Rachel Ruttan
University of Toronto
Rotman School of Management
“Dr. Ruttan’s teaching is nothing short of extraordinary, and she has received a Rotman teaching award every single year since starting at Rotman.Her passion for the subject is often mentioned by her students, who remark on her being “the most passionate” and “the best” “amazing” and “my favourite” in their undergraduate experience. Her commitment to equity and inclusion also are apparent from her teaching evaluations, making space for all to contribute to classroom discussion. She actively mentors junior women and minority doctoral students and includes many undergraduates as research assistants in her lab. Drawing on her own experiences as a first generation college student, she has become involved with external organizations that seek to improve outcomes for first generation students.” – Prof. Katherine DeCelles
Rachel Ruttan, 36, is Assistant Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Her research interests include compassion and prosocial behavior, values, and moral judgment. Specifically, she studies lapses in interpersonal compassion, as well as the potential pitfalls of organizations’ attempts to appeal to morals and values, showing when and how “doing well by doing good” can backfire.
Her research has been published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organization Science, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Her work has been profiled in The New York Times, NPR, and The Harvard Business Review. She has won grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, as well as the Connaught New Researcher Award.
She is the winner of the 2023 Petro Canada Young Innovator Award and a 2023-24 Sam and Bonnie Rechter Fellow in Positive Leadership.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2018
Education: PhD in Management and Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Introduction to Organizational Behavior
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I first learned about using experimental methods in the social sciences as an undergraduate, and was instantly hooked. I had long been an avid people watcher, and had no idea that this was a profession. The appeal of the business school environment was the push to ask ‘real world’ questions that matter outside of one’s specific field.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I’m fascinated by how people make sense of transformative life events, including resilience in the face of distress. In one forthcoming paper, we’ve examined the attributions people make for overcoming difficult life events, such as unemployment or bullying at work. We find that, while the majority of people credit their resilience to internal attributions (their hard work, determination, abilities), those who attribute their resilience to relational factors (the help, support, and advice of others) tend to be more compassionate toward those still struggling with those life events. I think this is consequential for organizations because it suggests that most of our default responses to overcoming hardship may be somewhat at odds with creating more supportive work cultures. In ongoing work, I’m also really interested in unpacking the psychology behind why people insist on getting advice from people with direct experience with an event despite there being some documented downsides of doing so.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … In a former life, I was a figure skater, so maybe something in the figure skating community. Though, I wasn’t good enough to make it in skating, so this plan b might involve being in a lobster costume on a cruise ship, so this seems better.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor?I like to create a pretty hierarchically flat classroom environment where there is space for fun and silliness even when discussing serious topics.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Sweaty
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: You really do get less anxious about public speaking (people likely told me this, but I may not have believed them).
Professor I most admire and why: Ack – too many!
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? The classroom environment is really engaging, interactive, and I find the students to be open-minded. It’s also rewarding to how quickly concepts from basic research can be applied to help students achieve their real-world goals.
What is most challenging? Sometimes the goals around curiosity and the intrinsic motivation to learn feel at odds with how competitive the career landscape is for students (which then puts a strong focus on grades). That said, the conversations where we pull out students’ underlying goals, values, and motivations outside of those traditionally discussed in the business school environment are among my favorite moments in the classroom.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Intellectually-humble
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Dismissive
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Transparent
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Eating, watching TV/movies. I’m tired.
How will you spend your summer? Toronto in the summer is the best. Everyone is just happy to be outside, and the culture of the city is very fun and vibrant.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Milan and Paris for the carbs and fashion
Favorite book(s): One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I Think You Should Leave or anything by Nathan Fielder. There is some connection between being interested in human nature and enjoying cringe comedy that pushes and plays with social norms and convention.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I have been revisiting a lot of indie from the 2010s, which reminds me of the age at which I was fun.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … Diversity/inclusion, transparency, compassion
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … No novel takes here, but more consideration of the bigger role of business in society, including making social values a more central part of this conversation. Understanding and engaging with the broader communities with which they are embedded.
I’m grateful for … The many people (collaborators, students, mentors) that I have met in this profession. I wouldn’t be here today without those who have helped me along the way.
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