Stephanie Creary
- Assistant Professor of Management
Contact Information
- Primary Email:
sjcreary@wharton.upenn.edu - Office Phone:
(215) 898-6391
- office Address:
2031 SH-DH
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Research Interests: Identity/self-complexity, allyship, DEI-supportive practices/behavior, relationships across differences
Links: CV, Personal Website
Overview
Professor Stephanie J. Creary is an organizational behavior scholar whose research is focused on understanding how to create more inclusive and equitable workplaces and organizations through positive relational practices. In one research stream, she studies how people manage multiple identities and self-complexity in work and non-work relationships. In a second research stream, she examines factors contributing to allyship and DEI-related advocacy in workplaces and organizations. She has studied these dynamics in a variety of organizational contexts, including global companies, corporate board rooms, hospitals, yoga communities, and the US Army. She is affiliated with several Institutes and Centers at Wharton/UPenn: Wharton People Analytics, Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, Penn Center for Africana Studies, the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program, and the Center for Research in Feminist, Queer, and Transgender Studies.
Professor Creary has published her research in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Review and Organization Science. Insights from her research have also appeared in top popular press outlets, including Harvard Business Review, strategy+business, the New York Times, Bloomberg, NPR, Marketplace, and Time Magazine. Currently, she is on the editorial boards of three leading academic journals: Academy of Management Journal (AMJ), Organization Science, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (OBHDP) .
Professor Creary actively integrates insights from both academia and practice in her research, teaching, and professional service activities. She advises business school faculty from around the world on ways to effectively design and teach DEI courses, integrate DEI content into other courses, and create more inclusive classroom experiences. She has leaned on the insights she has gained from her research and teaching to advise organizational leaders, board directors, and investors on effective strategies for cultivating DEI in organizations. She currently hosts the Knowledge at Wharton Leading Diversity at Work Podcast Series where she engages in conversation with a variety of DEI experts.
Professor Creary has received a number of honors and awards for her research, teaching, and commitment to professional service. She has been awarded grants from Wharton, Deloitte, Moody’s, DiversityInc, and the Executive Leadership Council to support her research. She has been awarded the Wharton Teaching Excellence Award four times for her work in developing and teaching the undergraduate (MGMT 2240) and MBA (MGMT 6240) “Leading Diversity in Organizations” courses. She has received an Outstanding Service Award from the Academy of Management. She has received Best Reviewer awards from both AMJ and OBHDP. She has been selected as a Visiting Faculty Fellow in the Inaugural Cohort of the Harvard Business School Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society (BiGS) during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years. She has also received a fellowship from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University Institute on Diversity for Summer 2023.
Prior to joining the Wharton faculty, Professor Creary was on the faculty of Cornell University. Prior to completing her PhD degree, she was a research associate at Harvard Business School and The Conference Board in NYC researching corporate diversity and inclusion practices. She also has extensive work experience in the health care industry. Professor Creary has earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences; an MBA degree from Simmons School of Management; and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Research
Stephanie Creary and Karen Locke (2021), Breaking the cycle of overwork and recuperation: Altering somatic engagement across boundaries,.
Sandra Cha, Stephanie Creary, Laura Morgan Roberts (2021), Fumbling in relationships across difference: The potential spiraling effects of a single racial identity reference at work,.
Stephanie Creary, Nancy Rothbard, 27 co-authors (2021), COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action,.
Stephanie Creary, Mary-Hunter McDonnell, Sakshi Ghai, Jared Scruggs, When and why diversity improves your board’s performance.
Brianna B. Caza, Lakshmi Ramarajan, Erin Reid, Stephanie Creary, How to make room in your work life for the rest of your self.
Stephanie Creary and Laura M. Roberts, “G.I.V.E.-based mentoring in diverse organizations: Cultivating positive identities in diverse leaders”. In Mentoring diverse leaders: Creating change for people, processes, and paradigms, Taylor & Francis. edited by S. Blake-Beard and A. Murrell, (2017)
Brianna B. Caza and Stephanie Creary, “The construction of professional identity”. In Perspectives on contemporary professional work, Elgar, edited by A. Wilkinson, D. Hislop and C. Coupland, (2016)
Stephanie Creary, “Resourcefulness in action: The case for global diversity management”. In Positive organizing in a global society: Understanding and engaging differences for capacity-building and inclusion, Routledge, edited by L.M. Roberts, L. Wooten, & M. Davidson, (2015)
Stephanie Creary and Judith R. Gordon, “Role conflict, role overload, and role strain”. In Encyclopedia of family studies, Wiley, edited by C. Shehan, (2015)
Stephanie Creary, Brianna B. Caza, Laura M. Roberts (2015), Out of the box? How managing a subordinate’s multiple identities affects the quality of a manager-subordinate relationship, Academy of Management Review, 40 (4), pp. 538-562.
Abstract: Positive manager-subordinate relationships are invaluable to organizations because they enable positive employee attitudes, citizenship behaviors, task performance, and more effective organizations. Yet extant theory provides a limited perspective on the factors that create these types of relationships. We highlight the important role subordinates also play in affecting the resource pool and propose that a subordinate’s multiple identities can provide him or her with access to knowledge and social capital resources that can be utilized for work-based tasks and activities. A manager and a subordinate may prefer similar or different strategies for managing the subordinate’s multiple identities, however, which can affect resource utilization and the quality of the manager-subordinate relationship. Our variance model summarizes our predictions about the effect of managers’ and subordinates’ strategy choices on the quality of manager-subordinate relationships. In doing so we integrate three divergent relational theories (leader-member exchange theory, relational-cultural theory, and a positive organizational scholarship perspective on positive relationships at work) and offer new insights on the quality of manager-subordinate relationships.
Teaching
Leading Diversity@Wharton Speaker Series
All Courses
MGMT2240 - Leading Diversity in Org
People in the workplace are constantly interacting with peers, managers, and customers with very different backgrounds and experiences. When harnessed effectively, these differences can be the catalyst for creative breakthroughs and the pathway to team and organizational learning and effectiveness; but when misunderstood, these differences can challenge employees' values, performance, workplace relationships, and team effectiveness. This course is designed to help students navigate diverse organizational settings more effectively and improve their ability to work within and lead diverse teams and organizations. It also offers students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking on topics such as identity, relationships across difference, discrimination and bias, equality, and equity in organizations and society and how they relate to organizational issues of power, privilege, opportunity, inclusion,creativity and innovation and organizational effectiveness. Class sessions will be experiential and discussion-based. Readings, self-reflection, guest speakers from organizations, case studies and a final project will also be emphasized. By the end of this course, you should be able to: 1)Evaluate the aspects of yo ur identity and personal experiences that shape how you interact and engage with others and how they interact and engage with you in organizations 2)Explain how issues of power, privilege, discrimination, bias, equality, and equity influence opportunity and effectiveness in organizations 3)Propose ways to make relationships across difference in organizations more effective 4)Describe current perspectives on the relationships among diversity, inclusion, creativity, and innovation in organizations 5)Analyze a company's current approach to leading diversity and use content from this course to propose ways to enhance learning and effectiveness in that company.
MGMT6240 - Leading Diversity in Org
People in the workplace are constantly interacting with peers, managers, and customers with very different backgrounds and experiences. When harnessed effectively, these differences can be the catalyst for creative breakthroughs and the pathway to team and organizational learning and effectiveness; but when misunderstood, these differences can challenge employees' values, performance, workplace relationships, and team effectiveness. This course is designed to help students navigate diverse organizational settings more effectively and improve their ability to work within and lead diverse teams and organizations. It also offers students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking on topics such as identity, relationships across difference, discrimination and bias, equality, and equity in organizations and society and how they relate to organizational issues of power, privilege, opportunity, inclusion,creativity and innovation and organizational effectiveness. Class sessions will be experiential and discussion-based. Readings, self-reflection, guest speakers from organizations, case studies and a final project will also be emphasized. By the end of this course, you should be able to: 1)Evaluate the aspects of yo ur identity and personal experiences that shape how you interact and engage with others and how they interact and engage with you in organizations 2)Explain how issues of power, privilege, discrimination, bias, equality, and equity influence opportunity and effectiveness in organizations 3)Propose ways to make relationships across difference in organizations more effective 4)Describe current perspectives on the relationships among diversity, inclusion, creativity, and innovation in organizations 5)Analyze a company's current approach to leading diversity and use content from this course to propose ways to enhance learning and effectiveness in that company.
Awards and Honors
- Finalist x 2, Phillips and Nadkarni Award for Best Paper on Diversity and Cognition, Academy of Management, 2022
- Fellowship from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University Institute on Diversity, 2023
- Visiting Faculty Fellowship, Harvard Business School Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS), 2022-2024
- OBHDP Best Reviewer Award, 2021
- Academy of Management Journal Best Reviewer Award, 2021
- Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, Undergraduate and MBA Programs, 2021
- Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2020
- #thinklist30, 2020 Description
The #thinklist30 is a list of influential female scholars on social media around issues of responsible business.
- Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management Research Grant, 2019
- Elected Representative-at-Large, Managerial and Organizational Cognition (MOC) Division, Academy of Management, 2017
- Faculty Fellow Research Grant, Engaged Cornell, 2016-2017
- Faculty Fellow Research Grant, Engaged Cornell, 2016
- Academy of Management Organizational Behavior (OB) Division Showcase Symposium, Symposium Chair, 2016
- Cornell University Family Fellows Program Honored Guest, 2016
- Cornell University Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching Research Grant, 2016
- Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence Research Grants, 2016
- Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence Research Grants, 2015
- Cornell University Small Group Mentoring Program Grant, 2015
- Academy of Management Managerial and Organizational Cognition (MOC) Division Showcase Symposium, Symposium Organizer, 2015
- Academy of Management Managerial and Organizational Cognition (MOC) Division Outstanding Reviewer Award, 2015., 2015
- Academy of Management Gender and Diversity in Organizations (GDO) Division Best Reviewer Award, 2014
- Academy of Management Gender and Diversity in Organizations (GDO) Division Best Reviewer Award, 2013
- Academy of Management Gender and Diversity in Organizations (GDO) Division Best Student Paper Award, 2013
- Boston College Donald J. White Award for Teaching Excellence, 2012
- AHANA Leadership Council and GLBTQ Leadership Council Faculty Recognition Award, Boston College, 2012
- Academy of Management Emerald Award for Best International Symposium, Nominee, 2010
- Simmons College Susan Bulkeley Butler Academic Prize, 2007
- Simmons College Presidential Inauguration Ceremony Graduate Student Speaker, 2007
- Simmons College Graduate Student Award for Civic Engagement, 2007
- Boston University Outstanding Graduating Dance Student, 1998
- Boston University Student Advisor of the Year, 1998
- Boston University Scarlet Key Student Leadership Award, 1998
- Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Community Service Award, 1997
In the News
- Speaking Out on Racism as a Company Leader, Wharton Magazine - 06/10/2020
- Is “belonging” the new “D&I”?, Human Resource Executive - 04/29/2020
- Why every US company has a stake in Bed Bath & Beyond’s heated boardroom war, CNBC - 05/09/2019
- Keeping the Diversity Conversation Emotional: Why We Need to Keep Talking About Belonging at Work, LinkedIn - 03/13/2019
- Wharton scholar talks workplace diversity, Penn Today - 02/15/2019
- How Business Leaders Build Inclusive Workplaces in an Era of Discord, The Wharton School - 12/17/2018
- Will an Employee Walkout Lead to Changes at Google?, Knowledge@Wharton - 11/13/2018
- Google bows to worker pressure on sexual misconduct policy, The Associated Press - 11/08/2018
- Google employees leave work to protest treatment of women, The Associated Press - 11/01/2018
- Racial slurs and fat-shaming insults keep popping up on receipts. Is Trump worsening the trend?, Vox - 10/29/2018
- Could a celebrity boycott of the Super Bowl really help Colin Kaepernick?, Vox - 10/23/2018
- Why diversity is about much more than numbers, Knowledge@Wharton - 08/31/2018
- Some Amazon employees are upset at company’s response to defaced LGBT office posters, CNBC - 08/29/2018
- How Warby Parker Builds an Inclusive Workforce: Takeaways from Wharton MBA Pre-Term, The Wharton School - 08/27/2018
- Learning to Be Color Brave, Knowledge@Wharton High School - 06/05/2018
- Starbucks’s bias training finally happened. Here’s what it looked like., The Washington Post - 05/29/2018
- What does unconscious bias training look like? I took 3 courses to find out, CNN Money - 05/29/2018
- Here’s what to expect from today’s Starbucks racial bias training, The Washington Post - 05/29/2018
- Could Starbucks’s Bias Training Affect How Businesses Handle Racism?, Racked - 05/29/2018
- Thousands of Starbucks Closing for Anti-Bias Training, CNN At This Hour with Kate Bolduan - 05/29/2018
- ‘Not who we aspire to be’: Starbucks previews next week’s racial bias training for 8,000 employees, The Washington Post - 05/23/2018
- How Companies Can Develop Anti-Bias Strategies That Work, Knowledge@Wharton - 05/11/2018
- RLJ’s new CEO joins a very exclusive club, Washington Business Journal - 04/11/2018
- How Prof. Stephanie Creary Works Towards Inclusion in Research, Teaching, and Wharton Culture, The Wharton School - 03/13/2018
- Why job referrals can hurt a company’s diversity, NBC News - 02/06/2018
- New Year, New Gig: How to Master the Modern Job Search, Knowledge@Wharton - 12/29/2017
- How Identity Informs Workplace Relationships, Knowledge@Wharton - 11/21/2017
- Equity Investment: Improving Opportunities For Women and Minorities in Business, Wharton Magazine - 10/24/2017
- Diversity Metrics & Measurement: Where Should Senior Executives Begin, The Society for Diversity - 12/05/2016
- Trust Me, Trust Me Not, Strategy + Business - 09/22/2014
- Multicultural Women: Our Stories Our Strengths, Working Mother - 05/08/2013
- Managing ‘Survivor Syndrome’, PR Newswire - 06/15/2009
- Portfolio Careerists Revel in Change, The Boston Globe - 01/27/2008
Knowledge at Wharton
- Action, not Words: Creating Gender and Racial Equity at Work, Knowledge at Wharton - 7/11/2022
- Why More Companies Are Standing Up on Social Issues, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/10/2022
- How Data Analytics Can Help Advance DEI, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/18/2022
- Want to Stop the Great Resignation? Start Building Inclusive Workplaces, Knowledge at Wharton - 12/7/2021
- How Social Class Affects the Career Ladder, Knowledge at Wharton - 10/29/2021
- Protecting Your Mental Health at Work, Knowledge at Wharton - 8/24/2021
- Black Women Leaders: Navigating the Intersection of Gender and Race, Knowledge at Wharton - 7/6/2021
- How Middle Managers Can Help Make a More Equitable Workplace, Knowledge at Wharton - 6/28/2021
- Using Data Analytics as a Source for Change, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/18/2021
- Creating Equity in COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Distribution, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/4/2021
Activity
Latest Research
In the News
Action, not Words: Creating Gender and Racial Equity at WorkWharton’s Stephanie Creary talks to Tina Opie and Beth Livingston, two management professors who have written a new book on how to tear down the barriers that prevent women and marginalized groups from thriving in business.…Read More
Knowledge at Wharton - 7/11/2022