PhD
Organization Studies
Organization Studies is a multidisciplinary group that brings together the concepts and research methodology of social psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other social sciences. The Organization Studies research group focuses on interactions across individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions, as well as organizational processes themselves. Faculty members—including Deborah Ancona, Kate Kellogg, Erin Kelly, Ray Reagans, and John Carroll—study topics such as distributed leadership, AI in everyday work, social capital, and the future of work.
Research from Organization Studies Faculty
How imposter syndrome can be your superpower
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In a new study, MIT Sloan assistant professor of Work and Organization Studies Basima Tewfik finds that in certain situations, there's a bright side to having workplace impostor thoughts.
Dynamic work design, explained
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Stalled projects and workarounds cause chaos in too many organizations. Dynamic work design offers a way to address this through continuous, hands-on problem-solving.
For manufacturers, listening to workers pays off in productivity
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Companies that act on input from front-line employees pay their workers more and experience a productivity bump that offsets those costs.
Nelson Repenning, PhD ’96
MIT Sloan Professor Nelson Repenning, PhD ’96, talks about his 2025 book "There's Got to Be a Better Way," co-authored with Senior Lecturer Donald Kieffer.
Select Organization Studies Faculty
Standing Faculty
Deborah L. Ancona
Seley Distinguished Professor of Management
Deborah Ancona is the Seley Distinguished Professor of Management, a Professor of Organization Studies, and the Founder of the MIT Leadership Center at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her pioneering research into how successful teams operate has…
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John S. Carroll
Hear name pronounced.Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management, Emeritus
John Carroll is the Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management, Emeritus and a Professor Post Tenure of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was also Professor of Engineering Systems until 2015 and served as Co…
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Emilio J. Castilla
NTU Professor of Management
Emilio J. Castilla is the NTU Professor of Management and a Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Castilla is currently the co-director of the Institute for Work and Employment Research. He joined the MIT…
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Jared R. Curhan
Gordon Kaufman Professor of Management
Jared Curhan is the Gordon Kaufman Professor and a Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as Faculty Director of MIT’s Behavioral Research Lab. Curhan specializes in the psychology of negotiation…
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Example PhD Thesis Topics
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Raquel Kessinger (2024)
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James Mellody (2024)
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Alan Zhang (2024)
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Vanessa Conzon (2021)
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Jenna Myers (2021)