Daphne Baldassari
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Welcome

I’m an assistant professor of Management and Organizations at USC Marshall School of Business. I completed my PhD in Strategic Management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

My research investigates how firms strategically respond to structural diversity interventions aimed at dismantling inequalities within and outside the organization.

My research focuses on the strategic responses of firms to structural diversity interventions. These interventions are aimed at disrupting organizational practices and processes that perpetuate inequalities within and outside firms. Within my research program, I examine a variety of diversity interventions, such as the diversification of evaluation committees and the implementation of diversity disclosure regulations, each of which targets a different organizational process (including hiring, resource allocation, evaluation, and incentives). My studies cover a range of settings: the U.S. film industry, Canadian and Danish boards of directors, and startup incubators.

Drawing upon research on nonmarket strategies, organizational reactivity, and social movements, I explore how strategic responses by firms can lead to heterogeneous benefits for individuals (where often only the most connected and visible benefit) and can either support or impede progress towards substantive improvements on social equity.

My dissertation was awarded the 2022 Will Mitchell Dissertation Research Grant, received multiple best paper prizes at the 2023 Strategic Management Society Conference, and I was selected as a finalist in the 2023 INFORMS/Organization Science Best Dissertation Proposal Competition.


Research Interests

Strategic Response — Gender and Racial Inequality — Structural Interventions for Diversity — Social Movements — Quantitative Methods — Text-based Analysis

Research Projects

Oscar Voters so White? Hiring Effects of an Evaluator’s Diversity Intervention.
solo-authored
Revise and Resubmit at Administrative Science Quarterly

How Social Movements Influence Network-based Hiring: Evidence from the Film Industry
solo-authored

Hiding in Plain Sight: Firm Strategic Response to Diversity Disclosure Requirements.
with Sarah Kaplan and Aaron Dhir

Visible and Valued: Impact of Family Connections in Women’s Board Appointments Following Danish Board Quota Reform.
with Esther Chevrot-Bianco

Gender Differences in Feedback: Evidence from Entrepreneurs
with Manuela Collis and Mitch Hoffman

Education

Ph.D. in Strategic Management
University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
November 2024

M.S. Engineering
Mines ParisTech
June 2015

M.S. Economics
Paris School of Economics
June 2017

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What’s New


August 2024

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as an Assistant Professor of Management and Organization at USC Marshall!


September 2023

My paper “Oscar Voters So White? Hiring Effects of an Evaluator’s Diversity Intervention” received three prestigious awards at the Strategic Management Society 43rd Annual Conference:

  • Best Annual Paper Prize

  • Best Ph.D. Student Paper Prize

  • Best Responsible Research Prize

The symposium “Drivers of Racial and Gender Workplace Inequalities” co-organized by Manuela Collis, Xuege Lu, and myself has been honored as the runner-up for the Best Symposium Award by the Organization and Management Theory Division.


March 2023

Excited to share an article featuring my recent research at U of T, examining the extent to which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has influenced diverse hiring practices in the film industry. Take a look here!

I am thrilled to share that my dissertation has been selected as one of the recipients of the Will Mitchell Dissertation Research Grant Program from the Strategy Research Foundation (The Strategic Management Society).

I am especially honored and moved as this award is named after Professor Will Mitchell. Will was a much-loved and insightful professor at the University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management. He spent endless time and energy supporting his students all over the world.


Contact

I'm delighted to connect with individuals interested in researching workplace inequality or strategic management. Whether you're an aspiring doctoral student, scholar, or manager seeking to drive positive change in your company, feel free to reach out to me via email at daphneb@marshall.usc.edu

Address

USC Marshall School of Business
3670 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089

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