Rekha Krishnan

Her research examines the emergence, evolution, and consequences of social order in organizations, markets and society. In her current work, she studies the emergence of new social order and the disruption of existing social order in markets through two research streams. Using ethnography and field experiments, her first stream examines the role of interaction rituals in emergence and sustenance of micro social order in nascent entrepreneur communities in technologically intensive regions in the west (Silicon Valley and Canada) and in the fringes of mainstream markets in emerging economies (underground markets in refugee camps in Tanzania and tribal villages in India). Using archival data in population level studies based in India, her second stream examines the interaction between social movements and entrepreneurs in creating, maintaining, and disrupting social order in a society.

Her PhD dissertation won the prestigious Richard N Farmer Best Dissertation award sponsored by the Academy of International Business. Her research has been published in top tier journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal and the Journal of Management.