Catarina R. Fernandes
Emory University’s Goizueta Business School
“Professor Fernandes is an outstanding professor primarily because of her care for students. She goes beyond showing up to class and lecturing. In addition to explaining class concepts in an engaging manner, she is great at listening to her students’ questions, and allowing their questions to dictate what she covers in class. Especially in comparison to other professors, Professor Fernandes works extremely hard to ensure every student is up to speed and not lost in the class. Her dedication to each individual student is truly remarkable.” – Julia Aaronson
Catarina R. Fernandes, 37, is Assistant Professor of Organization & Management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Her research looks at how status, power, and leadership emerge in teams in organizational contexts, and how they influence behaviors and team performance. She is particularly interested in how potentially contrasting experiences of status across the different groups and contexts people belong to affect their self-perceptions, behavior, and interactions with others.
Fernandes also holds a PhD and MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Nova School of Business & Economics in Lisbon, Portugal. Her work experience includes general management consulting and human capital consulting, in both Europe and the United States.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2019
Education: PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University; MBA from Harvard Business School; BA Economics from NOVA School of Business and Economics in Portugal
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Negotiations
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … as an MBA student at the Harvard Business School, I felt (for the first time in my life) that I wanted someone else’s job – my professors’! What really cemented it though was actually the moment I was staring at the salary amount I was being offered for a consulting job at the end of my MBA, and I realized I still couldn’t get the idea of academia out of my mind. It really helps realize how much you want something when the opportunity cost is so clear!
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? Most of my research is about status and how it plays out in the context of teams. The projects I am currently most excited about seek to understand why different people seem to react to status differently – namely how and why people respond differently to increases or decreases in their status, how people make sense of the fact they might enjoy different amounts of status in different contexts, or what happens in culturally diverse teams if team members hold different status beliefs. One interesting finding from this stream of research is that status variance (having very different degrees of status across the various groups you belong to) is beneficial interpersonally as it increases perspective-taking and helping, but it is tough for the person themselves to experience as it increases anxiety and decreases well-being. It is unsettling that those who have the most to offer may be suffering more…
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … doing consulting on organizational behavior issues, or maybe doing something completely out of the box like starting my own K-12 school!
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I really care about my students, and I think that comes across and I’m able to establish relationships with many of them that extend beyond the semester and college time. I also really enjoy the process of breaking down a complex idea and explaining it in various different ways so that students from all kinds of backgrounds and trainings can understand it – and I think that focus on ensuring students truly understand the concepts is really valued.
One word that describes my first time teaching: excited
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: we can be very influential in shaping students’ decisions and perspectives on themselves – it is a really big responsibility that must not be taken lightly.
Professor I most admire and why: Sandra Sucher at the Harvard Business School taught what was perhaps the most influential class I took as an MBA and most definitely the most unexpected one. Every week we read a book about a historical leader and had the most fascinating and eye-opening discussions about it afterwards. I still have every one of those books on a shelf in my office and often reflect back on what I learned from each of them.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? How much they care about the real-life implications of what they’re learning. They help keep you grounded on what actually matters in the end of the day.
What is most challenging? Trying to get them to see grades as an outcome of understanding instead of an end in and of itself. I find that when students are excessively driven by the sole purpose of getting a good grade, that keeps them from fully engaging with the material and following their natural curiosity. Grades can often become the extrinsic reward that crowds out intrinsic motivation, which to me would be a tragic outcome from an educational experience.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: curious
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: memorizer (as in just memorizing the content, as opposed to actually understanding it)
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … balanced. I break down the course grade into many different types of components because I recognize that not all students demonstrate their understanding in the same way.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Reading and traveling have always been favorites, and I recently began rock climbing (my 10-year old daughter does it and watching her got me intrigued to try it out too) and I’m training to do the biking part of a 70.3 ironman relay in May (also something I never thought I’d do, but my husband and two of my kids do triathlons and through them I’ve discovered how much I actually enjoy biking).
How will you spend your summer? We try to spend most summers in Portugal, which is where my husband and I grew up. We want our kids to maintain a strong bond to Portugal and our families there, so instead of looking for summer activities here for them, we enroll them in Portuguese-speaking sports and camps there. I am incredibly grateful for the flexibility in this job allowing me to do my research remotely during those months.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Portugal! It is amazing that going back home to spend time with our family and longtime friends is the same place where we (and our kids) want to go for vacation.
Favorite book(s): historical novels – I absolutely love reading for pleasure but still want to be learning something about the world as I do so, and historical novels are the sweet spot for me.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? To be honest, I barely watch any tv/streaming. I have three kids aged 10, 8 and 3, so raising them while trying to navigate the challenges of being a dual career couple with demanding jobs leaves very little free time (and the little time I do have I’d much rather spend reading or talking with someone).
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? These days most of what plays in the car are the songs my kids pick!! I will say though that I’ve gained an appreciation for the lyrics of many Disney songs (for example those written by Lin Manuel Miranda) and how smart and funny some can be.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … an emphasis on personal interaction. As much as I see the value in technology / AI, I fear we may forget the essentials.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … bringing people together at a personal and emotional level. The pandemic and increase in remote work have isolated a lot of people from their co-workers, and a more transactional nature of relationships may limit the opportunities for the magic and creativity that comes from working with other people from happening.
I’m grateful for … my husband and three children, and the village of people that have helped us raise them.
DON’T MISS THE ENTIRE ROSTER OF 2024’S 50 BEST UNDERGRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSORS.
