A Banner Year for Dr. Erin Bass

The previous year has been full of accomplishments for Associate Professor of Management Dr. Erin Bass, who adds to her record of exceptional research and trailblazing initiatives for women, physician leaders, and management professionals.

Bass recently published “Top Management Team Diversity, Equality, and Innovation: A Multilevel Investigation of the Health Care Industry” in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies. The paper explores the relationship between gender diversity in top management teams and innovation in healthcare organizations.

This paper works in unison with Bass’s award of Mammel Faculty in Residence at UNMC. The fellowship allows Bass to collaborate with UNMC in research and teaching and has acted as a springboard for a variety of research, projects, and appearances.

Bass appeared on the Brave Enough Show podcast with Dr. Sasha Shillcutt, anesthesiologist and vice chair of strategy and innovation at Nebraska Medicine and UNMC. There she discussed how women can develop personal strategies to advance their careers. Bass also began collaborations with Dr. Dele Davies and Dr. Alicia Schiller, both of UNMC, on research related to women in STEM fields. The three are using UNMC graduate data to understand the role of STEM in women’s careers from student to professional.

In addition, Bass worked with Dr. Chandra Are, surgical oncologist and associate dean of graduate medical education at UNMC, on a new collaborative program between UNO CBA, UNMC, and Nebraska Medicine. Bass assisted in the creation of the Executive Certificate in Physician Leadership, which offers attending physicians insight into the business principles that drive meaningful results in healthcare organizations. The program will be co-led by Bass and Are and will feature collaborative sessions between UNO CBA faculty and UNMC/Nebraska Medicine experts.

Bass also continues to expand her research contributions outside of the healthcare industry and will present a paper with co-author Ivana Milosevic (College of Charleston) at this year’s Strategic Management Society International Conference.

With co-authors Milosevic and Mary Uhl-Bien (Texas Christian University), Bass will receive a Best Paper award at this year’s Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Boston, MA for their paper “Exploring the Micro-Dynamics of Adaptability: A Symbolic-Interpretive Perspective.” The paper explores how entrepreneurial ventures balance the pressure to adapt to changes in the marketplace. Bass will present two additional papers at the conference.

And expanding on 2017’s success, Bass continues to receive international acclaim for her contributions. She recently co-published a study with Monica Riviere of ISC Paris Business School and was invited to discuss her research at the ISC during the Strategic Management Society 2018 Annual International Conference in Paris, France. She presented additional research on social approval in high-hazard contexts while there.

Bass’ strong commitment to producing research focused on important workplace issues is ultimately driven by how her contributions can positively impact others.

“What motivates me to do research is my desire to help others,” says Bass. “By discovering new knowledge about what makes organizations successful, I can then share those insights in the classroom with students and in the boardrooms of Omaha businesses.”