For our third MOC Profile, we interviewed
Sara Wingrove, third year PhD candidate in the Management & Organizations department at the Fuqua School of Business.
What drove you to become a member of MOC?Sara: I took a pretty systematic approach to choosing my divisions. I read all of the statements online and had the opportunity to meet with representatives from different divisions at the New Student Doctoral Consortium in my first year. I remember immediately feeling a strong connection to MOC. I am also a member of the OB division, because that's what my field is generally, but I feel like MOC was more specifically tailored to some of my research interests. When I heard about it, the topics seemed like the kind of research I would be interested in seeing others present, and it also captured the parts of my own work that I like the best. I think that I made a good choice because I have consistently enjoyed the symposiums that were sponsored by MOC and all of the events that have been put on.
Which events have you participated within MOC?Sara: The only formal event so far from MOC that I've participated in was the Cognition in the Rough workshop, but I've made an effort to go to the MOC welcome parties both years that I've attended AOM. I've also heard really good things from friends about the Diamonds in the Rough workshop, and I've been looking into Reviewing in the Rough for next year.
How did you like the social events?Sara: I was really impressed with the welcome party last year because it was the boat ride excursion in Chicago!
I think people, in general, were impressed with MOC because it was definitely a popular event that night. It was a nice way to get introduced to Chicago, to see the skyline at night, and boat rides are always fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what we'll do in Boston next year!
Could you assess the impact that the CIR had on your manuscript?Sara: I think getting feedback at the CIR workshop improved my manuscript significantly! It was especially helpful getting feedback on how to frame my project, but it was also nice having the chance to talk through some specific methodological choices we made. Another benefit was that I got a really positive response about the topic of the project, so it was nice getting validation that my research seems to be on target or is something that people are interested in, and that I should be trying to publish.
Another thing that was helpful about the CIR workshop was being exposed to the other projects at my table. I was incidentally assigned to the same table as someone who I was already friends with, but it's a great opportunity to meet other people who are working on similar research as you. Maybe there will be some research collaboration in the future there. My table was a little unique because I feel like all of our projects had a slightly looser connection to one another relative to some of the tighter themes at other tables, but I actually think this added to the strength of the discussion! I think generally it's really helpful to be exposed to this kind of cutting edge research before it is even written. It's great that we get to see what others are doing in their fields and how it might related to our own work.
What is the most surprising benefit of the CIR? Sara: I feel like this is going back to one of my previous answers a little bit, but the most surprising benefit was being able to get feedback that my project was something that people were excited about. I guess I just wasn't expecting that. Whenever you start a project, you and your authors always find it interesting, but you don't really know if other people who are outside of your niche research area will. I felt a lot more motivated about my project after hearing that.
I also feel like the CIR made me feel more connected to AOM. AOM is such a big conference that it can be overwhelming, so it was nice to have a small group where I could focus on research in a low stress way. Everyone was so warm and inviting. It was a nice change of pace from all of the big parts of the conference!
What did you learn about the MOC from your participation?Sara: I mostly learned about the values that I think MOC has, the kind of events that MOC wants to hold, and the kind of environment it wants to foster. It seems really invested in helping its members connect and building a strong community at the academy. There are so many programs to connect younger members with esteemed faculty and to match people with others who have similar interests in research. I think it's great that MOC is holding these type of programs that help make our research community friendlier and more cohesive.
Do you have an idea of the question that your dissertation will address?Sara: I kind of have two separate streams of research, and I'm not sure which one will end up being the core of my dissertation. One of them is with my primary adviser which is primarily studying judgments in the context of interpersonal goal pursuit. One side of this is looking into what attributions people make based on the goals that other people set. For example, we're looking at perceptions of ambition and the personality attributions that people make about others who set high goals. So, setting high goals is a consistently prescribed recommendation for improving performance, but the potential interpersonal consequences haven't been considered as much - so we were interested in exploring that. So far, we find that setting very high goals creates an impression of being self-oriented, which leads people who have ambitious goals to be viewed as less warm and less likable than people with more average goals. Another side of this looks at assumptions that individuals hold about certain people's motivations. I've recently been looking at motivational stereotypes based on social class, and we find that people underestimate how important achieving goals are to people who are lower SES. We find that this happens across a number of different goals domains, but I'm planning to explore the hiring implications of this more soon.
The other stream is what I presented at MOC, which is looking at perceptions of knowledge hierarchy and overlap between individuals. We've been looking at lay beliefs about knowledge hierarchy and the implications that it has for people working in teams. It seems people have this assumption that knowledge is very hierarchical, but what that means is that if you have two people and one of them is more knowledgeable, then people don't see the benefit of having the second person because they think that all of the knowledge is already contained by that more knowledgeable person. Preliminary work that I have been conducting suggests that beliefs about knowledge hierarchy have implications for hiring, group judgments, and advice-seeking, where individuals who view greater hierarchy in knowledge tend to overweight the opinion of experts and underestimate the value that less knowledgeable individuals can bring to a team. We've been trying to see what we can do to bring people out of that mindset.
What is something that people probably do not know about you?Sara: My "go-to" fun fact is that I've kayaked in the Bermuda triangle, but I also love baking. Recently, I've been really into making cakes!
Thanks Sara!------------------------------
Cristiano Guarana
Assistant Professor
Indiana University
Bloomington IN
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-19-2019 10:28
From: Cristiano Guarana
Subject: MOC Profile
Hi all,
We would like to introduce a new communication channel to minimize the potential physical and psychological distance among our members. We call this channel "MOC Profile". We will regularly post short interviews with MOC members in different stages of their careers so we can know and learn a little bit more about ourselves.
The first short interview is with Brianna Caza.
What are the research questions that keep you up at night right now?
I have always been interested in understanding how people do well in seemingly difficult work situations. Right now I am fascinated by issues relating to identity, authenticity, and relational connection in non-standard work arrangements such as those who are multiple jobholding or pursuing independent professional work. I am also really intrigued by the impact of technology on the development and projection of our work selves.
What do you think is your most exciting contribution to academia?
The research that I never tire of talking about (though I am sure certain people tire of hearing about) is a five-year study of multiple jobholders that I conducted with Sherry Moss and Heather Vough. This paper allowed us to develop a rich understanding of the dynamic relationship between plurality and authenticity.
What drove you to become a member of MOC?
I was motivated to become an active member in MOC because of the people, the division's developmental values, and the interdisciplinary nature of the research in this space. The diversity in perspectives and approaches at MOC sponsored events always leads me to walk away with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of interesting organizational phenomenon (and a list of studies to read!).
Which events have you participated within MOC?
I have always submitted PDWs, symposium, and paper submissions to MOC and regularly attended the division's annual programing. In addition, I have participated in cognition in the rough (CIR) and have helped to co-facilitate presenting in the rough (PIR). In addition, I have been lucky enough to serve on the MOC executive board since 2016, which means that I have had a front row seat to MOC's excellent programming for the past three years.
Tell us something personal about yourself.
I had a very faithful equine companion for almost 20 years. I not only spent most of my spare time in childhood with him, but I took him to college with me when I turned 18, then to Michigan for graduate school, and finally to my first academic job at the University of Illinois. Supporting an aging horse on a student budget turned out to be a bonus financial education.
Name another scholar who has had a large impact on you? How did they impact you?
This is the hardest question on here because I have been impacted by SO many amazing scholars (most of whom are in MOC!) But if I have to name only one, it would be my advisor Jane Dutton. Her unbridled passion and enthusiasm for research is genuinely contagious. She is also the epitome of a compassionate and nurturing mentor who see (not so secret) superpower is identifying the hidden "gem" in almost any research project.
Where is your favorite place in the world? Why?
It is a tie between Queenstown, NZ and the Gold Coast, Australia. Both are almost indescribably stunning and evoke awe.
Thanks Brianna!
If you would like to be profiled for a MOC Profile, or would like to nominate someone else, please contact us at: moc@aom.org.
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Cristiano Guarana
Assistant Professor
Indiana University
Bloomington IN
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