PhD in Organizational Behavior - Students

Wasseem Abaza

Program Status:	Qualifying
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	The Social Construction of Internal and External Identities of International Institutions
Qualifying Paper:	Sustainability Impact Assessment: An Exploratory Study
Dissertation Topic:	Entrepreneurship and the Motivation for Social Sustainability

Wasseem is interested in the intersection of business and social benefit, especially how businesses can be used to solve social issues. His research interests revolve around the business side of sustainability, entrepreneurship and the individual and organizational motivation for social responsibility. Wasseem received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communication Studies from the University of Michigan, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Toledo.

wasseem.abaza@case.edu

Emily Amdurer

Program Status:	Candidate
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	An Exploration of the Aftermath of Crisis and its Implications for Stereotypes, Prejudice and Discrimination
Qualifying Paper:	A Look at the Relationship between Job Insecurity and Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Counterproductive Work Behavior
Dissertation Topic:	What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger: Positive Growth After Work-Related Trauma

Emily is interested in how individuals respond to uncertainty and change. In her dissertation she will look at a form of resilience called, post-traumatic growth. She will explore how employees experience positive psychological growth from struggling with perceived work-related trauma. She will investigate this research in high-risk occupations (emergency room nurses and doctors, firefighters) and in organizations that went through a downsizing. More generally, Emily has conducted research on how changes in the work environment and individual differences affect performance outcomes, work behaviors (organizational citizenship and counterproductive work) and trusting relationships. Emily previously worked in learning and development at Citigroup and organizational development and human resources at Blue Man Productions. She received a B.A. in psychology from Yeshiva University.

emily.amdurer@case.edu

Brodie Boland

Program Status:	Qualifying
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Attentional Flexibility; Entering the right peak state at the right time

Brodie is currently researching the dynamics by which large group interventions (such as an Appreciative Inquiry Summit) influence change. He is also interested in large scale orchestrated social movements, design thinking, and states of heightened attention and awareness such as flow and mindfulness. Brodie holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Calgary. He has previously worked for AIESEC, serving as its international president, and was a consultant in McKinsey & Company's Toronto office.

brodie.boland@case.edu

Weylin Burlingame

Program Status:	Qualifying
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Social Identity Maintenance

Weylin is interested in groups, group processes, social identity, organizational identity, and in the insights that can be gained by framing interactions with organizational and social identity lenses. His current research interests are focused on examining how organizations manage identity tensions that arise from environmental shifts when the organization has a vested interest in maintaining internal perceptions of identity stability. Weylin has a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Bucknell University, and an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania.

weylin.burlingame@case.edu

Renuka Hodigere

Program Status:	Qualifying
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Impression Management: Mitigating the effects of sex-stereotyping

Renuka's research interests are all aspects of organizational alchemy. Base metals: An MBA with specialization in OB and a few years of work experience in the area of HRM with a number of multinational corporations and small businesses. Gold: An environmentally symbiotic organization.

rxh221@case.edu

Aron Lindberg

Program Status:	Beginning
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Distributed Cognition and Organizational Innovation: From Micro to Macro

Aron is interested in how processes of organizing are enacted by interdependent agents. His current research concerns the micro processes through which distributed cognition is enacted throughout organizations as to create macro-level innovation. He holds a M.Sc. in Business Administration and Economics from Stockholm University and has worked for corporations, consultancies and NGOs across Europe, Asia and North America.

aron.lindberg@case.edu

Chris Lyddy

Program Status:	Qualifying
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Silent Presence: Exploring its Nature, Measurement, and Organizational Value

Chris is interested in the impact of mindful presence on individual and organizational behavior. He is exploring how mindfulness can influence adaptivity, affect, and stress in leadership. Previously he researched corporate sustainability, and one day hopes to intersect the two fields. He holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor and a Masters of City Planning from MIT, and previously worked as a researcher at the Brookings Institution and MIT Sloan School of Management.

cjl77@case.edu

Alperen Manisaligil

Program Status:	Beginning
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Understanding Compassion and Overcoming Compassion Fatigue in Organizational Life

Alperen is mainly interested in strength-based approaches such as Positive Organizational Scholarship and Appreciative Inquiry. In particular, Alperen focuses on exploring humane values such as compassion and benevolence and how these values can be maintained in the workplace. For a while now, Alperen has been attempting to uncover the secret of those individuals who do not develop compassion fatigue. Apart from this study, Alperen conducts research on creativity, management education in the 21st century, self-directed learning, and benevolent leadership. Alperen earned a BBA degree from Istanbul University School of Business Administration, Turkey. He also received an MBA degree from Sabanci University Sabanci School of Management, Turkey.

alperen.manisaligil@case.edu

Angela Oetama-Paul

Program Status:	Beginning

Angela has two primary areas of interest: environmental sustainability and gender and diversity in organizations. She is currently studying the ways in which individual employees and businesses can incorporate conservation behaviors and environmental sustainability into their practices. Additionally, she is interested in large-scale organizational change efforts that promote equity and inclusion, including efforts to support the advancement of women as top leaders in organizations. Angela received a BA in Social Work and Bible/Religion from Goshen College, and an MSW from the University of Michigan.

angela.oetama-paul@case.edu

Angela Passarelli

Program Status:	Candidate
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Leadership Development: Past, Present, and Future
Qualifying Paper:	The Learning Way: Learning from Experience as the Path to Lifelong Learning and Development
Dissertation Topic:

In her research, Angela explores the impact of human connection on individual learning, engagement, health, well-being, motivation, and performance. This has drawn her to topics such as resonant relationships, emotional and social intelligence, coaching, teaching, change, experiential learning, and neuroscience. She has co-authored several scholarly articles and book chapters on leadership development, strengths-based education, and experiential learning. As a consultant, Angela has worked with organizations in various industries, including healthcare, banking, manufacturing, and post-secondary education, to increase the vitality of their leadership systems. Angela holds an M.S. in Educational Administration with a focus in college student development from Texas A&M University and B.S. in Psychology and General Business from James Madison University.

amp67@case.edu

Kylie Rochford

Program Status:	Beginning
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	A neuro-endocrine explanation of the moderating role of task characteristics on leadership style and effectiveness

Kylie's research interests lie in the intersection of neuroscience and organizational behavior. Her current research is examining the implications of the opposing domains hypothesis (task positive and default mode neural networks) for leadership. Other research interests include leadership, positive organizational scholarship, organizational change, institutional theory, and organizational citizenship behavior. Kylie holds a Bachelor of Commerce (1st class Honors) and a Master of Commerce (1st class Honors) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

kcr27@case.edu

Andrew Schnackenberg

Program Status:	Candidate
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Measuring Transparency: Towards a Greater Understanding of Systemic Transparency and Accountability
Qualifying Paper:	The Dimensional Structure of Transparency: Development and Validation of the Perceived Transparency Scale

Andrew is interested in organizational governance and information transparency. In his research on governance, Andrew explores how modifications in organizational controls disrupt organizational routines to generate explorative and exploitative learning. In his research on transparency, Andrew examines the factors that lead individuals, groups, and organizations to materialize higher levels of transparency into speech acts, policies, procedures, and other communications. This line of research also seeks to uncover how transparent exchanges of information lead individuals, groups, and organizations to form trusting relationships. Andrew holds a Bachelors of Science (BSc) in Business Management and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).

andrew.schnackenberg@case.edu

Tiffany Schroeder

Program Status:	Beginning
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Explaining Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Critical Review of the Social Exchange Perspective

Tiffany is interested in understanding how the organizational context shapes workers' (especially lower-level workers) abilities to experience proactive engagement, vitality, and meaning in their work, and how these then impact organizational effectiveness. Her most recently started project is aimed at investigating how the organizational context enables management to listen effectively to employees needs, concerns, and suggestions. Tiffany holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

tiffany.schroeder@case.edu

Garima Sharma

Program Status:	Candidate
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Understanding How Values Develop: The Intervening Role of Self-Concept and Identity
Qualifying Paper:	The Learning Flexibility Index: Assessing Contextual Flexibility in Learning Style
Dissertation Topic:	Sustaining Corporate Social Initiatives: Navigating the Tension Between Social and Profit Logics

Garima’s research interests are around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability, especially how organizations integrate often conflicting profit and social/environmental goals. Specifically, she is interested in topics including hybrid organizing, sensemaking of CSR issues, and trajectory of CSR implementation in organizations. Through questions related to these areas, she wants to explore how institutional logics, organizing practices, and the organizational context facilitate or inhibit integration of social/environmental and profit goals. Garima received her Bachelor’s in Engineering (equivalent to BS) and Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from India after which she worked as an internal organizational development consultant for a software consulting firm in India.

gxs129@case.edu

Njoke Thomas

Program Status:	Beginning
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	(Un)learning for practice change: rethinking the application of the unlearning concept in organizational behavior.

Njoke Thomas is fascinated by the idea that a fundamental shift in health sector practices is critical to the elimination of disparities in health outcomes. Specifically, she would like to identify and explore the organizational factors required to facilitate such change. Prior to joining the department she directed the Colorado Trust's Equality in Health Initiative to promote culturally competent practices in health care and medical education practices throughout the state. Njoke holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and a M.S. in Public Health from Harvard University.

nkt3@case.edu

Phil Thompson

Program Status:	Beginning
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Antecedents to accepting Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Phil is interested in Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) and why individuals accept or reject OCB. He holds a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology (McKendree University) and a Masters of Science degree in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology from Missouri State University where his thesis investigated the psychometric properties of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to predict workplace integrity. His additional research interests include leadership, organizational change, business ethics, motivation, and macro-level innovation. He previously worked as a management executive and consultant in the financial services and I-O psychology fields. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (Communications) from Beloit College.

pst27@case.edu

Mai Trinh

Program Status:	Qualifying
Integrated Scholarship Paper:	Rethinking Conscientiousness: Construction of Team Conscientiousness as Team Shared Values, Norms, and Identity
Qualifying Paper:	The Emergence of Team Conscientiousness as a Result of Judgments and Adjustments in Team Dynamics

Mai's research interests can be captured in three cross-areas. The overarching focus of her work is cross-epistemic-era research, in which she is applying ancient Chinese philosophy in contemporary management theory and practice. She has presented several papers on Yin-Yang thinking in the context of today's organizational scholarship. Mai is also interested in cross-level research, such as multilevel methods and team dynamics. She is currently studying how team cohesion emerges through the process of working out critical incidents and documenting shared experience. Lastly, Mai loves cross-cultural research, specifically East-West differences and other diversity issues. Some of her projects in this stream include adding an Eastern "twist" to Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, and compiling a cultural profile of Vietnam through the Yin-Yang lens. Mai received her B.A. in Management and Chinese from Wittenberg University.

In her fun time, Mai likes board games, calligraphy, and martial arts.

mai.trinh@case.edu

Ellen Van Oosten

Program Status:	Candidate
Qualifying Paper:	Indicators of Coaching Effectiveness
Dissertation Topic:	Impact of Emotional Intelligence and Executive Coaching on Leader Effectiveness

Ellen's research interests include executive coaching, executive development, emotional intelligence and experiential learning. She has co-authored several articles on the subject of coaching and emotional intelligence. Ellen joined Weatherhead Executive Education in 1995 and held various positions including Assistant Dean for Executive Education, Managing Director for Custom Programs and most recently, Executive Coach and Instructor. She has spent the past 16 years helping organizations develop their leadership capability with a particular focus on the intersection between individual and organization development. In her coaching practice, she has worked with a diverse group of clients in the U.S. and abroad, including many from Fifth Third Bank, Sherwin Williams, Scottish Enterprises and the Barnes Group as well as numerous participants enrolled in the Weatherhead School's executive education programs. She has taught workshops in coaching, emotional intelligence and leadership assessment and development. Ellen holds a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Case Western Reserve University and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from the University of Dayton.

ellen.vanoosten@case.edu