In 1988 he move to the Portland State University, where he was appointed Professor of Business Administration.
At the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Washington he is also appointed Distinguished Consulting Professor of Sustainable Business.
A 2003 survey by Harvard Business School Press placed him among the 200 leading management thinkers living today.
The American Society for Quality awarded him the Deming Medal in 2008 (see acceptance remarks), and in 2007 he received a distinguished lifetime achievement award from the American Accounting Association.
[3] Johnson's research interests are in the field of "the intersection of systems thinking, modern physics, and sustainable operations management [and] explor[es] the application of natural living system principles to the design of ecologically-focused local business operations that emulate and extend the scope of the Toyota Production System.