My research is at the intersection of three themes: innovation, social identity and inequality. I study how organizations can select the best innovative ideas and facilitate social networks that are conducive to innovation. I am particularly interested in how social identity affects these decisions and how the opportunity to innovate can be democratized and made more inclusive. My research is motivated by understanding how organizations can be managed to develop innovative solutions to important problems. While my primary focus is entrepreneurship, I also study organizations and the management of innovative talent more generally. Across these research streams I pay particular attention to how underrepresented innovators and entrepreneurs, such as women, minorities and those from low-income countries, can be provided the resources they need to develop their ideas. Examples of studies include how entrepreneurial ventures can attract human capital, how mentoring programs can be designed to support entrepreneurs and training models to support entrepreneurs in low-income countries. I also study how social identity influences these organizational processes. I have studied how gender and social class feature into ostensibly meritocratic selection decisions for key economic opportunities, such as startup funding and admission to selective colleges. I also study how social identities such as political affiliations and identity as a specialist or generalist biases crucial decision-making processes and leads to the selective application of norms and standards. I primarily use quantitative methods such as field experiments and econometric techniques. In many studies I partner with organizations to analyze unique datasets and conduct field experiments with hard-to-reach and important populations. I am excited by interesting field sites that allow for deep insight into the process of entrepreneurship and innovation.
ESBM 3700 - Entrepreneurial Environments
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
Introduces entrepreneurship. Addresses opportunity recognition, target markets, industry analysis, business model identification, sources of funding, managing rapid growth and writing feasibility studies. Examines alternative forms of entrepreneurship such as franchising, corporate entrepreneurship, family business and social entrepreneurship.
