In line with our mission, the Berkeley Center for Workplace Culture and Innovation is pleased to offer, for the first time, research grants for faculty and doctoral students who are conducting research on organizational culture. Please see below for summaries of the projects we are supporting this year.
Faculty Grants:
Dr. Alexandra Figueroa, “The Influence of Political Ideology in Perceptions of Organizational Value Signals”
Early in 2023, when Bud Light partnered with transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney, some characterized the action as a testament to the organization’s emerging culture of allyship. More conservative stakeholders criticized the choice as inauthentic to the company’s real values, deeming the campaign “woke”. After facing considerable backlash, Bud Light quickly cancelled the partnership. As a consequence, they were further criticized as insincere and performative in their advocacy by liberals and conservatives alike. This example underscores the precarious position many organizations occupy in today’s sociopolitical climate. Large, complex, and demographically diverse companies are increasingly expected to take clear stances on social issues, but doing so often risks alienating subsets of their workforce or consumer base. As political divides deepen, and the workforce simultaneously diversifies, organizations must think carefully about how to communicate cultural values in ways that resonate broadly and minimize backlash. In this work, I argue that two pieces of the puzzle – signal attributes and the subjective nature of these judgments – should be reconciled to study their unique and interacting effects. I propose that, when organizations espouse cultural values via signals, perceptions of the organization are co-constructed by both the signal’s features (e.g., cost, consistency) and the observer’s ideological orientation. By identifying the dimensions of organizational signaling that transcend ideological boundaries, this research aims to help organizations reduce polarized responses to cultural value signaling and promote a more inclusive perception of authenticity.
Doctoral Student Grants:
Silvia Barbareschi, “Enhancing Workplace Safety and Inclusion for Immigrant Women: Evaluating the Impact of the Purple Point Program”
Across Europe, immigrant women, particularly those in low-wage frontline service roles, are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence (GBV), which can impact their well-being and labor market outcomes. Traditional state support often falls short in reaching these marginalized individuals. Can an innovative workplace-based initiative, enhance their safety and, in turn, improve well-being, labor outcomes, and social inclusion? To answer this question, we conduct a randomized controlled trial with 208 restaurants in Italy. We partner with a job-matching platform and a fast-food chain to evaluate the “Purple Point Program.” This program designates safe spaces in participating establishments, trains staff to identify and address GBV, and encourages allyship in preventing violence. Using administrative and survey data, we assess the program’s impact on outcomes such as mental health, job stability, workplace culture, and GBV. Through the job-matching platform, we also study how Purple Point certification influences job value and worker-employer matching quality.
Rui Sun, “Metrics for Good? Quantifying Accountability and Legitimacy in Corporate Sustainability and Responsible AI Governance”
Corporations increasingly rely on quantified metrics to guide their sustainability efforts and govern responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) usage. These metrics serve dual purposes: internally, they enhance managerial accountability; externally, they signal legitimacy to stakeholders and regulators. This research explores the influence of quantified sustainability and responsible AI governance metrics on internal organizational decision-making, examining specifically how these metrics affect managerial processes, governance structures, and strategic priorities. The study uniquely emphasizes the tensions and synergies between genuine internal accountability and externally oriented legitimacy pressures.
Farnam Mohebi, “The Human Cost of Efficiency: How AI Automation of Tedious Tasks Reshapes Professional Identity and Work”
As artificial intelligence increasingly automates the repetitive yet skilled tasks that professionals wish to delegate, a critical question emerges: how does automating tedious work reshape professional roles and client relationships? This research examined radiation oncology’s transition from manual to AI-driven “contouring” processes through full-cycle investigation. Radiation oncologists traditionally spent 2-3 hours meticulously outlining anatomical structures on CT scans for radiation planning but now complete the task much faster because AI provides automated delineation of normal organs. The study combined over 300 hours of ethnographic fieldwork with 30 interviews to develop theory investigating tedium’s role in professional identity and client relationships. The project then applied computational linguistic analysis and difference-in-difference models to evaluate behavioral and emotional changes through Electronic Health Records from 2018-2025, measuring shifts in professional documentation patterns, patient-specific treatment considerations, and clinical practices before and after AI implementation. The research reveals that seemingly monotonous manual tasks actually foster deep professional-client connections and embodied patient knowledge that inform personalized care decisions, challenging conventional assumptions about tedium automation’s purely liberating effects. These findings provide critical insights for managers and organization scholars studying technological transitions while preserving core aspects of professional culture and meaningful client relationships in an increasingly automated workplace.
Edgar Sanchez Cuevas and Gabriel Granato, “Leadership, Accountability, and Norms: Strengthening Informal Labor Systems through Biometric Innovation”
This project examines how cultural leadership, particularly religious and traditional leaders, shapes workplace norms, accountability, and cooperation in informal labor systems. Focusing on salongo, a community labor tax used to maintain public infrastructure in Kananga, DRC, the study pilots a biometric attendance system paired with weekly group accountability meetings. Using a randomized design, the project evaluates how different forms of leadership and group composition influence participation, reciprocity norms, and contributions to public goods. By linking biometric innovation with culturally grounded authority structures, the research offers novel insights into how trust, identity, and belief systems affect workplace behavior in fragile, ethnically diverse communities.