Newman Award

Sharon H. Kim Ph.D. '11 has received the Academy of Management's William H. Newman Award.

Her paper, based on her dissertation, was "Selling Out: How Impressions of Materialism Influence Creative Evaluations and Performance."

The paper details Kim's research findings, which show how impressions of materialism can cloud evaluations of creativity.

Belief by others that a person prioritizes money can lead to lower ratings of even objectively good ideas by that person, Kim's research shows.  People expect creative professionals to be unconcerned with, or even shun, material success.  That, in turn, biases evaluations of creative work.

The findings could have implications for organizations seeking to recruit, evaluate and sustain creative thinkers, Kim said.

Kim's paper was selected for the annual award at the academy's annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, this month.

An assistant professor of management at the Carey Business School of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Kim was the third doctoral student from ILR's Department of Organizational Behavior to be nominated for the award.

Michelle Duguid Ph.D. '08 and Evan Polman Ph.D. '10 were also finalists in recent years.

Christopher Yenkey Ph.D. '11, who graduated from Cornell’s Department of Sociology, also received a Newman Award this year.