Yunzi Tan

(Rae) Yunzi Tan’s professional and research interests intersect conflict management, diversity, and inclusion in group and organizational contexts from the perspectives of social and organizational psychology. Specifically, Tan has conducted research on social categorization processes and triggered displaced aggression in intergroup contexts, effective diversity training evaluation, team conflict management processes, and mindful interventions in online group learning. Some of her current research projects focus on team conflict management dynamics, diversity and conflict management interventions, and anger rumination on workplace aggression.

At the University of Baltimore, Tan teaches graduate courses, such as organizational conflict and conflict management systems, research methods, and the capstone seminar, in the M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management program. Her core teaching interests include organizational conflict and conflict management systems, team conflict management dynamics, workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions, as well as organizational change and development.

Prior to joining UBalt in 2013, Tan taught as an associate adjunct professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. At Teachers College, she taught graduate courses and topics on groups and teams, experimental research designs, organizational culture and change, and conflict management in organizations. In 2012, Tan was awarded a competitive visiting research fellowship to conduct research on team conflict management with the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at the Singapore Management University in Singapore. In 2011, she received the International Association for Conflict Management’s “Best Theoretical Paper” conference award for her conceptual work on conflict management as configural profiles within teams.

Aside from her academic and teaching experiences, Tan also spent several years as an experienced professional in strategic change consulting, organizational development, market research, marketing, and business development in both private and nonprofit sectors. She has served as a strategic change advisor and resource to business leaders and senior executives at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a global professional services firm, and at Disney Consumer Products, the retail and consumer products division of The Walt Disney Company. Tan also worked as part of the organizational research team at Catalyst, a New York-based nonprofit organization that is committed to creating and building more diverse and inclusive workplaces around the globe.

Key research interests:

• Team conflict management dynamics
• Diversity and conflict management interventions
• Anger rumination and workplace aggression
• Collective narcissism and organizational conflict

Education

• M.Phil. Columbia University in the City of New York
• M.A. Teachers College of Columbia University
• B.A. University of Southern California