PhD Oral Exam - Elizabeth Eley, Business Administration

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

Stigma is pervasive in organizations. It refers to a “mark” of lower status that discredits an individual. Stigma comes in many forms and impacts well-being and work opportunities. However, stigma is less a fixed attribute and more a social judgment that emerges in specific relationships and contexts. This dissertation adopts this relational view of stigma, examining whether and under what conditions evaluators will support, hire, or exclude stigmatized others. In manuscript 1, I investigate how parental disclosures shape hiring evaluations. Drawing on role congruity theory, I hypothesize that disclosures signaling incongruence with gendered work and home norms interact to influence hiring outcomes. Through a lab experiment with working professionals (N = 360), I found that parental disclosures did not disadvantage applicants, and predicted interactions largely were not found. Penalties arose primarily from violations to gendered work norms. In manuscript 2, I examine how the depth of health disclosure shapes supervisor support for employees with disabilities. I hypothesize curvilinear relationships between disclosure depth and emotional, instrumental, and career supports, moderated by disability stigma and job flexibility. Through a three-wave field study (N = 298), disclosure depth was a consistently positive predictor of support resources, but the predicted curvilinear effects and predicted moderations largely were not found. In manuscript 3, I develop a theoretical framework centering on evaluators’ desired social distance from stigmatized others. I build a typology of six evaluator orientations that explains why inclusion is often endorsed abstractly yet resisted when close collaboration is required. This research illuminates the relational and dynamic nature of stigma in organizations, and advances theory on stigma and disclosure in the workplace. It offers practical implications for developing organizational practices that can expand opportunities and build supportive relationships for employees with stigmatized identities.