Rachel Arnett, PhD
Assistant Professor, The Wharton School
​Rachel Arnett is an Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is in the Organizational Behavior subgroup of the Management Department.
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Rachel studies explores how to bridge identity divides and cultivate inclusion. Her research helps people and organizations turn identity-related differences into opportunities for connection, inclusion, and growth. She collaborates with organizations through field experiments, surveys, and qualitative research to provide actionable insights for more inclusive workplaces.
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Rachel was designated a Claude Marion Endowed Faculty Scholar from 2023–2025. A passionate educator, Rachel teaches negotiations at Wharton and is a four-time recipient of the Wharton Teaching Excellence Award and was named among Poets & Quants' Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors in 2022. Rachel completed her doctoral studies in Organizational Behavior at Harvard University, following a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and experience in working in brand strategy.​
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Research
Rachel’s research focuses on two central challenges. First, she examines how employees navigate social identity differences in workplace interactions, including decisions about whether to express or suppress identity-based differences. Second, she studies how organizations and individuals can overcome barriers to inclusion, such as mixed messages about whether differences are truly valued and concerns about the risks of speaking up. Together, these streams of research shed light on why navigating identity and difference is so challenging, as well as what people and organizations can do to foster connection, inclusion, and growth. See her Research page to learn more.
Bridging
Identity Differences
Building Bridges
to Inclusion
Publications
"A curation approach to identity management: The costs of combining identity expression and suppression."
Administrative Science Quarterly.
"Uniting through difference: Rich cultural-identity expression as a conduit to inclusion."
Organization Science
"Sacrificing status for social harmony: Concealing relatively high status identities from one’s peers."
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
"Not Such a Complainer Anymore: Bias Confrontation that Signals a Growth Mindset Can Undercut Backlash."
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Education
Harvard University / Harvard Business School
Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior
Harvard University
Master of Arts
University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Arts
Awards and Grants
Runner Up for Outstanding Publication in OB Award, Academy of Management OB Division
2024
Claude Marion Endowed Faculty Scholar
2023-2025
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Poets & Quants Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors 2022
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Wharton School Teaching Award
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
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Wharton Dean’s Fund
2019, 2020, 2022, 2026
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Wharton-INSEAD Alliance Research Award
2018
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Most Innovative Student Paper Award, Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Division
2015