Welcome!

Thanks for visiting my website. I’m a PhD candidate in Management & Organizations at NYU Stern School of Business. I study how social dynamics in organizations make workers feel more included, connected, and find meaning at work. My research focuses on domains that are often overlooked or undervalued, such as play, relationships, and moral justifications for inequality, to understand how rehumanizing these aspects of work can foster more equitable and flourishing organizations.

My first line of research examines how play, which is often dismissed as frivolous, can build stronger teams and support employee well-being. I show that play can enhance psychological safety, team cohesion, and a sense of belonging at work.

My second stream takes a psychological lens to interpret the formation, maintenance, leverage, and dissolution of networks. I examine why people struggle to maintain ties; what holds them back from asking for help or making referrals; how our mindsets influence our professional networking experiences; and how ghosting shape help exchange. These projects reveal the hidden costs of inaction and the cognitive and emotional labor involved in staying connected in our professional and personal lives.

My third stream explores how people use moral meaning systems to justify inequality. I study how people challenge unequal status hierarchies by targeting either rankings (who is on top) or bases (what makes someone worthy of status). In related work, I examine how religious beliefs such as grace (unmerited favor) are used to justify advantage in life outcomes, and how leaders’ use of religious (vs. civic) appeals to reduce partisan animosity can sometimes backfire. I also study how religion and race intersect to shape trust in organizations and institutions.

My work has been featured in outlets such as Psychology Today, Psypost, Nautilus Magazine, Coping with Ghosting, Worklife with Adam Grant, INSEAD Knowledge, Jonathan Haidt's After Babel, Briefings Magazine. 

To get in touch, please email me at yejin (dot) park (at) stern (dot) nyu (dot) edu.