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
MIT Sloan Faculty Share Latest Insights at Reunion 2025
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Faculty presented the latest insights from their work in corporate leadership, precision medicine, climate policy, personal finance, and deep tech during MIT Sloan Reunion 2025.
MIT Sloan’s 2025 summer book collection
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Eight research-backed titles covering retirement transitions, artificial intelligence and skills development, and how to build an innovation advantage.
Generative AI’s hidden cultural tendencies
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New research from MIT Sloan finds that generative AI provides culturally distinct responses to the same prompt in different languages.
Does generative AI actually enhance creativity in the workplace?
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Does generative AI actually enhance creativity in the workplace? The answer is yes — but only for employees who have strong metacognitive strategies, according to new research from Jackson Lu.
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 and…
Learn MoreExample 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)