The PhD in Organizational Behavior is a joint degree offered by the Departments of Psychology and Sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) together with the Harvard Business School (HBS). It aims to develop researchers and teachers who will contribute to the understanding of organizational behavior and management in complex modern organizations. The program combines training in theory and methods of psychology or sociology, the study of business administration, and empirical research on organizational phenomena.

Admission

The program admits a small number of exceptionally well-qualified individuals each year.
A distinguished undergraduate record is expected, but candidates need not hold a degree in psychology or sociology, as breadth of training is preferred to overconcentration. Some college work in statistics or mathematics is highly advisable. Candidates with some work experience in organizations are preferred.

Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) in time for the results to reach the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions Office by the deadline. Please note that, when possible, the GMAT is preferred. Non-native English speakers must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), unless they hold a degree from an institution in which English is the language of instruction.

Further information about the program is available on the Harvard Business School Website at www.hbs.edu/doctoral . Applications for admission may be obtained from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions Office or completed online at https://apply.embark.com/grad/Harvard/GSAS. Questions regarding the program should be directed to:
    Harvard Business School
    Doctoral Programs Office
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    617-495-6101

Financial Aid

All incoming students receive a merit-based award, regardless of need. This includes a fellowship for tuition and health fees, as well as a stipend for living expenses ($32,400 in 2007-2008), for up to 5 years.

Program

Students select either the sociology or psychology track within the program. In addition, students take doctoral and Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses offered by HBS faculty. Two advisors are appointed for each student upon matriculation, one from the relevant FAS department and one from the Organizational Behavior faculty within HBS. They aid the student in planning her or his program of study.

The sociology track deals with the macro aspects of organizational behavior. It focuses primarily on organizational processes and structures and on organizations in relation to their environments. Areas of specialization include organizational sociology and the study of markets and work. Students also become familiar with some of the more micro issues emphasized within the psychology track.

The psychology track is for students who wish to concentrate on the micro aspects of organizational behavior. The primary focus is on the psychology of individuals and small groups in relation to the organization. Areas of specialization include social psychology, organization and personality, and the psychology of decision making. Students also become familiar with some of the more macro issues emphasized within the sociology track.

To complete the PhD in organizational behavior, students must fulfill the following requirements:

• A set of methodology, theory, and elective requirements within the FAS department chosen (i.e., either Psychology or Sociology).
• Involvement in research with a member of the Business School, Psychology, or Sociology faculty.
• The qualifying examination (or equivalent) in the chosen FAS department.
• The qualifying paper in Sociology or the first- and second-year projects in Psychology.
• Five elective MBA courses at HBS for those students who do not hold an MBA.
• Doctoral seminars and a course in field methods taught by HBS faculty.
• An examination in organizational behavior.
• An approved dissertation that constitutes an original contribution to knowledge about organizational behavior.

Faculty

Organizational Behavior faculty members come from both the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Business School. They include, but are not limited to:

Peter V. Marsden, Chair; Professor of Sociology. Organizations, research methods, and social networks.

Teresa M. Amabile, Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration. Creativity and innovation, primarily impact of work environments on motivation, individual creativity, team creativity, and organizational innovation.

Michel Anteby, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Interactions in the workplace, occupational identities, and semi-clandestine behaviors.

Max Bazerman, Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration. Decision making, negotiation, creation of joint gains in society, and natural environment.

Michael Beer, Professor. Organization effectiveness, human resource management, and organization change.

Mahzarin Banaji, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics; Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at Radcliffe. Unconscious nature of assessments of self and other humans that reflect feelings about knowledge of their social group membership.

Frank Dobbin, Professor of Sociology. Organizational theory, comparative/historical sociology, economic sociology, public policy, and stratification.

Amy C. Edmondson, Professor of Business Administration. Learning processes in teams and organizations.

Robin Ely, Professor of Business Administration. Diversity, gender, and group dynamics.

Daniel T. Gilbert, Harvard College Professor and Professor of Psychology. Ordinary personology, human credulity, and affective forecasting.

J. Richard Hackman, Cahners-Rabb Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology; Professor of Psychology. Behavior, performance and effectiveness of teams in work organizations, social influences on individual behavior in organizations, and design and leadership of self-managing organizational units.

Rakesh Khurana, Associate Professor of Business Administration. CEO labor market, search, and succession.

Jay W. Lorsch, Louis E. Kirstein Professor of Human Relations. Changing practices and behavior in American boardrooms.

Christopher Marquis, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, economic sociology, and networks.

Kathleen L. McGinn, Cahners-Rabb Professor of Business Administration. Impact of interpersonal relationships on decisions, conflict, and resource allocation.

Wendy Berry Mendes, Assistant Professor of Psychology. Stigma and its psychological and physiological consequences, and effects of stress on emotional and cognitive functioning.

Nitin Nohria, Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration. Leadership, corporate accountability, and organizational change.

Orlando Patterson, John Cowles Professor of Sociology. Sociology of economic development with special reference to Caribbean, historical sociology of slavery and freedom, sociology of slavery, Caribbean and Afro-American culture and social structure, and ethnicity from critical and social-philosophical perspective.

Leslie A. Perlow, Professor of Business Administration. Interaction during work and implications on organizational productivity, individual careers, and family life.

Mikolaj Piskorski, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Sources of structural inequality between actors in market settings.

Jeffrey Polzer, Professor of Business Administration. Effect of group affiliations on individuals’ decisions, perceptions, and social interactions.

David A. Thomas, Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration. Mentoring, executive development, and managing a diverse workforce.

Michael Tushman, Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration. Relations among technological change, senior executive teams, and organizational evolution.

Noam Wasserman, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Founder frustrations and venture capitalists as entrepreneurs.

Daniel Wegner, Professor of Psychology. Role of thought in self-control and social life.

Christopher Winship, Diker-Tishman Professor of Sociology. Analysis of quantitative data, changes in social and economic status of African-Americans, transition to adulthood, and family formation process.