Elena Obukhova
PhD, Sociology, University of Chicago, USA
MSc, Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, Northwestern University, USA
BA, Anthropology, University of Florida, USA
Elena Obukhova is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Organization at the Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University. A scholar in organizational studies, her research explores the mechanisms that contribute to inequality in hiring, with a particular focus on networking and referrals. Dr. Obukhova aims to provide science-based insights and practical tools to help organizations design policies and practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Her work has been published in leading journals in Management and Sociology, including Management Science, Journal of International Business Studies, American Journal of Sociology, and Social Forces. Dr. Obukhova’s research received recognition from prestigious academic bodies, including the Careers Division of the Academy of Management, the Culture Section of the American Sociological Association, and the Gender and Diversity Division of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada. Her research insights have also been featured in outlets such as Forbes, Huffington Post, Academy of Management Insights, and Canadian HR Reporter.
Dr. Obukhova is a recipient of numerous competitive grants and fellowships, including Insight Development Grants from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Fulbright-Hays Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education, and two Fellowships from the Social Science Research Council. She was also invited to serve on the SSHRC Insight Development Grant Adjudication Committee and on the editorial board of Organization Science.
In addition to her research, Dr. Obukhova is passionate about teaching. She has taught courses in International Business across a variety of programs, including BCom, MBA, PhD, EMBA, and Executive Education. She is currently the Co-Director of the "Global Mindsets" module in the McGill-HEC EMBA program. Her innovative teaching methods, including the NAFTA & Fake News module, have been featured in several McGill Teaching and Learning Services' online resources.
Originally from Russia, Dr. Obukhova is professionally fluent in Mandarin and has been conducting research in China since 1995. Prior to joining McGill, she was a faculty member at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
2024 Obukhova, E. and F. Tian. Referral bonuses in global talent acquisition: The role of social networks in China and the US. Journal of International Business Studies, 55: 864-879.
2022 Obukhova, E. and A. M. Kleinbaum. Scouting and Schmoozing: A Gender Difference in Networking during Job Search. Academy of Management Discoveries, 8(2): 203-223.
2022 Obukhova, E. and B. Rubineau. Market Transition and Network-Based Job Matching in China: The Referrer Perspective. Industrial Labor Relations Review, 75(1): 200-224.
2017 Obukhova, E. and L. Zhang*. Social Capital and Job Search in Urban China: The Strength-of-Strong-Ties Hypothesis Revisited. Chinese Sociological Review, 49(4): 340-361.
2016 Zhang*, J., E. Zuckerman and E. Obukhova, A Lack of Security or of Cultural Capital? Acculturative Conservatism in the Naming Choices of Early 20th-Century U.S. Jews. Social Forces, 94(4): 1509-1538.
2014 Obukhova, E., E. Zuckerman and J. Zhang*. When Politics Froze Fashion: The Effect of the Cultural Revolution on Naming in Beijing. American Journal of Sociology, 120(2): 555-583.
2013 Obukhova, E. and G. Lan*. Do Job-Seekers Benefit from Contacts? A Direct Test with Contemporaneous Searches. Management Science, 59(10): 2204-2216.
2012 Obukhova, E. Motivation vs. Relevance: Using Strong Ties to Find a Job in China. Social Science Research, 41(3): 470-480.
* co-author is a student at the beginning of the project
2011 Culture and Economics: On Values, Economics and International Business, by Eelke De Jong. Routledge, 2009. Reviewed for Administrative Science Quarterly, 56(2): 310-311.
2006 The Making of the State Enterprise System in Modern China: The Dynamics of Institutional Change, by Morris L. Bian. Harvard University Press, 2005. Reviewed for American Journal of Sociology, 112 (2): 629–631.
2005 Obukhova, E. Redefining State Embeddedness for the Global Economy: The Rise of China’s Silicon Valley. Proceedings of 2005 Chinese Economists Society International Conference on Sustainable Economic Growth in China. Volume I-B, p. 3-8.
2004 Red Capitalists in China: The Party, Private Entrepreneurs, and Prospects for Political Change, by Bruce J. Dickson. Cambridge University Press, 2003. Reviewed for Economic Development and Cultural Change, 52 (4): 901-903.
2002 Obukhova, E. and J. Guyer. Transcending the Formal/Informal Distinction: Commercial Relations in Africa and Russia in the Post-1989 World. In Theory in Economic Anthropology, J. Ensminger, ed. Alta Mira Press: Walnut Creek, CA.
2002 Obukhova, E. Living and Trusting in the Economy of Debt: The Distribution of Newspapers and Magazines in Ibadan. In Money Struggles and City Life: Devaluation In Ibadan and Other Urban Centers in Southern Nigeria, 1986-96, J. Guyer, L. Denzer, and A. Agbaje, eds. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.
Awards
Honorable Mention Award, Gender and Diversity Division, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada
Li Ka Shing Faculty Exchange Award, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University
Honorable Mention for Clifford Geertz Prize for Best Article, Culture Section, American Sociological Association
Finalist for Best Overall Paper Award of the Careers Division, Academy of Management
Fellowships
Corporation as a Social Institution Program Dissertation Fellowship, Social Science Research Council
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Abroad Fellowship, US Department of Education
Markovitz Dissertation Writing Fellowship, University of Chicago
Pre-dissertation Fellowship, Social Science Research Council
Blakemore Foundation Fellowship for Study of East Asian Languages
Grants
Insight Development Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (PI), Canada, 2023
Insight Development Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (PI), Canada, 2021
Insight Development Grant, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (PI), Canada, 2018
Social Sciences and Humanities Development Grant, McGill University
Obukhova, E., and S.E. Koppman. Who gets a referral in Big Tech (working paper).
H. Bui*, E. Obukhova and D. Demetry. Authenticity and strategic change during COVID-19 Pandemic (working paper).
Obukhova, E., B. Bond. The effect of bonuses on pro-social motivations in referring (data analysis stage).
Ramesh, J.*, E. Obukhova and S.E. Koppman. Gender, networks and belonging in Big Tech (data analysis).
* co-author is a student at the beginning of the project
