Graduate Thesis: “Which Differences Make a Difference? Comparing Diversity Metrics and their Relationship to Outcomes in Virtual Teams”
Despite abundant research and organizational interest, the impact of diversity on team outcomes is unclear. To better understand conflicting effects of team diversity, my thesis investigated the degree to which (1) different operationalizations of diversity differentially predict team outcomes, and (2) contextual factors moderate the association between team diversity and outcomes. My thesis first explored whether the measurement and mathematical operationalization of diversity differentially predicts team processes and outcomes. I then examined contextual factors that may moderate the relationship between diversity and team processes and outcomes, to ultimately determine which measures of diversity make a difference to teams with differing levels of virtuality.
Personnel Psychology Applied Projects
WWJCD Consulting is our team of students who completed four applied projects as part of a year-long seminar in Personnel Psychology. Each project involved research, design, and implementation or pilot testing of our proposed procedures. Additionally, we wrote a final report and presented each project to instructors and other student teams. The first project was a comprehensive job analysis of Labor and Delivery (L&D) nurses, which served as the foundation for our other three projects. The second project involved creation of a performance appraisal system for L&D nurses. The third applied project included the development of a selection system for L&D nurses at Sharp HealthCare. The final project involved the design of a patient-focused care training program for Sharp.
Graffiti and Street Art Research Projects
During undergrad at Northwestern University, I conducted two large research projects investigating graffiti and street art from a cognitive science perspective. One project was a laboratory experiment and led to my senior honors thesis and the other project was a collaborative student-run multidisciplinary field experiment.