With childhood memories of living in places as different as Europe, Canada and Asia, social psychologist Margaret Shih studies diversity in organizations, focusing in particular on social identity and the psychological effects of stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and stigma. Research is in her blood, she says, and Anderson’s interdisciplinary environment and the energy of her students influence Shih to formulate the questions she wants most to explore.
Q: You were born in the U.S., but spent your early childhood in Germany, later childhood and adolescence in Canada, and summers in Japan with your Taiwanese grandmother. How did living in all of these different cultures when you were young shape your perspectives as an adult?
I think living in diverse cultures fed my natural curiosity about people and probably made me more open-minded and adaptable. I was seven when we moved from Bonn to Ottawa; I didn’t speak one word of English. Luckily, Vancouver is a very polite and welcoming city and I soon felt at home. I have enjoyed all the places I’ve lived for different reasons and they have each enriched me.
Q: Do you still consider Vancouver your hometown?
I love Vancouver and, in some important ways, Los Angeles reminds me of it. Both cities are in beautiful settings with diverse populations. There is a shared appreciation of the outdoors and focus on protecting the environment. And people are friendly here, too, though not necessarily polite on the freeways.
Q: Did you always want to be an academic or did you have other career goals as a child?
As a kid, I wanted to be a painter. Or a cellist. Unfortunately, my talents didn’t match those ambitions.
Q: So you abandoned the arts and turned your attention to psychology, earning your B.A. in psychology from Stanford and your M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard. What inspired that focus and ambition?
I was always curious about people and I think research was in my blood. My dad was a chemist who moved from academia into industry. Both he and my mom were strong role models for me. They valued education and hard work. But they valued family most of all. My dad turned down several promotions in order to have more time with the family. And my mom stayed at home until my sister and I started school. Then, she opened a Hello Kitty store — ahead of trend.
I fell into the academic path because I like research, and my degrees in social psychology translated to organizational psychology. After earning my Ph.D., I was hired into an organizational psychology program at the University of Michigan, where I stayed for eight years. It was an easy transition into a business school because of that.
Q: You took a brief detour from your academic career to work at the RAND Corporation. What was your most important takeaway from that experience?
At the RAND Corporation, I learned how accurately the expression “it’s complicated” applies to policy. I also gained a healthy respect for the military.
Q: What, besides the obvious improvement in weather, drew you from Michigan to UCLA Anderson?
The initial draw to Los Angeles was my husband: he’s a pediatrician who took a job working for L.A. County. But I was drawn to Anderson because of the interdisciplinary environment here. The opportunity to meet and talk with people from different fields enriches my scholarship. Geographically, Los Angeles is also closer to my family. And friends come visit me here a lot more often now than when I was in Ann Arbor.
Q: You were always a top student. In fact, among your many academic achievements, you were awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. How did your own experiences as a student influence how you now teach and interact with students?
I relate to the amount of stress that students experience about exams and also to their anxiety about the future. I try to be empathetic. Long ago, I heard a quote I’ve never forgotten and tried to apply to teaching: “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” I want to make my students feel valued, optimistic about their future — and smarter — even if they don’t remember the context.
Q: What do you like best about the classroom?
I like interacting with students. I like their energy. They still have a lot of idealism in them. They have a lot of enthusiasm, which helps keep me from becoming jaded and cynical. I like the inspiration interacting with students gives me for my research. And I like being able to define the questions that I want to explore versus seeing what can be funded.
Q: Your research focus is on the effects of diversity in organizations, particularly as it relates to social identity and the psychological effects of stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and stigma. What research are you working on now?
I’m very interested in what happens when people jump in and out of stigmatized categories. For example, let’s say you are employed now, but you’re going to be unemployed soon. Or, you are a healthy weight now, but you used to be obese. How does changing from one category to another impact how people perceive and treat you? I’m studying how perceptions and interactions shift; it’s very contextualized.
My new interest is looking at the differences in experiences that minorities have in comparison to majority groups. Not only are they subjected to negative experiences, such as isolation and micro aggression; they also miss out on positive experiences such as mentoring, friendships and inclusion in social events. I want to explore the impact of both the negatives and the positives.
Q: Last year, you were named the new senior associate dean for FEMBA. What are you enjoying most about your new role?
I’m excited about this role and impressed by the students. Right now, I’m focused on exploring new programs and services to strengthen the program.
Leading a talented team is a welcome challenge. I get a chance to apply all the theories that I teach in class to this role. For example, I teach my students that it’s not enough to give employees and co-workers a voice, you have to actually consider what they say.
Q: You have a two-year-old daughter. How do you balance all that you do here at Anderson with being the mother of a young child?
When I was weighing whether or not to take on the role of senior associate dean, I thought about what message I wanted to send to my daughter. I want her to believe that she can be anybody that she wants to be — and not to be apologetic for it. I believe that I can have a successful career and a happy family. I am very conscious of spending my time wisely to fulfill both goals.
Q: Who do you consider the most important role models in your life?
It sounds cliché, but my parents. My mother because she’s so self-sacrificing and caring, but still an incredibly competent woman. My dad because he’s so dedicated and hard working. And I admire how brave they were to move to a country that didn’t even speak their language. Everything they did — and continue to do — is for the family.
Q: What’s something about you that most people don’t know and would never guess?
I’m afraid of polka dots — they just freak me out. I know I shouldn’t share that because now people might start wearing polka dots to class. But we all have funny fears we have to conquer.
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