About

Rachel Arnett is an Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in diversity, inclusion, workplace relationships, identity, race, gender, social class, and intergroup relations. She is a Claude Marion Endowed Faculty Scholar and was named by Poets & Quants in 2022 as one of the Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors. Her research investigates pathways to developing diversity, equity, and inclusion, focusing on how individuals navigate identity-based differences, confront bias and discrimination, engage in allyship, and leverage identities and role models to attain leadership success. She examines when, why, and how individuals express or conceal identity-based differences in interactions and the consequences for psychological, interpersonal, and professional outcomes. Additionally, her work explores how organizational DEI goals can be advanced by leveraging the benefits and mitigating the risks associated with diversity, emphasizing the importance of psychological safety. Using a combination of laboratory experiments, surveys, and qualitative data, she has partnered with organizations to conduct field experiments, employee surveys, and interviews to further DEI initiatives. Her academic background includes doctoral training at Harvard University’s Organizational Behavior program, and prior experience as a Research Assistant at New York University’s Social Psychology department and as a Senior Brand Strategist in the advertising industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Research topics

• Social psychology
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Aesthetics

Selected publications

• ResearchBox 6050, 'A curation approach to identity management', https://researchbox.org/6050

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-03-25

  otherOpen access

  Box title: 'A curation approach to identity management' Reference: Rachel Arnett; Serenity Lee; Patricia Hewlin, 'A Curation Approach to Identity Management: The Costs of Combining Identity Expression and Suppression', Administrative Science QuarterlyNote: this backup was created automatically by a ResearchBox bot

  PublisherDOI

• A Curation Approach to Identity Management: The Costs of Combining Identity Expression and Suppression

  Administrative Science Quarterly · 2026-04-12

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Many organizations want to increase diversity among their workforce, but employees from marginalized groups consistently face uncertainty about how to navigate their identities at work, which can lead to high turnover among these employees. To highlight the unexpected ways in which such risks can arise for employees and organizations, we investigate the intrapersonal consequences of a curation approach to navigating social identities in the workplace. Curation involves frequent identity expression (integrating an identity into the workplace, such as discussing identity-based traditions) and frequent identity suppression (concealing aspects of an identity at work, such as hiding concerns about discrimination). Given that expression and suppression both have benefits and risks, combining these behaviors into a curation approach could be seen as a socially adept and professionally beneficial solution. However, focusing on the intrapersonal experiences of employees of color, we argue that, compared to primarily expressing or primarily suppressing a minority identity, curation is more psychologically detrimental to these employees. Combining expression and suppression fosters ambivalence—conflicting thoughts about whether one’s identity is a resource or a liability—which is psychologically aversive. In two surveys and an internal meta-analysis (of the two studies in the manuscript and a supplemental study reported in supplementary online materials), curation was associated with greater ambivalence and psychological strain, which, in turn, were associated with greater turnover intentions. While our core findings emerge with employees of color, we also provide exploratory evidence that the costs of curation extend to women. Our findings regarding curation reveal a previously unrecognized well-being risk for employees from marginalized groups and a retention risk for organizations. We offer recommendations for future research and practice to address the conditions that lead employees to engage in curation.

  PublisherDOI

• ResearchBox 6050, 'A curation approach to identity management', https://researchbox.org/6050

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-03-25

  otherOpen access

  Box title: 'A curation approach to identity management' Reference: Rachel Arnett; Serenity Lee; Patricia Hewlin, 'A Curation Approach to Identity Management: The Costs of Combining Identity Expression and Suppression', Administrative Science QuarterlyNote: this backup was created automatically by a ResearchBox bot

  PublisherDOI

• ResearchBox 2329, 'Curation', https://researchbox.org/2329

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025-12-20

  otherOpen access

  Box title: 'Curation' Reference: Note: this backup was created automatically by a ResearchBox bot

  PublisherDOI

• A Curation Approach to Minority Identity:The Costs of Balancing Identity Manifestation & Suppression

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Organizations struggle to retain employees of color. Prior research reveals that identity suppression (concealing an identity due to concerns with stereotypes) is a source of this leaky pipeline because it undermines wellbeing, whereas identity manifestation (incorporating an identity, often to leverage it as a resource) enhances wellbeing and retention. However, we highlight a largely overlooked possibility: that some employees engage in high levels of both manifestation and suppression – referred to as a curation approach. We propose that although curation includes manifestation, which is typically beneficial, curation is actually more detrimental than primarily focusing on manifestation or even primarily focusing on suppression. We argue that manifestation, when combined with suppression, switches from being helpful to being harmful because it contributes to ambivalence: opposing thoughts about whether one’s identity is a resource or liability. This ambivalence leads individuals with a curation approach to experience heightened psychological strain, which in turn contributes to turnover intentions. Two surveys and an internal meta-analysis support these predictions. Our findings regarding curation reveal a previously unrecognized wellbeing risk for employees of color and retention risk for organizations.

  PublisherDOI

• ResearchBox 2329, 'Curation', https://researchbox.org/2329

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2025-12-20

  otherOpen access

  Box title: 'Curation' Reference: Note: this backup was created automatically by a ResearchBox bot

  PublisherDOI

• Hindered Help: Barriers to Giving Social Support in Relationships and Organizations

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  articleSenior author

  From advice to DEI advocacy, individuals and organizations thrive when they receive effective social support from others. Yet, giving effective support is often hindered by diverse psychological barriers. From whom do people seek support? What kinds of support do people give? And how? This symposium presents the latest research on the nature and consequences of barriers to social support provision. Our papers offer critical insights into how people think of their ability to give support in diverse contexts. Our papers also provide novel strategies to foster more inclusive relationships and work environments. Experiential Authority: Why People Seek Advice From Those With Direct Experience Author: Rachel Lise Ruttan; University of Toronto Author: Daniel J. Chiacchia; University of Toronto Author: George Newman; University of Toronto It’s Not My Business: Perceived Responsibility in Supporting Friends’ Goal Pursuits Author: Yena Kim; University of Chicago Author: Fan Yang; University of Chicago Author: Emma Levine; Advising Across Identity-Relevant Trade-Offs Author: Ibitayo Fadayomi; Author: Erika Kirgios; Author: Emma Levine; It’s Easy to Learn, Save Money, and Workout: When Framing Tasks As Easy Can Backfire Author: Samuel Skowronek; University of California Los Angeles Author: Rebecca Schaumberg; University of Pennsylvania Diversity Error Risk: When Perceptions of Risk Deter Versus Enhance DEI Advocacy Author: Rachel D Arnett; Wharton School Author: Jared Scruggs; Author: Katherine Chen;

  PublisherDOI

• Paradoxes and Surprises Surrounding Motivation and Work Orientations

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2025-07-01

  article

  This symposium aims to advance the literature on work motivation and work orientations by showcasing cutting-edge scholarly research that examines the social and dynamic dimensions of these interconnected constructs. Specifically, it addresses two key questions: How do different types of motivation and work orientations influence social judgments within organizations? And how do the fluid and simultaneous nature of these constructs shape both social judgments and employee behaviors? Three presenters explore the first question by demonstrating (a) how managers penalize intrinsically motivated employees for setting boundaries, (b) how employers undervalue prosocially motivated employees in social impact contexts, and (c) how supervisors’ extrinsic motivation displays foster engagement among narcissistic employees. Next, the other two presenters address the second question by investigating (a) how people reassess the meaningfulness of others’ work when it becomes associated with moral taint, and (b) how hybrid orientations, such as a combination of calling and career orientations, challenge traditional single- orientation models and impact workforce strategies. The symposium concludes with a discussion highlighting opportunities for future research and engaging the audience in exploring these findings’ theoretical and practical implications. Managers respond negatively when employees with high intrinsic motivation decline additional work Author: Sangah Bae; Cornell University Not it in for money: How employers penalize prosocial motivation signals in social impact contexts Author: Katherine Chen; Author: Rachel D Arnett; Wharton School Author: Amy Wrzesniewski; University of Pennsylvania Role of supervisors’ extrinsic motivation display in enhancing narcissistic employees’ work outcomes Author: Mijeong Kwon; Rice University Author: Katherine Kay Bae; Shadows of an immoral maker: Reinterpreting the meaningfulness of others’ work following moral taint Author: Laura Sonday; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill An examination of the phenomenon of multiple work orientations among teachers Author: Hayuta Yinon; Oranim Academic College of Education

  PublisherDOI

• Flawless Fronts: Exploring Impression Management of Marginalized Identities and Contextual Influence

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article

  As organizational research begins to catch up with the largely theoretical framework around the experience and effects of diversity at work, we propose a symposium that focuses on managing marginalization at work through the issues surrounding impression management. The purpose of this symposium is to explore the impact of social and contextual factors on interpersonal impression management choices and outcomes. Specifically, the presentations in this symposium investigate how organizational factors and individuals’ experiences with identity-related issues influence their (a) self-perceptions, (b) image concerns, and (c) self-expression choices. By integrating literature on marginalized identities, impression management, and authenticity, we aim to generate discussions around how employees navigate their identities in complex workplace dynamics, how managers can be allies against stereotyping processes, and how organizations can develop future work environments that promote individuals’ sense of self and well-being. Voices in my Head: How Women of Color Manage their Constellations of Intersecting Identities Author: Alexis Nicole Smith; Oklahoma State U. Author: Chi Nguyen; Oklahoma State U. Author: Marla Baskerville Watkins; Northeastern U. Undoing Discrimination at Intersectional Identities: Gender Quotas and Marginalized Women Directors Author: Priyanka Dwivedi; Texas A&M U., Mays Business School Author: Yashodhara Basuthakur; Texas A&M U., Mays Business School Author: Cynthia E. Devers; Virginia Tech A Latent Profile Analysis of Social Class Management Strategies Among Junior Professionals Author: Hyejin Yu; NEOMA Business School Author: Alexis Nicole Smith; Oklahoma State U. Author: Songqi Liu; National Science Foundation How Scanning One's Workplace Environment Influences The Identity Management Process Author: John Lynch; U. of Illinois at Chicago Author: Alexander Lyle Effinger; U. of Illinois Chicago Author: Jingyu Zhang; U. of Florida Workplace Advice to

  PublisherDOI

• Disclosing Low-Status Identities at Work: Towards a More Nuanced Understanding of Costs and Benefits

  Academy of Management Proceedings · 2024-07-09

  article

  As the study of identity management continues to evolve, scholars have begun to transition from focusing on identity signaling to identity disclosure at work (Arnett, 2023; Kang et al., 2016; Kirgios et al., 2022; Milkman et al., 2015). As a nascent area of study, scholars within the realm of explicit identity disclosure have thus far focused on when and why disclosers receive support in response to their low-status identity disclosure (Arnett, 2023; Kirgios et al., 2022). In this symposium, we extend theory and research in this area by exploring the full cycle of low-status identity disclosure and integrating both intrapersonal and interpersonal perspectives. Across our five empirical papers, we examine a new framework for identity management, consider the expectations individuals have of others’ identity management, and investigate when low-status identity disclosures can backfire. Last, our expert discussant, Steve Blader—leading scholar in status and social identity—will guide a discussion at the end of the session on the symposium themes and engage the audience in questions about the current research and directions for future work. A Two-Dimensional Framework of Minority Racial-Identity Management Author: Rachel Arnett; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Author: Serenity Lee; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Author: Keana Richards; U. of Pennsylvania Author: Patricia Faison Hewlin; Columbia U. - Teachers College Expectations Surrounding Interracial Self-Presentation in Social and Work Settings Author: Cydney Dupree; UCL School of Management Author: Joselle Carrillo; UCL School of Management Author: Brittany Torrez; Yale U. Weakness Revealed, Help Concealed? Exploring the Paradox of Weakness Disclosures in the Workplace Author: Yuxin Lin; U. of Arizona Author: Sarah Doyle; U. of Arizona Not for Me: People are Less Willing to Help Asians who Explicitly State Their Identity Author: Danqiao Cheng; UCLA Anderson School of Management Author: Joyce He; U. of California, Los Angeles Disclosing Low-Status Identities Within Hierarchies : Fueling Responder Status Anxiety & Competition Author: Zoe Schwingel-Sauer; Ross School of Business, U. of Michigan Author: Lindred L. Greer; U. of Michigan, Ross School of Business

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Serenity Lee

  William P. Wharton Trust

  6 shared

• Jessica R. Methot

  New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations

  6 shared

• Alondrea Michelle Hubbard

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  3 shared

• Jim Sidanius

  Harvard University

  3 shared

• Lumumba Seegars

  2 shared

• Xanni Brown

  Yale University

  2 shared

• Sonya Mishra

  Dartmouth College

  2 shared

• Aneeta Rattan

  London Business School

  2 shared

Awards & honors

• Claude Marion Faculty Scholar, 2023-2024
• Poets & Quants Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors, 2022
• Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2021
• Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2020
• Wharton Teaching Excellence Award, 2019