Una Kim de Vitton ,Sociology Department, Harvard University





	Una Kim de Vitton Graduate Student in Organizational Behavior / Sociology Biographical Note Una is a researcher and doctoral candidate in Organizational Behavior and Sociology at Harvard Business School and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Una's research interests institutional change, organizations, innovation, knowledge work, and human capital development. Una's dissertation research uses fieldwork and archival research to examine how institutional contexts shape human capital development, knowledge production, and innovation in India and China. In one project Una examines the rise of avant garde architectural design in China during the past decade and how it is changing the field of Chinese architectural design. In a second project Una examines why and how new forms of human resource practices were adopted in the Indian IT services industry beginning in the 1990's and the widespread impact of these new practices. Una completed a report published by the Ewing Marion Kauffman in July 2008 Foundation in collaboration with researchers at Duke University on how companies in India are training and developing their employees in the face of shortages of high-skilled talent. Una is also working with Yasheng Huang of MIT to understand the links between political institutions and managerial practices in India and China. Una's Masters Qualifying Paper is based on 43 in-depth interviews of MBA alumni women and argues that identity change processes can transform career goals and attitudes, professional women's disinvestment from careers can be seen as the response to loss of meaning resulting from role strain and identity conflict, and differences in career commitment and attitudes among women understood as the result of, rather than the driver of, career decisions. Una holds a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government, and a B.A. from Cornell University in Asian Studies. She previously worked in investment banking and private equity investment in New York City, Toronto, and Dakar. Una is married to Laurent and has a 2-year old son named Taeho. 09/29/2008 Research Interests Institutional change, organizations, innovation, knowledge work, human capital development Previous Degrees MBA (Harvard), MPP, (Harvard), BA (Cornell) Qualifying Paper Title Punctuated Identities and the Careers of Professional Women	Contact 617-496-5794 (FAX) Traveling Scholar (2008-09) - field work