Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, founder of The Alignment Quest Enterprise LLC, is an innovative global scholar, speaker and consultant on the science of maximizing human potential in diverse organizations and communities.  

Laura’s thought leadership in diversity, authenticity and leadership development has been recognized by Thinkers50 (Top 50 Management Thought Leader, 2021; On the Radar, 2021 & 2018; Talent Management Top 10 Thought Leader, 2021); LinkedIn (Top 10 Voice in Equity; 2020); ThinkList #Amplify (2020), and the Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Award for Societal Impact (2020).  

 Laura has published over fifty research articles, teaching cases, and practitioner-oriented tools for strategically activating best selves through strength-based development, workplace equity and inclusion. Laura has co-edited three books: Race, Work and Leadership (2019 Axiom Business Book Award winner); Positive Organizing in a Global Society; and Exploring Positive Identities and Organizations. She has also self-published The Alignment Quest™ Toolkit for Activating Best Selves and several poetry collections. Laura is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management Review, and is regularly quoted in global media outlets.  

Laura currently serves as Professor of Practice at her alma mater, the University of Virginia, in the Darden School of Business. She earned a BA in Psychology (highest distinction & Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Virginia, and an MA and Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan. She has served on the faculties of Harvard Business School, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, and Antioch University’s Graduate School of Leadership and Change. She has also taught organizational behavior, psychology, negotiations, group dynamics, diversity, leadership and career development at the University of Michigan, the Wharton School of Finance, Tuck, Georgia State University, UCLA Anderson, Simmons School of Management, and AVT (Copenhagen). Laura’s family roots are in Gary, Indiana and Washington, DC, and she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. For more information, visit www.alignmentquest.com. 

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts’ Books, Articles & Web/Podcasts 

Advancing Equitable Diversity and Inclusion at Work 

Books 

• Race, Work and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience. Harvard Business Publishing. Winner of 2020 Axiom Books Gold Award for business book of the year in the category of minorities/women in business. www.raceworkleadership.com   

• The Alignment Quest Toolkit for Activating Best Selves.  

• Positive Organizing in a Global Society.  

 Recent Harvard Business Review  and Bloomberg articles on race, equity & inclusion  

• Remote networking as a person of color. HBR. 

• How to call out racial injustice at work. HBR. 

• When and how to respond to microaggressions. HBR. 

• Working from home while Black. HBR. 

• How U.S. companies can support employees of color through the pandemic. HBR. 

• U.S. businesses must take meaningful action against racism. HBR. 

• Move beyond the business case for diversity. Bloomberg.  

• Two ways to stand against racism and sexism at work. Bloomberg.  

• To become your best self, study your successes. HBR. 

• The benefits of bringing your whole identity to work. HBR. 

• Toward a racially just workplace. HBR. 

• Success comes from affirming your potential. HBR. 

• Women of color get less support at work: here’s how managers can change that. HBR. 

• Beating the odds. HBR. 

• How to play to your strengths. HBR.  

Webcasts 

• What leaders must do today to address systemic racism. HBR Live Quarantined.  

• Leading diversity at Wharton presents new books on race and diversity in the workplace. Wharton School of Business. 

• Business and Society: Toward a Racially Just Workplace. University of Michigan Ross School of Business. 

• Business leaders are speaking out on racial justice. Now the hard work begins. #BusinessUnusual LinkedIn Live.  

• Leadership Qualities that Enable Organizational Inclusivity. Harvard Business Publishing  

• Thrive in trying times with the GIVE model. Georgetown University Alumni vlog.  

• Leadership Unscripted: Challenging Assumptions and Channeling the Potential of Diversity at Work. UVA Darden.  

• Race, justice and equity in the workplace and beyond: A call to action. University of Michigan Center for Positive Organizations & Academy of Management MOC committee.  

• Coping and resilience during the pandemic. University of Michigan Center for Positive Organizations & Academy of Management MOC committee.Page Break 

Podcasts 

• Race, work and leadership. Wharton Business Daily SiriusXM radio. (December 2020). 

• Black Lives Matter and Business: A defining moment? Darden Ideas to Action. (July 2020). 

• When Police Brutality meets office politics. The Journal Podcast. (June 2020). 

• Recognizing and Rooting out racism.  The Journal of Accountancy. (June 2020). 

• 21st Century HR with Lars Schmidt (Feb 3, 2020; 57 mins).  

• People + Strategy podcast: Inclusion with IBM’s Deb Bubb (Feb 2020, 22 mins).  

• HBR IdeaCast (Aug 2019, 26 mins).  

• Toward a Racially Just Workplace. Marcel Schwantes Love in Action podcast (Feb 2020, 54 mins).  

• When Strength becomes Weakness. Ted #WorkLife Podcast with Adam Grant that features the experience of participating in the RBSE with Laura Morgan Roberts and Bijou Abiola (April 2019, 36 mins).  

• Do you bring your Best Self to Work? Making Positive Psychology Work podcast with Michelle McQuaid, featuring Laura Morgan Roberts (2018, 15 mins).  

• Why we’re disengaged at work. The Goop podcast. (2019, 55 mins).  

• Race, Work and Leadership. The Conference Board Off the Self Podcast with Laura Morgan Roberts and Tony Mayo (August 2019, 34 mins). 

• Race, Work and Leadership. The Good Men Project with Laura Morgan Roberts and Tony Mayo (October 2019).  

• Rethinking how to build inclusive organizations. (September 2019, 17 minutes).  

Research Presentations 

• Race, Work and Leadership. 2018 Harvard Business School Gender and Work symposium.  

• What is Authenticity? 2017 Harvard Business School Gender and Work symposium.  

• How can organizations foster authentic cultures? 2017 Harvard Business School Gender and Work symposium.  

• Moments of truth: Authentic disclosures among realistic people. 2017 Harvard Business School Gender and Work symposium.  

• Cultivate positive identities. 2014 Center for Positive Organizations, University of Michigan Ross School of Business.  

 Social Media 

Twitter @alignmentquest  

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