Katherine W. Phillips

Prof. Katherine W. Phillips joined the faculty at Columbia Business School as the Paul Calello Professor of Leadership and Ethics in Fall of 2011. Before joining us here she was Associate Professor of Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and Co-Director and Founder of Northwestern's Center on the Science of Diversity. She has also been a Visiting Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Visiting Scholar at the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences. Professor Phillips received her PhD in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Her Bachelors degree is in Psychology from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Prof. Phillips research addresses the main questions of what is the value of diversity and what are the barriers that prevent society, organizations and especially work teams from capturing the knowledge, perspectives and unique backgrounds of every member? As organizations and society become increasingly diverse, developing a more sophisticated understanding of intergroup relations and the myriad of processes that interfere with capturing the value that diversity can bring to the table, is essential for the continued growth of organizations. Professor Phillips' theoretical and empirical work has focused mainly on the small group processes and performance that are affected by diversity, but more recently her work has expanded to assessments of worth and status that intertwine with group composition to affect interpersonal and group outcomes. You can find insights in Prof. Phillips' research regarding issues of information sharing, diversity, status, minority influence, decision-making, and performance in work groups. Recent interests tackle issues around the intersection of race and gender stereotypes, the relationship between diversity and perceptions of morality, and insights on how homogeneity affects group processes just as much as diversity itself. Professor Phillips is the recipient of numerous professional awards, including top awards and recognition from the International Association of Conflict Management, the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management, the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Excellence in Work-Family Research Award, and the Gender, Diversity and Organizations Division of the Academy of Management. Prof. Phillips is a member of the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Her review of diversity research published in Research in Organizational Behavior (under the name Williams) is a leading source of information for scholars across many disciplines including psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, lawyers, and doctors. More of her award-winning work can be found in scholarly outlets such as Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Organization Science and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Prof. Phillips teaches numerous topics including leadership, leading and managing teams, decision making, negotiations, organizational change, and motivation. Professor Phillips' research has been featured in numerous media outlets including the Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine.com, Fortune.com, Working Women, The Globe and Mail, and The Mint. In 2011 Poets and Quants named Professor Phillips one of the Top 40 Business School Professors Under the Age of 40. Students say "Professor Katherine Phillips has an inclusive style that fosters continuous participation in class. She has a way of involving students in the discussion of cutting-edge concepts from her research and expertise that makes you feel like you are being part of something novel and unique. She was the best introduction I could possibly have to business school."