Mary Rowe

Mary Rowe is an Adjunct Professor of Negotiation and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

As a conflict management specialist and an expert in interpersonal negotiations, Rowe hears from hundreds of people a year about serious conflicts and concerns. She served for 42 years as an organizational ombuds reporting directly to five presidents of MIT.

Her research interests focus on the uses of power in interpersonal negotiations; harassment; dispute resolution system design; and coping with difficult people. She is especially interested in the role of “bystanders” in helping to affirm professional and productive behavior within organizations. Rowe taught Negotiations and Conflict Management for many years—and consults widely to corporations, academic institutions, and government agencies. Her writing probes the subtle inequities experienced by people who are nontraditional in any context, micro-affirmations, conflicts of interest, and other classic workplace problems.

Rowe holds a BA in history from Swarthmore College and a PhD in economics from Columbia University.