Kathy Kram

Professor Emeritus of Management & Organizations at Boston University

Biography

Boston University

Kathy E. Kram is the Shipley Professor in Management at the Boston University School of Management. Her primary interests are in the areas of adult development, relational learning, mentoring, diversity issues in executive development, leadership, and organizational change processes. In addition to her book, Mentoring at Work, she has published in a wide range of journals including Organizational Dynamics, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Business Horizons, Qualitative Sociology, Mentoring International, Journal of Management Development, Journal of Management Education, Journal of Management Inquiry, Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, Career Development International, and Psychology of Women Quarterly. Her new book, an edited volume with Prof. Belle Rose Ragins is entitled Handbook of Mentoring at Work: Theory, Research and Practice, published by Sage Publishing in October, 2007.

She is currently exploring the nature of peer coaching and mentoring circles as part of her ongoing program of research on relational learning, adult development and leadership development. All of her research is aimed at enhancing leadership effectiveness and quality of work life. She is a founding member of the Center for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations (CREIO). During 2000-2001, she served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) during which time she worked on a study of executive coaching and its role in developing emotional competence in leaders. She served as as a member of the Center’s Board of Governors from 2002-2009.

Professor Kram teaches undergraduate, MBA and Executive MBA courses in Global Management, Leadership, Team Dynamics, and Organizational Change. She is currently serving as Faculty Director of the MBA Portfolio Program. She consults with private and public sector organizations on a variety human resource management concerns. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from M.I.T. Sloan School of Management, and a Ph.D. from Yale University.

Education

  • PhD, Yale University, 1980
  • MPhil, Yale University, 1978
  • MA, Yale University, 1976
  • MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1973
  • BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1972

Positions

  • 2015- Coach in Executive Leadership Programs for Senior Women, Simmons
    Graduate School of Management, Boston, MA
  • 2015- Principal and Strategic Partner, ICW Consulting Group, Innovative
    Communities in the Workplace. www.ICWconsulting.com .
  • 2015- R.C. Shipley Professor in Management Emerita
  • 2009- 2015 R.C. Shipley Professor in Management
  • 2006- 2011 Faculty Director, MBA Career Communities Program
  • 2004- 2006 Chair, School of Management Appointments, Promotions and Tenure Committee
  • 1999- Professor, Boston University School of Management
  • 1997-2000 Faculty Director, Executive MBA Program, Boston University, School of Management.
  • 1991-1993 Chair, Department of Organizational Behavior, Boston University, School of Management.
  • 1987-1999 Associate Professor, Boston University School of Management.
  • 1983-1990 Senior Research Associate, Boston University, Center for Applied Social Science.
  • 1980-1986 Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Management.
  • 1977-1980 Instructor, Yale University School of Organization and Management.
  • 1973-1975 Internal Organization Development Consultant, Aetna Life and Casualty, Hartford, Connecticut.

Teaching Interests

  • Global Management
  • Leadership
  • Careers in the 21st Century
  • Group and Intergroup Dynamics
  • Change Processes in Organizations
  • Human Resources Management
  • Qualitative Research Methods

Research Interests

  • Adult Development and Career Dynamics
  • Relational Learning and Leadership
  • Peer Coaching and Executive Coaching
  • Diversity Issues in Executive Development
  • Mentoring and Developmental Networks

Consulting Interests

  • Mentoring Systems, Culture, and Practices
  • Peer Coaching Applications
  • Leadership Development
  • Diversity Issues in Leadership Development

Selected Publications

  • Parker, P., Kram, K., Hall, D. (2014). "Peer Coaching: an untapped resource for development", Organizational Dynamics, 43 (2), 122-129
  • Murphy, W., Kram, K. (2014). "Strategic Relationships at Work:Creating your circle of mentors, sponsors, and peers for success in business and life", McGraw Hill Publishers
  • Parker, P., Kram, K., Hall, D. (2013). "Exploring risk factors in peer coaching: A multi-level approach", Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 49 (3), 361-387
  • Ghosh, R., Hayes, R., Kram, K. (2013). "Developmental Networks at Work: Holding Environments for Leader Development", Career Development International, 3 (18), 232-256
  • Kram, K., David, S., Congleton, C. (2013). Goals in Mentoring Relationships and Developmental Networks."Beyond Goals: Effective Strategies for Coaching and Mentoring", Gower Publishing Limited 261-274
  • Kram, K., Wasserman, I., Yip, J. (2012). "Learning from the scholar-practitioner: metaphors, identity, and professional practice", Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 48 (3), 304-341
  • Kram, K., Dobrow, S., Dawn, C., Wendy, M. (2011). "A Review of Developmental Networks: Incorporating a Mutuality Perspective", Journal of Management, 38 (1)
  • Shen, Y., Kram, K. (2011). "Expatriates' Developmental Networks: Network Diversity,Base, and Support Functions", Career Development International, 16 (6), 528-552
  • Kram, K., Chandler, D., Yip, J. (2011). "An Ecological Systems Perspective on Mentoring at Work: A Review and Future Prospects", The Academy of Management Annals, 5 (1), 519-570
  • Kram, K., Murphy, W. (2010). "Understanding non-work relationships in developmental networks", Career Development International, 15 (7), 637-667
  • Kram, K., Chandler, D. (2010). ""A Self-Directed Approach to Developmental Networks and Leadership Development" Self-Management and Leadership Development", Edgar Elgar PUblishing 336-361
  • Bunker, K., Hall, D., Kram, K. (2010). "Extraordinary Leadership: Addressing The Gaps in Senior Executive Development", Wiley/Jossey Bass
  • Hall, D., Chandler, D., Kram, K. (2010). "A Developmental Network & Relational Savvy Approach to Talent Development: A Low-Cost Alternative.", Organizational Dynamics, 39 (1), 48-58
  • Kram, K., Hall, D., Chandler, D. (2009). "A Developmental Network & Relational Savvy Approach to Talent Development: A Low-Cost Alternative", Organizational Dynamics, 39 (1), 48-56
  • Hall, D., Kram, K., Chandler, D. (2009). "How to be a smart protege", Sloan Management Review, 2009 (August)
  • Kram, K., Ilene, W. (2009). "Enacting the Scholar-Practitioner Role: An Exploration of Narratives", Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 45 (1), 12-38
  • Ragins, B., Kram, K. (2007). "Handbook of Mentoring at Work: Theory, Research, and Practice", Sage Publications
  • Kram, K., Ragins, B. (2007). ""The Landscape of Mentoring in the 21st Century”",
  • Kram, K., Ragins, B. (2007). ""The Roots and Meaning of Mentoring"", Sage Publications 3-16
  • Kram, K. (2003). "Mentoring at Work: Developmental Relationships in Organizational Life", Hakuto Shobo Publisher
  • Kram, K. (1988). "Mentoring at Work: Developmental Relationships in Organizational Life", University Press of America
  • Kram, K., (). "A New Mindset on Mentoring: Developmental Networks at Work", Sloan Management Review 20 pages, online version
  • Shen, Y., Cotton, R., Kram, K. (). "Achieving Person-Network Fit: How to Align Your Extended Developmental Network", Sloan Management Review

Awards And Honors

  • 2013, The Marion F. Gislason Award for Leadership in Executive Development, Boston University Executive Development Roundtable
  • 2013, Best Symposium in Management Education and Development, National Academy of Management
  • 2011, Everett Cherrington Hughes Award, Academy of Management
  • 2010, Hughes Award for Outstanding Career Scholarship, 2010, Academy of Management
  • 2010, Best Paper Award, Academy of Management Management Education Division
  • 2009, Shipley Professor in Management, Chaired Professorship

Videos

Read about executive education

Cases

What to do when a mentor blocks your career

January 4, 2016

Financial Times (subscription required) Kathy Kram, Questrom School of Business Too many bosses are failing to pull up the promising people below, says Herminia Ibarra… View full article quoting expert Kathy Kram

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Mentors vs. Peers: Who’s Better For Growing Your Business?

September 2, 2014

Inc. Kathy Kram, School of Management It turns out, struggling peers–rather than sage mentors–are oftentimes the best people for developing your business. Here’s why, and how you can surround yourself with the right advisers… View full article referencing expert Kathy Kram

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New book on workplace mentoring has implications for youth

August 30, 2014

The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring Kathy Kram, School of Management Boston University Professor Kathy Kram and Wendy Murphy, associate professor of management at Babson College, have published a new book titled Strategic Relationships at Work: Creating Your Circle of Mentors, Sponsors, and Peers for Success in Business and Life (McGraw-Hill)… View full article referencing expert Kathy Kram

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How to Break Up with Your Mentor

May 29, 2014

Harvard Business Review “HBR Blog Network” Kathy Kram, School of Management Having a great mentor can do wonders for your professional development and career. But even the best mentoring relationships can run their course or become ineffective… Expert quote: “If in order to grow, it’s necessary to move on, don’t hesitate to break it off.” […]

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For Mary Barra, ascent to top of GM started on the factory floor

December 10, 2013

Christian Science Monitor Kathy Kram, School of Management In taking the helm of General Motors on Tuesday, Mary Barra becomes the first woman to serve as chief executive officer of a major automotive company, a sign that corporate boards and investors increasingly see leaders’ gender as a nonissue and gender diversity perhaps even as an asset… Expert […]

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Don’t fret ‘excessive scrutiny’ of Mary Barra; She certainly won’t

December 10, 2013

Forbes Kathy Kram, School of Management In the wake of General Motors’ succession announcement today, surely we’ll get a week or so of auto-industry coverage that will carry a strong strain like this:… Expert quote: “I do hope that Barra doesn’t fall prey to excessive scrutiny – as did Carly Fiorina [as CEO of Hewlett-Packard] […]

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Mary Barra’s Ascension To GM CEO Is Surprise Only In Accelerated Timing

December 10, 2013

BrandChannel Kathy Kram, School of Management General Motors is busting out all over into a new future… Expert quote: “I do hope that Barra doesn’t fall prey to excessive scrutiny — as did Carly Fiorina [as chief of Hewlett-Packard] — because she is so visible as the first female CEO of GM. That would not […]

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Sudden illness sped up GM’s executive shuffle, Barra’s CEO promotion

December 10, 2013

Los Angeles Times Kathy Kram, School of Management The sudden illness of Karin Akerson, the wife of General Motors Co. Chief Executive Dan Akerson, sped up the naming of a new top executive at the nation’s largest automaker… Expert quote: “I am glad to see it happening a bit more often, but not yet often enough.” View […]

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3 Ways to Develop Your People Without Overwhelming Yourself

January 29, 2013

Forbes Kathy Kram, School of Management Senior leaders consistently report that they don’t have enough time for mentoring and developing others… View article

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Work on getting more from your mentors: Super-size

October 19, 2012

Chicago Tribune Kathy Kram, School of Management To find a job, you need to network… View article

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