Rachel Arnett

Rachel Arnett
  • Assistant Professor of Management

Contact Information

Research Interests: diversity & inclusion; workplace relationships; identity; race; status; gender; social class

Links: CV, Personal Website

Overview

Rachel Arnett is an Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Organizational Behavior group within the Management Department. She was designated a Claude Marion Endowed Faculty Scholar from 2023–2025 and, in 2022, was named by Poets & Quants as one of the Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors.

Rachel’s research investigates how people navigate identities, differences, and inclusion at work. Her work examines the tensions individuals face when deciding whether and how to express or suppress identity-based differences, whether and how to engage in allyship and inclusive behavior, as well as the consequences of those decisions for well-being, relationships, career success, and organizational outcomes. A central goal of her research is to understand why navigating identities and differences is so challenging and what organizations can do to create environments in which employees feel more comfortable expressing important aspects of themselves, speaking up, and building connections across differences.

Rachel conducts her research using a combination of laboratory experiments, surveys, field studies, and qualitative methods. She has partnered with organizations interested in improving inclusion, employee well-being, and organizational effectiveness through field experiments, employee surveys, and in-depth interviews.

Rachel completed her doctoral training in Harvard University’s Organizational Behavior program, an interdisciplinary program between Harvard Business School and Harvard’s Social Psychology department. Before Harvard, she was a Research Assistant in New York University’s Social Psychology department and a Senior Brand Strategist in the advertising industry. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Research

  • Rachel Arnett, Serenity Lee, Patricia Faison Hewlin (2026), A Curation Approach to Identity Management: The Costs of Combining Identity Expression and Suppression, Administrative Science Quarterly.

    Abstract: Many organizations want to increase diversity among their workforce, but employees from marginalized groups consistently face uncertainty about how to navigate their identities at work, which can lead to high turnover among these employees. To highlight the unexpected ways in which such risks can arise for employees and organizations, we investigate the intrapersonal consequences of a curation approach to navigating social identities in the workplace. Curation involves frequent identity expression (integrating an identity into the workplace, such as discussing identity-based traditions) and frequent identity suppression (concealing aspects of an identity at work, such as hiding concerns about discrimination). Given that expression and suppression both have benefits and risks, combining these behaviors into a curation approach could be seen as a socially adept and professionally beneficial solution. However, focusing on the intrapersonal experiences of employees of color, we argue that, compared to primarily expressing or primarily suppressing a minority identity, curation is more psychologically detrimental to these employees. Combining expression and suppression fosters ambivalence—conflicting thoughts about whether one’s identity is a resource or a liability—which is psychologically aversive. In two surveys and an internal meta-analysis (of the two studies in the manuscript and a supplemental study reported in supplementary online materials), curation was associated with greater ambivalence and psychological strain, which, in turn, were associated with greater turnover intentions. While our core findings emerge with employees of color, we also provide exploratory evidence that the costs of curation extend to women. Our findings regarding curation reveal a previously unrecognized well-being risk for employees from marginalized groups and a retention risk for organizations. We offer recommendations for future research and practice to address the conditions that lead employees to engage in curation.

  • Rachel Arnett (2023), Uniting Through Differences: Rich Cultural-Identity Expression as a Conduit to Inclusion, Organization Science.

  • A. Rattan, K. Kroeper, Rachel Arnett, A. Brown, M. Murphy (Forthcoming), Not Such a Complainer Anymore: Bias Confrontation that Signals a Growth Mindset Can Undercut Backlash.

    Description: Accepted at Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

  • Rachel Arnett and J. Sidanius (2018), Sacrificing status for social harmony: Concealing relatively high status identities from one’s peers, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 147 (), pp. 108-126.

  • J. Clair, Rachel Arnett, B. H. Humberd, K. Chen, K. L. McGinn (Under Review), Class matters: The role of social class and agency in women leader’s legitimacy narratives.

    Description: Invited Resubmission at Organization Science.

Teaching

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.

  • 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.

  • MGMT9950 - Dissertation

    Dissertation

  • 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.

  • PSYC4998 - Mentored Research

    Mentored research involving data collection. Students do independent empirical work under the supervision of a faculty member, leading to a written paper. Normally taken in the junior or senior year.

Awards and Honors

  • Claude Marion Faculty Scholar, 2023-2024
  • Poets & Quants Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors, 2022
  • Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2021
  • Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2020
  • Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2019
  • Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2018
  • Most Innovative Student Paper Award, Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Division, 2015 Description

    Submission: Me versus us: Concealing high status identities from lower status peers (Awarded to one student in the Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Division).

In the News

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Latest Research

Rachel Arnett, Serenity Lee, Patricia Faison Hewlin (2026), A Curation Approach to Identity Management: The Costs of Combining Identity Expression and Suppression, Administrative Science Quarterly.
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In the News

Diversity at Work: Bring Your Whole Self to Work | Rachel Arnett

Professor Rachel Arnett explains how the simple act of sharing cultural experiences at work can boost inclusivity.…Read More

Knowledge at Wharton - 6/6/2023
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Wharton Stories

A group of diverse people standing in a circle with their hands stacked together in the center, symbolizing teamwork or unity.Leading Conversations on Diversity & Inclusion with Wharton Staff

Three years ago, my colleagues from the Wharton Undergraduate Division attended a conference, where they were introduced to the importance of intergroup dialogue. The concept of intergroup dialogue proposes that conversations between members of a social group should create stronger relationships and mutual understanding. They knew this would be something…

Wharton Stories - 09/30/2021
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