The Department of Psychology

Dr. Karen Lyness is a Professor in the psychology department and the head of the doctoral program in industrial-organizational psychology. She teaches courses on diversity in organizations, career development, organizational psychology, and other topics in industrial-organizational psychology.

The quality and impact of Dr. Lyness’s research has been recognized with three lifetime achievement awards: Fellow of the American Psychological Association in 2010, Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in 2010, and the Sage Award for Scholarly Contributions to Gender and Diversity in Organizations from the Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division of the national Academy of Management in 2003. She is a member of the Journal of Applied Psychology Editorial Board and a previous member of the Academy of Management Journal Editorial Board. Prior to joining the Baruch faculty, Dr. Lyness held a number of positions in management research and human resource management at Citigroup (Citibank), AT&T, and Avon Products. She earned a PhD in industrial-organizational psychology at Ohio State University.

Currently Dr. Lyness conducts research on women in management, work-family interface, “glass ceiling” barriers related to women’s advancement into executive positions, cross-cultural issues, racial and ethnic group career issues, organizational culture, managerial careers and development, and other issues related to workforce diversity. Examples of her current projects include a study of career issues in today’s multicultural workforce, funded by the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Foundation, and cross-cultural research about executive careers and work-life balance issues. Her research has been published in academic journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Human Relations, Organizational Research Methods, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Sex Roles, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Four of her articles have been nominated for the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research.

Dr. Lyness’s diversity studies have contributed to our knowledge about a wide range of issues, such as gender differences in career paths of executives and managers, barriers for women and strategies that successful women have used to overcome these barriers, career penalties for managers who took leaves of absence, dimensions of organizational culture that are related to employees’ abilities to balance their work and family responsibilities, and relationships of national cultural values to work-family issues. Findings from her research articles have been highlighted in publications such as Business Week, Across the Board: The Conference Board Magazine, American Psychological Association Monitor on Psychology, U.S. Banker, Working Woman, Boston Globe, Toronto Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Australian Financial Review.

Dr. Lyness’s publications include:

Grotto, A. R., & Lyness, K. S. (2010). The costs of today's jobs:  Job characteristics and organizational supports as antecedents of negative spillover. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76, 395-405.

Lyness, K. S., & Judiesch, M. K. (2008). Can a manager have a life and a career? International and multisource perspectives on work-life balance and career advancement potential. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 789-805.

Lyness, K. S., & Kropf, M. B. (2007). Cultural values and potential nonresponse bias:  A multilevel examination of cross-national differences in mail survey response rates. Organizational Research Methods, 10, 210-224.

Lyness, K. S., & Heilman, M. E. (2006). When fit is fundamental:  Performance evaluations and promotions of upper-level female and male managers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 777-785.

Lyness, K. S., & Schrader, C. A. (2006). Moving ahead or just moving? An examination of gender differences in senior corporate management appointments. Group & Organization Management, 31, 651-676.

Lyness, K. S., & Terrazas, J. M. B. (2006). Women in management:  An update on their progress and persistent challenges. In G. P. Hodgkinson & J. K. Ford (Eds.), International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Vol. 21, pp. 267-294). Chichester, U.K.: Wiley.

Lyness, K. S., & Kropf, M. B. (2005). The relationships of national gender equality and organizational support with work-family balance:  A study of European managers. Human Relations, 58, 33-60.

Lyness, K. S., & Judiesch, M. K. (2001). Are female managers quitters?  The relationships of gender, promotions, and family leaves of absence to voluntary turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 1167-1178.

Lyness, K. S., & Thompson, D. E. (2000). Climbing the corporate ladder:  Do female and male executives follow the same route? Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 86-101.

Judiesch, M. K., & Lyness, K. S. (1999). Left behind? The impact of leaves of absence on managers' career success. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 641-651.

Thompson, C. A., Beauvais, L. L., & Lyness, K. S. (1999). When work-family benefits are not enough:  The influence of work-family culture on benefit utilization, organizational attachment, and work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54, 392-415.

Lyness, K. S., & Thompson, D. E. (1997). Above the glass ceiling?  A comparison of matched samples of female and male executives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 359-375.

She can be reached at Karen.Lyness@baruch.cuny.edu

• Home
• Faculty
• Major Requirements/Courses
• Minor Requirements/Courses
• Chair's Welcome
• NSF REU Program
• Links for Undergraduates
• Links for Graduate Students
• Research Labs
• Events & Activities
• People
• Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology