Hi and welcome!

I am a doctoral student in Strategic Management at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, a PhD Fellow at the Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE), and a 2024-25 Schwartz Reisman Institute of Technology and Society (SRI) graduate fellow.

I hold a MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, USA, and a BSc in Business Administration with Specialization in Banking and Finance from Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. Prior to joining the Ph.D. Program, I was a Research Associate at Harvard Business School.

As an organizational scholar, I focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms of gender disparities in professional contexts, as well as identifying interventions that can mitigate them. In my first stream of work, I investigate the impact of workplace climate on gender representation in organizations and organizational outcomes – and how hybrid and teamwork shape these outcomes. This body of work directly informs key aspects of the future of work, particularly as hybrid and remote work models and teamwork become more prevalent. First, I show that hybrid and remote work arrangements shape the tolerance of workplace hostility. As more organizations adopt more flexible forms of work arrangements, understanding these dynamics is essential for creating inclusive and productive workplaces in the future. Second, technological advancements have facilitated the shift towards remote and hybrid work. My work examines the human and social implications of these technological shifts, offering insight into how technology might shape the future of work environments. Third, my ongoing experimental work on hostility and productivity provides insights into how interpersonal dynamics affect team performance. As teamwork remains a cornerstone (and becomes more prevalent) in many industries, understanding these effects is vital for understanding the factors driving organizational effectiveness in the future.

A second set of papers unpacks the impact of gender beliefs and norms on individuals’ self-ability assessments, application behavior, and scientific contributions. This set of papers addresses women’s underrepresentation in challenging but highly rewarding positions by examining underlying mechanisms of gender disparities. The findings reveal how stereotypes, social norms, and the status-quo information environment shape and reinforce gender imbalances in professional settings and offer an empirically validated and practical solution to improve gender diversity in applicant pools. This work aligns with my broader agenda of investigating how social factors influence selection processes and perpetuate gender gaps across organizational contexts.

I use experimental (lab and field) methods and econometric approaches leveraging observational and historical data to address these questions.

My research has appeared in Management Science and the Journal of the European Economic Association. It has been recognized by the Academy of Management and the ZEW Conference With and Within Organizations. It has also received funding from several grant institutes, including SSHRC (the Canadian equivalent of the NSF), the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, the Institute for Gender and the Economy, and the TD-Management and Data Analytics Lab. I presented my work at numerous reputable conferences across fields, including the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, the European Group for Organizational Studies, the People and Organizations Conference, Advances with Field Experiments, the Implications of Remote Work Conference, the SMS Strategies for Sustainable Human Development Conference, and the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Economics. I shared my work with practitioners and executives at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

I have a latent interest in education, technology, and entrepreneurship and innovation.

I’d be happy to be in touch. You can reach me at manuela (dot) collis (at) rotman (dot) utoronto (dot) ca