Anusuya Banerjee
Ph.D. Student
Academic Department: Management & Organization
Area of Specialization: Management
Education
- Ed.M., Harvard University (2010)
- M.Sc., Oxford University (2008)
- BA, University of Washington (2006)
- BS, University of Washington (2006)
Research Interests
- Through my research, I explore how the use and management of emotions in organizations impacts collective outcomes - from equity and inclusion of workers, to the quality of social service provision. These research questions are inspired by my previous career in international development. Whether working with supranational and national governments, corporate donors or community organizations - from South Asia to East Africa - I was struck by how often the inability to effectively use and manage emotions stopped organizations from succeeding. This included, for example: ego-driven reactions of to negative feedback, impractical attachments to sunk costs, and depending too little (or too much) on compassion in the delivery of public services. While working on scaling and advocating for evidence-based social programs and policy, I became increasingly interested in how we could tackle these micro-level barriers to effective implementation and broader social change. This led me to pursue a doctoral degree in Organizational Behavior.
-
- My dissertation research focuses on understanding when and why people respond defensively versus productively to DEI-related feedback in the workplace, and ways that organizations can promote the productive response of managers and decisionmakers to such input. I am also conducting studies on how team emotional intelligence influences the importance of reward structures for group performance, and how fluctuations in biological states (e.g., menstrual cycles, blood sugar dysregulation) influence emotions and related work outcomes for women and sufferers of chronic conditions.