STATEMENT OF RESEARCH
I conduct research at the intersection of Organizational Behavior and Organization Theory. My primary research interests are diversity, social networks, and the status and power dynamics that adhere in both broad cultural disparities and micro-processes between individuals. One particular focus of mine is economic diversity. Rising economic inequality, both locally and globally, has generated increased attention and research in the topic of social class and the class culture gap as people begin to recognize the influence of class on a myriad of outcomes. Extending this work, I have several projects that investigate social class diversity and how one’s social class background affects experiences and interactions within organizations.
In a paper published in Organization Studies, my coauthors, Dr. Gray (Penn State U.), Dr. Kish-Gephart (U. of Arkansas), and Dr. Johnson (Georgia Tech U.), and I investigated the experience of first-generation students on predominantly white, higher-class campuses. Drawing from over 30 qualitative interviews, we discussed experiences of class-related stigma and micro-aggressions, the response of resilience, and identity work exercised to cope with identity threats and their emotional toll. One key finding was the importance of peer social networks away from cross-class interaction as a kind of safe haven that allows for identity restoration.
In another project on social class diversity, my coauthors Dr. Kish-Gephart (U. of Arkansas) and Dr. Lucas (U. of Louisville) and I interviewed 20 employees from diverse social classes to learn about their experiences with dignity, including the meanings they ascribe to dignity, and strategies to cope with indignity experiences. By integrating dignity and social class, our goal is to shed light on the relatively invisible force of inequality within organizations and identify the sources and consequences of dignity threats for people in different segments of the workforce. We aim to submit this manuscript to Organization Studies in July 2018.
A second focus of mine has been on those at the far end of the economic diversity spectrum, elites, who hold particular importance because of the power they can wield in organizations and over individuals. In a paper exploring the social dynamics of those in the upper echelons, my co-authors, Drs. Johnson & Ellstrand (U. of Arkansas), Drs. H. & T. Bilgili (Kansas State U.), and I are developing an affect-based view of principal-agent dynamics by exploring how affective ties may change attitudes towards boards and engender agency problems. The core idea of this theory paper is the acknowledgement that executives engage in social relationships that elicit affect, which may alter the traditional predictions of the agency theory that conceptualize actors as self-interested, economic decision makers. We plan to submit this paper to Strategic Management Journal in July 2018.
Additional work on elites includes a paper where my co-authors Drs. Johnson & Ridge, Holly Loncarich (U. of Arkansas), and I are exploring the trend toward elitism on boards of directors. Using social network analysis, we hope to identify the patterns of board composition that perpetuate elitism in the upper echelons of organizations. Further, we are analyzing the characteristics of sub-communities within the interlocking directorate and suggest social elitism as one defining factor.
A culmination of my interests, my dissertation explores the impact of social class background on organizational social networks. More specifically, I am investigating how the influence of one’s social class culture imported into organizations and the structure within organizations both contribute to meaningful differences in the composition of ego social networks such as size, brokerage, and the prevalence of cross-class ties. By integrating research from the fields of organization theory (e.g., prestige, social resources, and homophily) and organizational behavior (e.g., workplace identity, attitudes toward interaction, and cross-class alliances), I hope to identify a more comprehensive understanding of the role of class in shaping social networks within organizations.
My research experience has equipped me with a solid foundation in theory building and writing, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and collaborating with a wide range of coauthors from multiple institutions. I intend to continue refining my skills to conduct meaningful research that can ultimately improve the lives of others and contribute to our understanding of organizational phenomena and workplace experiences.