9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ

Elena Obukhova

Title: 
Associate Professor
Elena Obukhova
Contact Information
Email address: 
elena.obukhova [at] mcgill.ca
Alternate email address: 
nicoleta.anton [at] mcgill.ca
Address: 

Bronfman Building [Map]
1001 rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Montreal, Quebec
Canada
H3A 1G5

Degree(s): 

PhD, Sociology, University of Chicago, USA
MSc, Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, Northwestern University, USA
BA, Anthropology, University of Florida, USA

Area(s): 
Strategy & Organization
Office: 
483
Biography: 

Elena Obukhova is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Organization at the Desautels Faculty of Management, 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ. A scholar in organizational studies, her research explores the mechanisms that contribute to inequality in hiring, with a particular focus on networking and referrals. Dr. Obukhova aims to provide science-based insights and practical tools to help organizations design policies and practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Her work has been published in leading journals in Management and Sociology, including Management Science, Journal of International Business Studies, American Journal of Sociology, and Social Forces. Dr. Obukhova’s research received recognition from prestigious academic bodies, including the Careers Division of the Academy of Management, the Culture Section of the American Sociological Association, and the Gender and Diversity Division of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada. Her research insights have also been featured in outlets such as Forbes, Huffington Post, Academy of Management Insights, and Canadian HR Reporter.

Dr. Obukhova is a recipient of numerous competitive grants and fellowships, including Insight Development Grants from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education, and two Fellowships from the Social Science Research Council. She was also invited to serve on the SSHRC Insight Development Grant Adjudication Committee and onÌýthe editorial board of Organization Science.

In addition to her research, Dr. Obukhova is passionate about teaching. She has taught courses in International Business across a variety of programs, including BCom, MBA, PhD, EMBA, and Executive Education. She is currently the Co-Director of the "Global Mindsets" module in the 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ-HEC EMBA program. Her innovative teaching methods, including the NAFTA & Fake News module, have been featured in several 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Teaching and Learning Services' online resources.

Originally from Russia, Dr. Obukhova is professionally fluent in Mandarin and has been conducting research in China since 1995. Prior to joining 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ, she was a faculty member at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Curriculum vitae: 
Group: 
Faculty
Tenured & Tenure Track
Research areas: 
Economic Sociology
Future of Work
Labour Force & Labour Market
Organizational Theory
Social Networks
Women as Global Leaders & Managers
Selected publications: 

2024Ìý Obukhova, E. and F. Tian. Referral bonuses in global talent acquisition: The role of social networks in China and the US.ÌýÌýJournal of International Business Studies,Ìý55: 864-879.

2022Ìý Obukhova, E. and A. M. Kleinbaum. ÌýScouting and Schmoozing: A Gender Difference in Networking during Job Search.Ìý Academy of Management Discoveries, 8(2): 203-223.

2022 Ìý Obukhova, E. and B. Rubineau. Market Transition and Network-Based Job Matching in China: The Referrer Perspective. Industrial Labor Relations Review,Ìý75(1): 200-224.

2017ÌýÌý Obukhova, E. and L. Zhang*.Ìý Social Capital and Job Search in Urban China: The Strength-of-Strong-Ties Hypothesis Revisited.Ìý Chinese Sociological Review,Ìý49(4): 340-361.

2016 ÌýÌýZhang*, J.,ÌýE. Zuckerman and E.ÌýObukhova,ÌýA Lack of Security or of Cultural Capital?ÌýAcculturative Conservatism in the Naming Choices of Early 20th-Century U.S. Jews. ÌýSocial Forces,Ìý94(4): 1509-1538.Ìý

2014 Ìý Obukhova, E., E. Zuckerman and J. Zhang*. When Politics Froze Fashion: The Effect of the Cultural Revolution on Naming in Beijing.Ìý American Journal of Sociology,Ìý120(2): 555-583.

2013 Ìý Obukhova, E. and G. Lan*.Ìý Do Job-Seekers Benefit from Contacts? A Direct Test with Contemporaneous Searches.Ìý Management Science,Ìý59(10): 2204-2216.

2012 Ìý Obukhova, E. Motivation vs. Relevance: Using Strong Ties to Find a Job in China. Social Science Research,Ìý41(3): 470-480.

* co-author is a student at the beginning of the projectÌý

2011Ìý Culture and Economics: On Values, Economics and International Business, by Eelke De Jong. Routledge, 2009.Ìý Reviewed for Administrative Science Quarterly, 56(2): 310-311.

2006Ìý The Making of the State Enterprise System in Modern China: The Dynamics of Institutional Change, by Morris L. Bian.Ìý Harvard University Press, 2005.Ìý Reviewed for American Journal of Sociology, 112 (2): Ìý629–631.

2005Ìý Obukhova, E. Redefining State Embeddedness for the Global Economy: The Rise of China’s Silicon Valley.Ìý Proceedings of 2005 Chinese Economists Society International Conference on Sustainable Economic Growth in China.Ìý Volume I-B, p. 3-8.Ìý

2004Ìý Red Capitalists in China: The Party, Private Entrepreneurs, and Prospects for Political Change, by Bruce J. Dickson.Ìý Cambridge University Press, 2003.Ìý Reviewed for Economic Development and Cultural Change, 52 (4): 901-903.

2002Ìý Obukhova, E. and J. Guyer.Ìý Transcending the Formal/Informal Distinction: Commercial Relations in Africa and Russia in the Post-1989 World.Ìý In Theory in Economic Anthropology, J. Ensminger, ed.Ìý Alta Mira Press: Walnut Creek, CA.

2002Ìý Obukhova, E. Living and Trusting in the Economy of Debt: The Distribution of Newspapers and Magazines in Ibadan.Ìý In Money Struggles and City Life: Devaluation In Ibadan and Other Urban Centers in Southern Nigeria, 1986-96, J. Guyer, L. Denzer, and A. Agbaje, eds. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH. Ìý

Awards, honours, and fellowships: 

Awards

Honorable Mention Award, Gender and Diversity Division, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada

Li Ka Shing Faculty Exchange Award, Desautels Faculty of Management, 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ

Honorable Mention for Clifford Geertz Prize for Best Article, Culture Section, American Sociological Association

Finalist for Best Overall Paper Award of the Careers Division, Academy of Management

Fellowships

Corporation as a Social Institution Program Dissertation Fellowship, Social Science Research Council

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Abroad Fellowship, US Department of Education

Markovitz Dissertation Writing Fellowship, University of Chicago

Pre-dissertation Fellowship, Social Science Research Council

Blakemore Foundation Fellowship for Study of East Asian Languages

Ìý

Ìý

Grants

Insight Development Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (PI), Canada, 2023

Insight Development Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (PI), Canada, 2021

Insight Development Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (PI), Canada, 2018

Social Sciences and Humanities Development Grant, 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ

Interviews: 

Projects: 

Obukhova, E., and S.E. Koppman. Who gets a referral in Big Tech (working paper).

H. Bui*, E. Obukhova and D. Demetry. Authenticity and strategic change during COVID-19 Pandemic (working paper).

Obukhova, E., B. Bond. The effect of bonuses on pro-social motivations in referring (data analysis stage).

Ramesh, J.*, E. Obukhova and S.E. Koppman. Gender, networks and belonging in Big Tech (data analysis).

* co-author is a student at the beginning of the project

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