Lotte Bailyn is an American academic and professor of business administration at Harvard Business School (HBS). She is recognized for her contributions to the fields of organizational behavior, work–family balance, gender equity, and leadership development. Bailyn has authored several influential books and scholarly articles that examine the structural and cultural factors influencing women's participation and advancement in the workplace.
Early life and education
Lotte Bailyn earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed her Ph.D. in Business Administration at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Academic career
Bailyn joined the faculty of Harvard Business School in 1991. She serves as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Management. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she directs the HBS Initiative on Workplace Flexibility and the Women’s Leadership Initiative, both of which aim to develop research‑based strategies for improving work environments and advancing gender equity.
Research interests
Bailyn’s research focuses on:
- The impact of organizational policies and cultural norms on work‑family integration.
- Gender differences in career trajectories and leadership development.
- The design of flexible work arrangements and their effects on employee well‑being and firm performance.
Her empirical studies often employ mixed‑methods approaches, combining quantitative analysis of large‑scale surveys with qualitative interviews and case studies.
Publications
Bailyn has authored or co‑authored several books, including:
- Breaking the Mold: Women, Work and Leadership in the 21st Century (2010) – an analysis of barriers to women’s leadership and recommendations for organizational change.
- The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Work‑Family Balance (2014) – a practical handbook for managers seeking to support employee flexibility.
She has also published extensively in peer‑reviewed journals such as Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Harvard Business Review.
Awards and honors
Bailyn’s work has been recognized with awards including:
- The Academy of Management’s George R. Terry Award for the best article published in Academy of Management Review (2002).
- The Harvard Business Review’s “Best of HBR” recognition for articles on workplace flexibility.
Public impact
Beyond academia, Bailyn advises corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations on policies related to work‑family integration and gender diversity. She frequently contributes commentary to mainstream media outlets on topics of workplace equity and leadership development.
Personal life
Insufficient Encyclopedic Information.