was probably an excellent researcher and scientist.

Here are the indications and evidence in the Bible: “Then he [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put

your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, do not be

unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and My God!” (John

20: 27-28). This reflects the rich understanding of the relevant literature, the Bible. Leonardo

connected the dots for the readers using the finger.

Do you see Thomas’s finger in this painting? The finger in the painting leads us to the

finger in the Bible (John 20: 27), creating meaning. The finger is a creative, memorable,

symbolic, novel, unique, and totally “original” idea. It signifies a powerful message, tells you

an interesting story, and makes you think and believe. For researchers, we must tell a vivid

story with data to move readers emotionally and intellectually to capture readers’ attention and

increase future citations.

Andrew denied quickly, “Not me,” raising his two hands. James Minor questioned: “Who

could do such a horrible thing”? Short-tempered, Peter grabbed John’s right shoulder and

questioned him: “Do you know anything about it? I will take care of him, first, with my

sword”!!! Look at Peter’s sword! It was in Peter’s right hand. He was ready to take action.

John, who looked almost fainted at that moment, said: “Oh no! Don’t look at me! I have

nothing to do with this”. John was the youngest disciple of all. In a larger context, Jesus said to

Peter, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three

times” (Mark 14: 30). Leonardo showed Peter holding the same sword with his right hand,

offering a hint of Peter’s courage. Later, at the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was the one who

“drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear” (Mark 14: 48). Peter was

a brave man. Under pressure and extreme fear, however, Peter denied Jesus three times,

becoming a coward.

At the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus revealed to his disciples the third time, after being raised from

the dead. Jesus said to Simon Peter three times: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (John,

21: 17). “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to Peter: Feed my

lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Jesus not only gave Peter a mission—feed my sheep

three times but also removed Peter’s denials of Jesus three times. This gives Peter courage,

turning fear into courage. Are we like Peter and become cowards when we are afraid? Do we

deny Jesus, or do we stand up for Jesus?

Panicky Judas, with his right hand holding a bag of money, leaning backward in a shadow,

questioned: “Lord, Jesus, how do you know that it is me”? Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,

negotiated with the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver to hand over Jesus to them. Judas’s

right hand tipped over the salt cellar. His left hand reached out to grab the bread, like Jesus.

Jesus was pointing his finger at Judas, using his right hand, giving him a hint. Again, context

matters.

Thomas Li-Ping Tang 10

Focus

“What’s Important Now”? What is the center of this large painting? Christ is at the center

of a pyramid with extended arms, watches over the entire scene, and lives this decisive and

intense moment calmly. Further, The Last Supper’s center of attention is on Jesus’ “right eye,”

located at the vanishing point for all perspective lines, suggesting a strong theory with an exact

focus. You may ask: Where are the perspective lines? Look at all the lines on both sides of the

walls and the ceiling of this upper room. They all zero in on the right eye of Jesus. Leonardo

made it very specific and explicit (see Figure 1). His Right Eye is watching you!

According to Kristy Puchko, da Vinci achieved this one-point perspective using a hammer

and nail and a long string to set up this novel perspective. Does our paper have a precise focus

with all perspective lines centering on it? Does our article ask a specific research question and

provide a clear and profound answer to our research question? Is it interesting? Is it original?

Is it relevant? We must do the same. Only interesting papers attract readers’ attention and

produce high citations. Simplify and Focus are two of Steve Jobs’ mantras. Following the

Bible, Leonardo da Vinci developed his deep appreciation of literature, connecting all the dots

and told an exciting story. We must have courage.

It is vital to support the traditional wisdom but also has, indeed, counter-intuitive findings

with unusual twists and turns, revealing a rare and exciting phenomenon or a paradox that no

one has thought about before. Researchers must act like artists who can see things from a unique

perspective that no one else can, crafting an interesting, unique, and original article. Leonardo

was an excellent researcher, scientist, and artist. His painting exhibited an influential theory

that made him famous.

Bob Dylan, Poetic Expressions, and the Nobel Prize

Bob Dylan received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature “for having created new poetic

expressions within the great American song tradition.” From his debut album Bob Dylan to

Fallen Angels, Dylan is a singer-songwriter, artist, and writer. As a talented lyricist, he has

incorporated political, social, philosophical, and literary influences. Besides Tarantula and

Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan adapted his most famous songs into children’s picture books

(e.g., If dogs run free) with talented artists. In his book, If not for you, the iconic singer-

songwriter wrote:

If not for you… I’d be sad and blue. If not for you… I just wouldn’t have a clue. If not

for you… What would I do?

All expressions are short, simple, brief, in verses, and rhymed—portraying the magical

experiences of love between a parent and a child. He has sold more than 100 million records.

Further, he has received eleven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award,

and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. Most people considered

Dylan’s songwriting his most significant contribution and accomplishments. Artists, musicians,

The Lessons of The Last Supper 11

and researchers share the same values to express themselves. If Leonardo da Vinci were alive

today, I would nominate him for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

From the Last Supper to Your Nobel Prize

Following Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman’s (2011) chapter on cognitive ease, we must

make our message simple, memorable, insightful, and rhymed. In particular, poetic and rhymed

expressions in verses will help readers accept ideas and take them as truth. Cognitive ease

makes people smile and happy. Tell a vivid story with data to move readers emotionally and

intellectually to capture their attention and future citations. I hope that the robust tale of “The

Last Supper” sparks inspiration for scholars and helps create esteemed future Nobel Laureates.

Good luck with your research!

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I thank Alex Sherrod for his assistance.

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The Lessons of The Last Supper 13

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Thomas Li-Ping Tang 14

Thomas Li-Ping Tang (Ph.D., I/O Psychology, Case Western Reserve University) is a

Professor in the Department of Management, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, Middle

Tennessee State University (MTSU). He has taught industrial and organizational psychology

at National Taiwan University and MTSU. Among his 183 articles/chapters published in 6

languages, 32 are on the Financial Times’ top-50-business-journal list. He has offered seminars

to EMBA/MBA/undergraduate students in China, France, HK, and Spain and presented more

than 263 papers in 27 countries. He serves/has served on the editorial board of 14 journals, as

an associate editor for 2, and as an ad hoc reviewer for 76. He has received the Outstanding

Career Achievement Award at the MTSU and Outstanding Alumni Award. Authors have cited

his research in more than 124 textbooks across 12 fields and in news media (Bloomberg, CNN,

Financial Times, Voice of America/Economics Forum). Köseoglu, Yildiz, and Ciftci (2018,

Business Ethics: A European Review) ranked Prof. Tang the 8th in the world for his

contributions to the field of business ethics research (1960-2015). He is a Fellow of Economic

Psychology, International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP). He and his wife have

two children, both graduated from Harvard University, and three grandchildren.