Perry, Elissa L. (ep248)

Perry, Elissa L.

Professor of Psychology and Education

Office Location:

226C Thompson

Office Hours:

Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 4:45-5:45pm and by appointment

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
  • M.S., Carnegie Mellon University
  • B.S., Trinity College 

Scholarly Interests

  • The role of demographic characteristics (e.g., age, generational membership, sex, race, disability) in human resource decision making, organizational behavior, and organizational outcomes
  • The application of evidence-based approaches (training, leadership development) and systemic thinking to the practice of diversity management and the creation of inclusive workplaces

Selected Publications

Kulik, C.T., & Perry, E.L.  (2023).  Human Resources for the Non-HR Manager, Second edition.  Taylor & Francis. (https://www.routledge.com/Human-Resources-for-the-Non-HR-Manager/Kulik-Perry/p/book/9781848724914#)

Perry, E.L. (2023).  The choice and evaluation of sexual harassment interventions in institutions of higher education.  Educational Policyhttps://doi.org/10.1177/08959048221142051

Perry, E.L., Kulik, C.T., Mendelsohn, D.B., & Shon, D.A. (2022).  Faculty gender diversity, institutional performance and the role of diversity climate.  Research in Higher Education, 62,1204-1236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09688-6

Perry, E.L., Block, C.J., & Noumair, D.A.  (2021).  Leading in: Inclusive leadership, inclusive climates and sexual harassment.  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 40(4), 430-447. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-04-2019-0120

Weiss, D., & Perry, E. L. (2020). Implications of generational and age metastereotypes for older adults at work: The role of agency, stereotype threat, and job search self-efficacy. Work, Aging and Retirement, 6(1), 15-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/waz010

Goldberg, C., Rawski, S., & Perry, E.L. (2019).  The direct and indirect effects of organizational tolerance for sexual harassment on the effectiveness of sexual harassment investigation training for HR managers.  Human Resource Development Quarterly, 30, 81-100. DOI:  10.1002/hrdq.21329

Perry, E.L., Hendricks, W., & Broadbent, E.  (2018, reprint).  An exploration of access and treatment discrimination and job satisfaction among college graduates with and without physical disabilities. In: Workplace experience of persons with disabilities, Virtual Special Issue, Human Relations.

Bainbridge, H., Perry, E.L., & Kulik, C.T.  (2018). Sexual harassment training: Explaining differences in Australian and U.S. approaches.  Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56, 124-147. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12169

Perry, E.L., Golom, F.D., Catenacci, L., Ingraham, M.E., Covais, E.M., & Molina, J.J.  (2016).  Talkin 'bout your generation: The impact of applicant age and generation on hiring-related perceptions and outcome.  Work, Aging and Retirement, 3(2), 186-199. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/waw029

Professor Perry received her B.S. in Psychology in 1987 from Trinity College, Hartford, CT. She received an M.S. in 1989 and a Ph.D. in 1991 in Organizational Psychology and Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. Professor Perry was an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois from 1991-1998 and a visiting fellow in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths College, London England in the spring of 1999.  In the fall of 2022, she was a Visiting Distinguished Thought Leader at the University of South Australia (10/10/22-10/21/22).  She teaches in the Masters, Ph.D. and executive management programs at Teachers College.  Professor Perry has also consulted to educational, nonprofit, and for profit agencies. 

Member, Academy of Management
Member, American Psychological Association
Member, Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology

Visiting Distinguished Thought Leader, University of South Australia (10/10/22-10/21/22). Presented:

Can we talk? A conversation on inclusive leadership. Industry discussion sponsored by  Centre for Workplace Excellence.

A research-practice approach. Food4Thought presentation sponsored by Centre for Workplace Excellence.                          

Leading for inclusion.  Insights Lecture sponsored by Centre for Workplace Excellence and UniSA Business.

Li, A., & Perry, E.L. (2020, April).  The Inclusive Leadership Questionnaire – Development of a Theory-Based Measure, Society of Industrial Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Austin, TX.

Perry, E.L. (2019, November).  Ignore age stereotypes to make age discrimination go away.  In Constanza, D.A. (Chair), We Reject Your ‘Reality’ and Substitute Our Own, Age in the Workplace Small Group Meeting, St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Perry, E.L., & Li, A.  (2019, August).  Leadership for inclusion “above” and “below” the line.  In K. P. Weeks, I. Metz, & S. Perrera (Chairs), Crossing the Line: Examining "Above" and "Below" the Line Diversity Activities in Organizations, Academy of Management Annual Conference, Boston, MA.

Perry, E.L., Block, C.J., & Noumair, D.A.  (2019, April).  Leading in: Inclusive leadership, inclusive climates and sexual harassment.  In T.K. Dinh, D.O. Gilmer, and M.S. Stockdale (Chairs), From #MeToo to What Now: Search for Solutions, Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Washington D.C.

226 C Thompson Hall

Inclusive Leadership

My workgroup has conducted research to better understand the causes and consequences of inclusive leadership.  Projects have explored antecedents to and outcomes of inclusive leadership, whether an inclusive leadership style is gendered, and the role that inclusive leadership might play in sexual harassment in the workplace. Other projects have focused on developing an evidence-based measure of inclusive leadership. A more recent focus is on better understanding what inclusive leaders "do" and developing these behaviors in leaders. 

HR for the Non-HR Manager (Instructional Resources)
A new edition of HR for the Non-HR Manager (Kulik & Perry) is currently in press.  Members of my workgroup are developing accompanying instructional resource materials that are based on sound pedagogical principles. The book provides an overview of human resource activities to managers who are not in HR (human resources) from the initial recruitment and selection of new employees, through compensation and performance appraisal decisions, and ultimately to unpleasant but sometimes necessary disciplinary and termination actions. 

The Research-Practice Gap

There is ample evidence for a research practice gap.  The gap refers to the fact that practitioners ignore or underutilize evidence-based research at work.  There are two reasons for this gap.  A knowing gap suggests that practitioners do not have access to or understand what academics know based on available research.  A doing gap suggests that practitioners are familiar with evidence-based best practices but are unwilling or unable to implement them.  My workgroup is focused on understanding how academics can help to close a doing based gap both through executive teaching but also through research. My workgroup will focus on a conceptual paper related to the role of executive teaching in the research-practice doing gap.  Additionally, the workgroup will consider new projects focused on how academics can help practitioners “do” evidence-based diversity management.  Projects are in the development stage.

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