Selected Projects
Exploring Team Discrimination within Engineering TeamsThough gender issues are pervasive throughout STEM careers, representation of women is lowest in engineering. Few researchers have focused their attention on how the day-to-day experiences of women in engineering might facilitate or impede discriminatory behavior. Taking a team-centric approach, we examine interpersonal discrimination and its multi-level ripple impact on both individual and team outcomes.
Our first objective is to identify whether and how engineering team experiences differ by gender, specifically in relation to team discrimination. As a second objective, we will examine the effect team discrimination has on engineering team outcomes (e.g., performance, creativity). Finally, our third objective is to examine the impact team discrimination has on individual-level outcomes and specifically the career trajectory of female engineers. The culmination of this program will provide a greater understanding of how team experiences shape the career path for women in STEM, with the overall goal of retaining women in STEM careers. Examining the Chief of staff positionA traditional leader prototype includes an individual with a vision exercising authoritative power and leaning on followers to execute their vision. In this study, we examine whether an alternate leader prototype exists. We conduct a multi-method investigation of corporate Chiefs of Staff and their executive partners (e.g., Chief Executive Officers) to understand how those serving as a right-hand influence their leader and contribute to organizational outcomes.
Findings from an inductive qualitative study reveal how right-hand partners demonstrate covert leadership and lead through execution by serving as a utility team player, strategic connector, and cross-level broker. In turn, they influence the decisions and behaviors of their executive as well as organizational outcomes. Despite their value and influence, we also find that right-hands rarely receive adequate recognition for their efforts and influence. Thus, while they are leaders—they are not recognized as such. We follow this examination with two survey-based quantitative studies testing emergent themes. We find support for the hypothesis (derived from our qualitative findings) that prosocial motivation of right-hands positively and indirectly relates to influence over their executive through engagement in cross-level brokerage behaviors. Overall, this work advances theory on leadership by presenting an alternate leader ideal and examining those that influence high-powered leaders. 
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Increasing diversity and inclusion in stemScience, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields have a long history of extremely low representation of women, African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Latinx individuals. The lack of diversity in STEM poses an issue for educational institutions and industry organizations given that diverse perspectives increase innovation, performance, and productivity. This is not a new discussion, rather, we argue that extant research fails to look beyond simple representation.
By extending and integrating team role theory and intraoccupational sex segregation theory, we propose that gender and racial/ethnic gaps in STEM can be partially explained by differences in team role experiences. In this study, we develop and test a model of intrateam role segregation whereby women and underrepresented minorities within STEM are placed in less technical team roles, leading to a downward spiral of reduced STEM outcomes at the individual- and team-level. This effort will facilitate interdisciplinary research collaboration across departments at CU Boulder to allow for a robust investigation into critical issues regarding diversity and inclusion in STEM. |
Meet Our Team
Dr. Christina N. Lacerenza (she/her) - Principle Investigator
christina.lacerenza@colorado.edu
Dr. Christina N. Lacerenza is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work focuses on identifying effective leadership and teamwork practices for the 21st century and beyond, with an emphasis on team emergent states, plural leadership, evidence-based leadership development, and diversity within teams and organizations. Her work appears in outlets such as Journal of Applied Psychology and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes and has been presented at various professional meetings, including the National Academy of Sciences workshop on Science Team Dynamics and Effectiveness. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Lacerenza has consulted on projects related to leadership and teamwork across multiple industries, worked at Amazon on the Talent Assessment Team, and worked for the Orlando Magic NBA Team in the Premium Services department. She earned her Ph.D. from Rice University, where her dissertation focused on deep- and surface-level leader traits within self-managed engineering teams.
christina.lacerenza@colorado.edu
Dr. Christina N. Lacerenza is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work focuses on identifying effective leadership and teamwork practices for the 21st century and beyond, with an emphasis on team emergent states, plural leadership, evidence-based leadership development, and diversity within teams and organizations. Her work appears in outlets such as Journal of Applied Psychology and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes and has been presented at various professional meetings, including the National Academy of Sciences workshop on Science Team Dynamics and Effectiveness. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Lacerenza has consulted on projects related to leadership and teamwork across multiple industries, worked at Amazon on the Talent Assessment Team, and worked for the Orlando Magic NBA Team in the Premium Services department. She earned her Ph.D. from Rice University, where her dissertation focused on deep- and surface-level leader traits within self-managed engineering teams.
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Mallory Decker (she/her) - Graduate Student
Mallory.Decker@colorado.edu Mallory Decker is a first-year doctoral student in Organizational Behavior at the Leeds School of Business. Prior to joining Leeds, she served 11 years in the U.S. Navy as a helicopter pilot. She completed military tours in the U.S. House of Representatives and with NATO, sparking her research interests in the overlap of leadership, teams, decision making, and gender and diversity. She received a MSc in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh, UK, where she studied as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, and a BS in English from the U.S. Naval Academy. |
Liza Barnes (she/her) - Graduate Student
liza.barnes@colorado.edu
Liza Barnes is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Organizational Behavior at the Leeds School of Business. Prior to joining Leeds, Liza received her undergraduate degree in Organizational Studies and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. After graduating, she worked in healthcare technology implementation and client operations. Her research focuses on understanding the complexities and challenges of interpersonal relationships at work, such as unique leadership dynamics, advocating for oneself during difficult times, and building more compassionate workplaces. Her work has been published in outlets such as Organizational Psychology Review, Harvard Business Review, and PLOS One, and has been presented at various professional meetings such as the Academy of Management annual meeting.
liza.barnes@colorado.edu
Liza Barnes is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in Organizational Behavior at the Leeds School of Business. Prior to joining Leeds, Liza received her undergraduate degree in Organizational Studies and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. After graduating, she worked in healthcare technology implementation and client operations. Her research focuses on understanding the complexities and challenges of interpersonal relationships at work, such as unique leadership dynamics, advocating for oneself during difficult times, and building more compassionate workplaces. Her work has been published in outlets such as Organizational Psychology Review, Harvard Business Review, and PLOS One, and has been presented at various professional meetings such as the Academy of Management annual meeting.
Ziwei Cheng (she/her) - Undergraduate Research Assistant
ziwei.cheng@colorado.edu
My name is Ziwei and I am a senior undergraduate student studying psychology, statistics, and computer science. I am interested in people's cognitive domains and cognitive science, and I hope to go to graduate school in cognitive psychology in the future. In my free time, I enjoy exploring different coffee shops in Boulder and skiing.
ziwei.cheng@colorado.edu
My name is Ziwei and I am a senior undergraduate student studying psychology, statistics, and computer science. I am interested in people's cognitive domains and cognitive science, and I hope to go to graduate school in cognitive psychology in the future. In my free time, I enjoy exploring different coffee shops in Boulder and skiing.
Madeline Barr (she/her) - Undergraduate Research Assistant
madeline.barr@colorado.edu
Madeline Barr is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience with a minor in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Madeline's research interests span the scope of Psychology and Neuroscience and include the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, workplace discrimination, and the biology of human behavior. In the future, Madeline plans to attend graduate school to pursue a doctorate in Molecular Neuroscience. In her free time, Madeline enjoys hiking, hammocking, and exploring the beautiful outdoors!
madeline.barr@colorado.edu
Madeline Barr is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Colorado, Boulder double majoring in Psychology and Neuroscience with a minor in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Madeline's research interests span the scope of Psychology and Neuroscience and include the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, workplace discrimination, and the biology of human behavior. In the future, Madeline plans to attend graduate school to pursue a doctorate in Molecular Neuroscience. In her free time, Madeline enjoys hiking, hammocking, and exploring the beautiful outdoors!
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Nikki Bechtold (she/her) - Undergraduate Research Assistant
caroline.bechtold@colorado.edu Nikki Bechtold is a second year undergrad student at the University of Colorado Boulder majoring in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. Nikki wants to pursue a career hopefully focusing in sustainability. In her free time, she enjoys rollerblading, painting, exploring nature, and hammocking. |
