Andrew Carton

Andrew Carton
  • Associate Professor of Management

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    2109 SH-DH
    3620 Locust Walk
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Research Interests: What can organizations do to unite people in spite of all that divides them?

Links: CV

Overview

Research

My research is driven by the following question: what can organizations and their leaders do to unite people in spite of all that divides them? I examine topics such as (1) how employees cope with intergroup hostility in constructive ways and (2) how leaders establish a common purpose. Recently I have begun to focus on how to overcome the role of distance in dividing people, especially temporal distance (what encourages people to care about the long-term consequences of their actions) and physical distance (what encourages people to help those who live and work far away from them). I investigate unanswered questions, such as why leaders sometimes take actions that backfire (for example, attempting to resolve conflict but then inadvertently escalating it) as well as how leaders can avoid these unintended consequences by helping people channel their effort and expertise toward a common vision.

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Research

My research is driven by the following question: what can organizations and their leaders do to unite people in spite of all that divides them? I examine topics such as (1) how employees cope with intergroup hostility in constructive ways and (2) how leaders establish a common purpose. Recently I have begun to focus on how to overcome the role of distance in dividing people, especially temporal distance (what encourages people to care about the long-term consequences of their actions) and physical distance (what encourages people to help those who live and work far away from them). I investigate unanswered questions, such as why leaders sometimes take actions that backfire (for example, attempting to resolve conflict but then inadvertently escalating it) as well as how leaders can avoid these unintended consequences by helping people channel their effort and expertise toward a common vision.

 

  • Zhiying Ren, Andrew Carton, Eugen Dimant, Maurice Schweitzer (2022), Authoritarian Leaders Share Conspiracy Theories to Attack Opponents, Galvanize Followers, Shift Blame, and Undermine Democratic Institutions, Current Opinion in Psychology.

    Abstract: Although many virtuous leaders are guided by the ideal of prioritizing the needs and welfare of their subordinates, others advance their self-interest at the expense of the people they purport to serve. In this article, we discuss conspiracy theories as a tool that leaders use to advance their personal interests. We propose that leaders spread conspiracy theories in service of four primary goals: 1) to attack opponents; 2) to galvanize followers; 3) to shift blame and responsibility; and 4) to undermine institutions that threaten their power. We argue that authoritarian, populist, and conservative leaders are most likely to spread conspiracy theories during periods of instability.

  • Andrew Carton (2022), The science of leadership: A theoretical model and research agenda, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior.

  • Andrew Carton, Karren Knowlton, Constantinos Coutifaris, Timothy Kundro, Andrew Boysen (2021), Painting a clear picture while seeing the big picture: When and why leaders overcome the tradeoff between concreteness and scale, Academy of Management Journal, conditionally accepted ().

  • Seval Gundemir, Andrew Carton, Astrid Homan (2018), The impact of organizational performance on the emergence of Asian American leaders, Journal of Applied Psychology.

  • Andrew Carton and Brian Lucas (2017), How can leaders overcome the blurry vision bias? Mental time travel as an antidote to the paradox of vision communication, Forthcoming in Academy of Management Journal.

  • Andrew Carton (2017), “I’m not mopping the floors — I’m putting a man on the moon”: How NASA leaders enhanced the meaningfulness of work by changing the meaning of work, Forthcoming in Administrative Science Quarterly..

  • Andrew Carton and Karren Knowlton (2017), Unexpected Backlash: When and Why Oppressed Group Members Resist Help from Outside Activists, .

    Description: Published in Best Paper Proceedings of the Academy of Management Conference: Atlanta, GA.

  • Andrew Carton and Basima Tewfik (2016), A new look at conflict management in work groups, Organization Science, 27 (5), pp. 1125-1141.

  • Cindy Zapata, Andrew Carton, Joseph Liu (2016), When justice promotes injustice: Why minority leaders experience bias when they adhere to interpersonal justice rules, Academy of Management Journal.

  • Andrew Carton and Andrew Boysen CEOs, COOs, and Cognition: Resolving a Top Management Team Conundrum.

    Description: Published in Best Paper Proceedings of the Academy of Management Conference: Vancouver, BC

Teaching

Current Courses (Fall 2024)

  • MGMT3010 - Tmwrk & Intrper Influenc

    Organizations emerge because individuals cannot (or do not want to) accomplish their goals alone. Likewise, employees pursue projects in teams and other small units because there is strength in numbers. For example, over 80% of Fortune 1,000 companies use teams to accomplish their goals. As such, collaboration - in relationships and in teams - is the building block of organizational effectiveness. In addition, most of your work each day will occur in a social context, and it will require you to influence others, and be influenced by, others. In this course we will use the latest evidence from the science of organizations to understand key tactics that can help you work more effectively with others and better influence and lead them as you strive to attain shared goals. We will cover topics such as team coordination, team decision making, interpersonal influence, leader effectiveness, and ethics. This course is the third module of the four-module set that comprises the Wharton Leadership Journey. MGMT 3010 assumes exposure to MGMT 1010 content. As of Fall 2022 MGMT 1010 will become a formal prerequisite for the class.

    MGMT3010001 ( Syllabus )

    MGMT3010003 ( Syllabus )

    MGMT3010005 ( Syllabus )

    MGMT3010007 ( Syllabus )

All Courses

  • LGST8060 - Negotiations

    This course examines the art and science of negotiation, with additional emphasis on conflict resolution. Students will engage in a number of simulated negotiations ranging from simple one-issue transactions to multi-party joint ventures. Through these exercises and associated readings, students explore the basic theoretical models of bargaining and have an opportunity to test and improve their negotiation skills. Cross-listed with MGMT 6910/OIDD 6910/LGST 8060. Format: Lecture, class discussion, simulation/role play, and video demonstrations. Materials: Textbook and course pack.

  • MGMT1010 - Intro To Management

    We all spend much of our lives in organizations. Most of us are born in organizations, educated in organizations, and work in organizations. Organizations emerge because individuals can't (or don't want to) accomplish their goals alone. Management is the art and science of helping individuals achieve their goals together. Managers in an organization determine where their organization is going and how it gets there. More formally, managers formulate strategies and implement those strategies. This course provides a framework for understanding the opportunities and challenges involved in formulating and implementing strategies by taking a "system" view of organizations,which means that we examine multiple aspects of how managers address their environments, strategy, structure, culture, tasks, people, and outputs, and how managerial decisions made in these various domains interrelate. The course will help you to understand and analyze how managers can formulate and implement strategies effectively. It will be particularly valuable if you are interested in management consulting, investment analysis, or entrepreneurship - but it will help you to better understand and be a more effective contributor to any organizations you join, whether they are large, established firms or startups. This course must be taken for a grade.

  • MGMT3010 - Tmwrk & Intrper Influenc

    Organizations emerge because individuals cannot (or do not want to) accomplish their goals alone. Likewise, employees pursue projects in teams and other small units because there is strength in numbers. For example, over 80% of Fortune 1,000 companies use teams to accomplish their goals. As such, collaboration - in relationships and in teams - is the building block of organizational effectiveness. In addition, most of your work each day will occur in a social context, and it will require you to influence others, and be influenced by, others. In this course we will use the latest evidence from the science of organizations to understand key tactics that can help you work more effectively with others and better influence and lead them as you strive to attain shared goals. We will cover topics such as team coordination, team decision making, interpersonal influence, leader effectiveness, and ethics. This course is the third module of the four-module set that comprises the Wharton Leadership Journey. MGMT 3010 assumes exposure to MGMT 1010 content. As of Fall 2022 MGMT 1010 will become a formal prerequisite for the class.

  • MGMT6110 - Managing Est Enterprise

    This course is about managing large enterprises that face the strategic challenge of being the incumbent in the market and the organizational challenge of needing to balance the forces of inertia and change. The firms of interest in this course tend to operate in a wide range of markets and segments, frequently on a global basis, and need to constantly deploy their resources to fend off challenges from new entrants and technologies that threaten their established positions. The class is organized around three distinct but related topics that managers of established firms must consider: strategy, human and social capital, and global strategy.

  • MGMT6910 - Negotiations

    This course examines the art and science of negotiation, with additional emphasis on conflict resolution. Students will engage in a number of simulated negotiations ranging from simple one-issue transactions to multi-party joint ventures. Through these exercises and associated readings, students explore the basic theoretical models of bargaining and have an opportunity to test and improve their negotiation skills. Cross-listed with MGMT 6910/OIDD 6910/LGST 8060. Format: Lecture, class discussion, simulation/role play, and video demonstrations. Materials: Textbook and course pack.

  • MGMT9570 - Applied Research Methods Org B

    This is a half semester course where we review and apply fundamental lessons related to empirical research (both methods and analyses) in organizational behavior. The course will focus primarily on quantitative research. We will begin by covering the link between theory and empirics as well as core concepts in methods and statistics, including causality, validity, reliability, and statistical power. We will then shift to research methods, including design, sampling, pre-registration, and data collection. A key focus will be on maximizing different forms of validity, with an emphasis on multi-method research designs. Finally, we will consider a variety of the most important analytical approaches in organizational behavior, including regression, structural equation modeling, and multi-level analyses. This is an applied methods course, which means that we will be applying the lessons directly by using statistical software to compile and analyze datasets. The course will introduce you to the broad array of methods and analyses that OB scholars are expected to master in order to consistently publish in the field’s top journals.

  • MGMT9700 - Research Methods in Mgmt

    Students taking the course will be introduced to the seminal readings on a given method, have a hands-on discussion regarding their application often using a paper and dataset of the faculty member leading the discussion. The goal of the course is to make participants more informed users and reviewers of a wide variety of methodological approaches to Management research including Ordinary Least Squares, Discrete Choice, Count Models, Panel Data, Dealing with Endogeneity, Survival/failure/event history and event studies, experiments, factor analysis and structural equation modeling, hierarchical linear modeling, networks, comparative qualitative methods, coding of non-quantitative data, unstructured text and big data simulations.

  • MGMT9702 - Rsrch Mthds & Data Analysis OB

    This course will introduce you to the core methods and analytical approaches used in organizational behavior. The primary goal of the class is to introduce you to the portfolio of operational and statistical skills that will enable you to be a fully autonomous researcher who can routinely publish trustworthy research in top management outlets. We will pay special attention to the three dominant methodological approaches in our field (archival, field, and experimental) and the analytical approaches that tend to correspond with each of them.

  • MLA6990 - Capstone Project

    Please be in touch with the department for further details

  • OIDD6910 - Negotiations

    This course examines the art and science of negotiation, with additional emphasis on conflict resolution. Students will engage in a number of simulated negotiations ranging from simple one-issue transactions to multi-party joint ventures. Through these exercises and associated readings, students explore the basic theoretical models of bargaining and have an opportunity to test and improve their negotiation skills. Cross-listed with MGMT 6910/OIDD 6910/LGST 8060. Format: Lecture, class discussion, simulation/role play, and video demonstrations. Materials: Textbook and course pack.

Awards and Honors

  • Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2020
  • Most Outstanding Publication, International Association of Conflict Management, 2018
  • Best Paper Award (Faculty Submission), Distances in Organizations, 2018, 2018
  • Wharton Excellence in Teaching Award, 2017
  • Huntsman Teaching Award, 2016
  • Finalist for Best Paper Award in MOC division, 2015
  • Rapaport Award for Undergraduate Teaching, 2015 Description

    Awarded to one faculty member at Wharton based on excellence in teaching undergraduate core classes.

  • Best Paper Award in MOC division at the Academy of Management Conference, 2014
  • Best Reviewer Award, Academy of Management Journal, 2014
  • Cialdini Award (publication that best uses field settings to demonstrate the importance of social psychological phenomena), 2012
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award, MOC division, Academy of Management, 2012
  • Best Paper Award, Academy of Management Review, 2011
  • Runner-up, Best OB Publication, OB division, Academy of Management, 2011
  • Duke: Winner for Best Dissertation on Small Groups, American Psychological Association, 2011
  • Duke: Finalist for Best Student Paper Award, MOC division. Academy of Management Conference, San Antonio, TX, 2011 Description

    (nominated for two different papers)

  • Duke: Outstanding Student Reviewer Award, MOC division, Academy of Management Conference, Montreal, Quebec, 2010
  • Duke: Interview between Best Student Paper award winner and MOC Distinguished Scholar, 2010
  • Duke: Best Student Paper Award, MOC division (sole winner), Academy of Management Conference, Chicago, IL, 2009
  • Duke: Finalist for Best Student Paper Award, MOC division, Academy of Management Conference, Anaheim, CA, 2008
  • Best Paper Proceedings, MOC division at the Academy of Management Conference (six papers selected), 2008-2015

In the News

Knowledge at Wharton

Activity

Latest Research

Zhiying Ren, Andrew Carton, Eugen Dimant, Maurice Schweitzer (2022), Authoritarian Leaders Share Conspiracy Theories to Attack Opponents, Galvanize Followers, Shift Blame, and Undermine Democratic Institutions, Current Opinion in Psychology.
All Research

In the News

So Your Company Has a Vision: Why Can’t Everyone See It?

New Wharton research looks at why some vision statements are more powerful than others, and how leaders can craft them effectively.…Read More

Knowledge at Wharton - 7/15/2019
All News

Wharton Magazine

Crafting Vision Statements That Inspire
Wharton Magazine - 10/09/2019