"Rae" Yunzi Tan
associate professor
School of Public and International Affairs
Additional Roles:
director, M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management program
Contact Information:
Phone: 410.837.5329
E-mail: rtan@ubalt.edu
Ph.D., M.Phil, M.A., Columbia University
B.A., University of Southern California
As a social and organizational psychologist by training, my professional and research interests broadly focus on the psychology of conflict management and diversity in work groups, teams, and organizations. Specifically, I have conducted research on social categorization processes and triggered displaced aggression in intergroup contexts, effective diversity training evaluation, team conflict management dynamics and processes, and mindful interventions in online group learning. Some of my current research projects involve exploring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) considerations in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practice, understanding workplace microaggressions and exclusion experienced by women of color professionals, and examining the impact of anti-bias interventions and mechanisms in diversity contexts.
At the University of Baltimore, you can find me teaching 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. My 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.
Aside from my academic and teaching experiences, I have 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. I have served as a strategic change advisor and resource to business leaders and senior executives at PwC, a global professional services firm, and helped support large-scale transformative change at the retail and consumer products division of The Walt Disney Company. I have 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. Today, I continue to provide my research-informed expertise and knowledge to consult with organizations, both large and small, in various sectors across the country.
Key research interests:
- Team conflict management dynamics and processes
- Conflict management interventions in organizations
- Workplace microaggressions and exclusion among women of color
- Anti-bias interventions and mechanisms in workplace diversity contexts
Selected publications:
- Kim, R. & Tan, Y. R. (2023). Using participatory mixed methods to study “grand challenges”: An illustrative case of diversity, equity, and inclusion change research in organizations. In Szabla, D. B., Coghlan, D., Pasmore, W. A., & Kim, J. Y. The handbook of research methods in organizational change. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800378520.00022
- Tan, R. Y., Michaels, J. L., & Strawinska-Zanko, U. (2018). A dynamical approach to conflict management in teams. In U. Strawinska-Zanko & L. S. Liebovitch (Eds.), Mathematical modeling of social relationships: What mathematics can tell us about people. (pp. 119–146). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76765-9_7
- Tan, R. Y. (2017). Goal interdependence, subgroup formation, and conflict in teams. International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, 20(4), 519-543. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-20-04-2017-B004
- Roberson, L., Kulik, C., & Tan, R. Y. (2013). Effective diversity training. In Roberson, Q. (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of diversity and work. (pp. 341-365). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199736355.013.0019
- Vasquez, E., Pedersen, W. C., Ensari, E., Tan, R. Y., & Miller, N. (2007). Personalization and differentiation as moderators of triggered displaced aggression in intergroup contexts. European Journal of Social Psychology, 37(2), 297-319. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.359