Julia DiBenigno
Professor of Organizational Behavior
Julia DiBenigno is an organizational ethnographer and field researcher. Professor DiBenigno’s scholarship seeks to advance our understanding of topics related to the sociology of work and occupations, collaboration between professional groups, upward influence and voice, and change in organizations. Her research has appeared in Administrative Science Quarterly, Organizational Science, and the Academy of Management Annals and has won multiple best paper and best dissertation awards.
Professor DiBenigno specializes in qualitative, ethnographic methodologies (e.g., observation and interviewing). Using these methods, she immerses herself in the social worlds of those she studies to develop novel organizational theories while addressing pressing problems ranging from improving soldier mental healthcare delivery to supporting frontline caregivers combating COVID-19.
She received her PhD and MS in Work and Organization Studies from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Before that, she worked as a consultant for Deloitte's Organization and Change practice and received a BA in psychology from Columbia University.
Education
- PhD, MIT Sloan, 2016
- MS, MIT Sloan, 2014
- BA, summa cum laude, salutatorian, Columbia College, 2006
Articles
A Necessary Prescription: How Studies of Healthcare Can Advance Theory and Practice
Opportunistic Change During a Punctuation: How and When the Front Lines Can Drive Bursts of Incremental Change
How the Best Teams Keep Good Ideas Alive
How Idealized Professional Identities Can Persist through Client Interactions
The Voice Cultivation Process: How Team Members Can Help Upward Voice Live on to Implementation
Rapid Relationality: How Peripheral Experts Build a Foundation for Influence with Line Managers
Anchored Personalization in Managing Goal Conflict between Professional Groups: The Case of U.S. Army Mental Healthcare.
Achievements
Outstanding Reviewer Award, Organization Science, 2024
Ned Smith Rising Star Award, Organization & Management Theory Division of the Academy of Management, 2023
Outstanding Published Article Award Honorable Mention, POS Conference, 2022
Thinkers50 Radar List, Class of 2022
ASQ Dissertation Award, Runner-up, 2021
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Award, NYU Wagner, 2021
Responsible Research in Management Award, IACMR-RRBM, 2019
Outstanding Published Article Award Honorable Mention, POS Conference, 2019
Best Paper Award, Academy of Management Annals, 2017
Grigor McClelland Best Dissertation Award, EGOS, 2017
Best Paper Award, Davis Conference on Qualitative Research, 2017
W. Richard Scott Outstanding Paper Award, Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section of the American Sociological Association, 2016
Winner of the INFORMS Organization Science Dissertation Proposal Competition, 2015