Kendall Yamamoto

Bio

Kendall Yamamoto is an Organizational Behavior researcher and Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.

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Kendall’s research examines how differences in identity, status, and social positions shape collaboration in organizations. She focuses on how people interpret these differences and how those interpretations influence engagement with collective work. Because difference is inevitable in organizational life, it can be both a source of challenge and a source of value. Her work investigates the organizational norms and tools that help people experience difference as beneficial, fostering inclusion and creativity rather than avoidance. Her methods span inductive qualitative research, lab experiments, and field experiments and interventions conducted in collaboration with organizations.

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Her dissertation won the Academy of Management HR Division Best Dissertation Proposal Award, and her work has been published in the Academy of Management Journal. Kendall holds a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington. Before graduate school, she worked in leadership development consulting.

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She welcomes collaborations with organizations seeking to better understand and address challenges related to collaboration, inclusion, and organizational effectiveness. Please reach out to discuss potential opportunities.