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Michelle Lee

Assistant Professor
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Overview

Michelle K. Lee is an Assistant Professor of Strategy and Organizations at the Smith School of Business, Queen's University. Her research covers social class, strategic leadership, shareholder activism, and corporate social responsibility.

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Academic Area

  • Strategy and Organizations

Interest Topics

Faculty Details

Profile

Full Bio

Professor Lee’s current research focuses on how the social class background of executives influences their careers including selection into the chief executive position and the class pay gap. Her research has been published in the Academy of Management Journal and has been covered by the Wall Street Journal. She is the winner of the 2022 Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Outstanding Dissertation Award.

Professor Lee teaches Business and Corporate Strategy at the undergraduate level. She previously taught Strategic Management at the University of Washington and received the Excellence in Teaching Award multiple times.

Professor Lee received her PhD from the University of Washington and her bachelor's degree from Binghamton University, where she graduated with President's Honors from the PwC and Binghamton Scholars Programs. Prior to academia, she worked for Deloitte and Mazars in New York City.

Academic Degrees

PhD in Strategic Management
University of Washington, Foster School of Business (2021)

Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Binghamton University, State University of New York (2009)

Academic Experience

Smith School of Business, Queen's University
Assistant Professor of Strategy and Organizations (2021 - Present)

Publications

Academic Journals

Lee, M., Gupta, A., and Hambrick, D. The Distinct Effects of Wealth- and CSR-oriented Shareholder Unrest on CEO Career Outcomes: A New Lens on Settling Up and Executive Job Demands. Forthcoming at Academy of Management Journal.

• Media coverage by Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/ceo-social-political-issues11624307505

Lee, M., Kish-Gephart, J., Mizruchi, M., Palmer, D., and Useem, M. Social Class in Organizations: Entrance, Promotion, and Organizational and Societal Consequences of the Managerial Elite. Forthcoming at Journal of Management Inquiry. *Equal Authorship

 

Teaching

Teaching Experience

COMM 401: Business and Corporate Strategy

Smith School of Business, Commerce Program

  • Winter 2022 (5.6/7.0), Fall 2022 (6.3/7.0), Fall 2023 (5.7/7.0)

MGMT 805: Contemporary Organization Theory & Nonmarket Strategy

Smith School of Business, PhD Program

  • Fall 2022 (7.0/7.0)

MGMT 430: Strategic Management 

Foster School of Business, University of Washington

  • Spring 2021*Virtual (4.8/5.0), Winter 2019 (4.8/5.0), Winter 2018 (4.6/5.0). Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient

Consortia and Workshops

  • OMT Doctoral Consortium (August 2020). Virtual conference.
  • STR Doctoral Consortium (August 2019). Boston, MA.
  • SMS Las Vegas Early Career Workshop (March 2019). Las Vegas, NV.
  • Doctoral Consortium. West Coast Research Symposium 16th Annual Conference (September 2018). Seattle, WA.
  • OMT Dissertation Proposal Workshop (August 2018). Chicago, IL.
  • 10th Annual Medici Summer School in Management Studies (June 2018). Bologna, Italy.
  • Strategic Management Society 14th Annual Doctoral Workshop (October 2017). Houston, TX.
  • Research Frontiers in Nonmarket Strategy. Academy of Management (August 2017). Atlanta, GA.
  • Doctoral Consortium. West Coast Research Symposium 14th Annual Conference (September 2016). Seattle, WA.
  • Social Movements, Stakeholders, and Non-Market Strategy PDW. Academy of Management (August 2016). Anaheim, CA.
  • Intro to Social Network Analysis PDW. Academy of Management (August 2016). Anaheim, CA.

Research

Research in Progress

Lee, M. and Gupta, A. Privilege and Prejudice: Shareholder primacy and the relevance of social class backgrounds for CEO contenders’ selection prospects. Under review at Academy of Management Journal.

Gupta, A., Lee, M., and Hambrick, D. Explaining rises and falls in women’s representation on top management teams: A theory of recent firm performance as (in)validation of a TMT’s current gender profile. Revising for submission to Strategic Management Journal.

Lee, M. and Gai, S. Shifting standards due to social class? The role of social class background in the relationship between performance and CEO career outcomes. Revise & resubmit at Strategic Management Journal.

Gupta, A., Wowak, A., and Lee, M. A wake-up call? Shareholder unrest, CEO imprinting, and corporate social responsibility. Revise & resubmit at Academy of Management Journal.

Lee, M. and Sirmon, David G. How CEOs pass the baton. Data analysis.

Lee, M. and Boeker, W. Status and evaluation in online communities: Deviation and Conformity among Newly-Elite Evaluators. Updating analysis and rewriting.

Research Interests

Social Class, Corporate Elites, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility

Presentations

Conferences and Invited Presentations (Peer Reviewed)

“Emerging Insights on Social Class at Micro and Macro Levels”. Academy of Management (AOM) 84th Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. Symposium presenter. Sponsored by OMT division. August 2024. 

“Social Class in Organizations: Bridging Macro and Micro Perspectives” with Andrea Dittmann, Jean Oh, and Shawn Quan. Academy of Management (AOM) 83rd Annual Meeting. Boston, MA. Professional Development Workshop (PDW) Organizer. Sponsored by DEI, OB, OMT, STR, ENT, SIM divisions. August 2023.

“Women in Charge: Momentum Validation Theory as Explanation for Interfirm Variance in Women’s Advances into Elite Executive Positions”. INSEAD Behavioural Perspectives on Corporate Governance Conference. Château Saint Just, France. June 2023.

“Women in Charge: Momentum Validation Theory as Explanation for Interfirm Variance in Women’s Advances into Elite Executive Positions”. HEC Paris Society & Organizations Institute Research Day 8th Edition. Paris, France. June 2023.

“Class Advantage? How Social Class Background affects CEO Selection”. Academy of Management (AOM) 82nd Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA. Paper presenter. August 2022.

“The Rise of Stakeholder Governance and Diversity, and Consequences on Executive and Board Careers”. Academy of Management (AOM) 82nd Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA. Presenter symposium organizer and presenter. Hybrid Conference. Sponsored by OMT, STR, GDO divisions. August 2022.

“Executive Imprinting of Shareholder Unrest and Firms’ CSR Engagement”. Academy of Management (AOM) 82nd Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA. Symposium presenter. Hybrid Conference. Sponsored by OMT division. August 2022.

“The Research and Realities of Asians/Asian Americans in Academia, Business, and Society” with Shelby Gai, Anna Fung, Jessica Paek, and Keimei Sugiyama. Academy of Management (AOM) 83rd Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA.

Professional Development Workshop (PDW) Organizer. Sponsored by SIM, GDO, OB, STR divisions. August 2022.

“Social Class in Organizations: Entrance, Promotion, and Organizational and Societal Consequences of the

Managerial Elite” with Jennifer Kish-Gephart, Mark Mizruchi, Donald Palmer, and Michael Useem. Academy of Management (AOM) 80th Annual Meeting. Panel symposium organizer and moderator. Virtual Conference. Sponsored by OMT, STR, SIM divisions. August 2020.

“Shareholder Unrest and Its Influence on CEO Career Outcomes” with Abhinav Gupta and Donald Hambrick.

  • Strategic Management Society (SMS) 40th Annual Conference. Virtual Conference. October 2020.
  • Academy of Management (AOM) 80th Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference. August 2020.
  • TCU Corporate Governance Doctoral Consortium, Fort Worth, TX.

“Status and Evaluation in Online Communities: Deviation and Conformity among Newly-Elite Evaluators” with Warren Boeker. 

  • Strategic Management Society (SMS) 37th Annual Conference. Houston, TX. October 2017.
  • Academy of Management (AOM) 77th Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA. August 2017.

Awards

Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Outstanding Dissertation Award, Center for Leadership at FIU, 2022

D.I. McLeod Award, Smith School of Business, 2022-2023

SMS Best PhD Paper Nomination, Strategic Management Society Annual Conference in London, 2020

Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Washington, 2018-2021

SMS Best Paper Nomination, Strategic Management Society Annual Conference in Houston, 2017

SMS Doctoral Scholarship, Strategic Management Society Annual Conference in Houston, 2017

Outstanding Performance Award (top performer award), Deloitte Tax LLP, 2014-2015

Binghamton Scholars Program & PwC Scholar, 2005-2009

Service

Professional Memberships

  • Academy of Management                                
  • Strategic Management Society

Service Activities

  • Reviewer: Organization Science (2021-present), Human Relations (2022), AOM Annual Meeting OMT, STR, and TIM divisions (2018-present), SMS Annual Meeting (2023-present)
  • Asian Americans in Business Academia Organizing Committee (2021-present)

 

Professional Certifications

Certified Public Accountant, New York State (2011)