Lisa was inspired to pursue a research career when, as an undergraduate student, she discovered research articles that helped her make sense of the often clashing individualistic (American) and collectivistic (Japanese) values underlying her mixed identity and childhood experiences growing up in Tokyo, Japan. For many years during graduate school and beyond, she worked as part of team that introduced a new model for understanding how cross-cultural differences in historical, ecological, and institutional factors influence the strength of social norms which in turn dictate the adaptive psychological processes that are nurtured in a culture. Their first empirical test of the theory, which involved collecting multi-level (societal, organizational, and individual) data across 33 countries, was published in Science.

Lisa's interest in social norms carries through to her research on organizational climate, or the expectations and reward systems that shape human behavior in the workplace. She is most well known for her pioneering research on climate for inclusion – what it is, how it is shaped by leaders, and the consequences for both group processes and individual outcomes. Her research continues to be fundamentally multi-level in nature, examining the complex interplay of organizational practices and leadership, group processes, and individual-level experiences using a mix of methodologies including multi-source surveys, longitudinal, archival, experimental, and quasi-experimental. Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Annals, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Personnel Psychology, and has been recognized by a wide range of national and international awards.

Like other experts in the field, Lisa is actively engaged with both government agencies and private corporations, and has served as an expert on issues related to diversity for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Army Research Institute, NASA, the Department of Justice, the Department of Education, the World Economic Forum, the Society for Human Resource Management, Personnel Roundtable, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Math, and global multinational corporations. She is passionate about pushing organizations to understand the ways in which diversity and inclusion policies are insufficient for promoting inclusive climates because they are often not enacted as espoused, are disconnected from employees' everyday experiences, and fail to alter the relational roots of inclusion. 

Paluch, R., Zatzick, C., & Nishii, L. (2023). A cross-level theory of alumni-organization relationships. Academy of Management Review. 

Nishii, L.H. & Leroy, H. (2022). Intoducing a multi-level framework of inclusive leadership to guide future research. Group and Organization Management, 47(4), 683-722. 

Van Knippenberg, D., Nishii, L.H., & Dwertmann, D. (2020). Synergy from diversity: Managing the performance benefits of diversity. Behavioral Science and Policy, 6(1), 75-92.

Nishii, L.H. & Leroy, H.L. (2020). Leadership for inclusive workgroup climates. In B.M. Ferdman, J.Prime, & R.E. Riggio (Eds.), Inclusive leadership: Transforming diverse lives, workplaces, and societies (pp. 162-178). Routledge.

Nishii, L.H. (2020). What the research tells us: The role of inclusive climates in closing the gender gap. In E.Kossek & K.H. Lee (eds.), Creating Gender-Inclusive Organizations: Lessons from Research and Practice to Advance Women Leaders (pp.15-25) Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press. 

Gelfand, M.J., Caluori, N., Gordon, S., Raver, J., Nishii, L.H., Leslie, L., & Lun, J. (2020). Culture's constraints: The role of situational constraint in culture system. In J.F. Rauthmann R.Sherman, & D.C. Funder (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Psychological Situations. 

Nishii, L.H., Khattab, J., Shemla, M., & Paluch, R. (2018). A multi-level process model for understanding diversity pratice effectiveness. Academy of Management Annals, 21(1), 37-82. 

*Winner of the Emerald Best Paper Award (2017), awarded by the Gender & Diversity in Organizations Division of the Academy of Management

Nishii, L.H. & Paluch, R. (2018). Leaders as HR sensegivers: Four HR implementation behaviors that create strong HR system. Human Resource Management Review, 28(3), 319-323. 

Dwertmann, D., Nishii, L.H., & van Knippenberg, D. (2016). Diversity climate: Synthesizing a diverse field. Journal of Management, 42(5), 1136-1168.

Schur, L., Nishii, L.H., Kruse, D., Adya, M., Bruyere, S., & Blanck, P.D. (2014). Accommodating employees with and without disabilities. Human Resource Management, 53(4), 593-621.

Nishii, L.H. (2013). The Benefits of climate for inclusion for gender diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal, 56(6), 1754-1774.

Chrobot-Mason, D., Ruderman, M., & Nishii, L.H. (2013). Leadership in a diverse workplace. In Q. Roberson (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Diversity and Work. Oxford University Press. 

Wright, P., & Nishii, L. (2013). Strategic HRM and organizational behavior: Integrating multiple levels of analysis. in D. Guest, J. Paauwe, & P. Wright (Eds). HRM and Performance: Achievement and Challenges (pp.97-110). Blackwell Publishing. 

Gelfand, M.G., Raver, J.L., Nishii, L.H., Leslie, L., Duan L., et al (2011). The emergence of tightness versus looseness in large-scale societies. Science, 323, 1100-1104.  

*Winner of the Most Influential Paper Award for 2017, awarded by the Conflict Management Division of the Academy of Management

*Winner of the 2012 Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize, awarded by the Society for the Psychological Stufy of Social Issues (SPSSI)

Raver, J.L. & Nishii, L.H. (2010). Once, twice, or three times as harmful? Ethnic harassment, gender harassment, and generalized workplace harassment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(2), 236-254. 

Nishii, L.H. & Meyer, D. (2009). Do inclusive leaders help to reduce turnover in diverse groups? The moderating role of leader-member exchange in the diversity to performance relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(6), 1412-1426. 

*Nominated for the Academy of Management's 2010 Saroj Parasuraman Award for the best journal article in the field of gender and diversity published in 2009. 

Nishii L.H., Lepak, D.P., Schneider, B. (2008). Employee attributions of the “why” of HR practices: Their effects on employee attitudes and behaviors, and customer satisfaction.  Personnel Psychology, 61 (3), 503-545. 

*Winner of the Wallace Reins Best Dissertation Award (2005), awarded by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 

*Runner-up for the Academy of Management’s HR Division’s Scholarly Achievement Award for 2008. 

Nishii L.H., & Wright, P. (2008). Variability within organizations: Implications for strategic human resource management.  In D.B. Smith (Ed.), The people make the place (pp.225-248).  Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 

Mayer, D.M., Nishii, L.H., Schneider, B., & Goldstein, H. (2007). The precursors and products of justice climates: Group leader antecedents and employee attitudinal consequences.  Personnel Psychology, 60(4), 929-963.  

Salvaggio, A.N., Schneider, B., Nishii, L.H., Mayer, D., Ramesh, A., & Lyon, J. (2007).  Manager personality, manager service quality orientation, and service climate: Test of a model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1741-1750.   

Gelfand,M. J., Nishii, L.H., & Raver, J.L. (2006). On the nature and importance of cultural tightness-looseness.  Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1225-1244.   

Gelfand, M.J., Smith, V. M., Raver, J., Nishii, L., & O’Brien, K. (2006).  Negotiating Relationally:  The Dynamics of the Relational Self in Negotiations.  Academy of Management Review, 31(2), 427-451.  

Gelfand, M.J., Bhawuk, D.P., Nishii, L.H., & Bechtold, D. (2004). Individualism and collectivism. R. J. House, P.J. Hanges, M. Javidan, P.W. Dorfman, & V. Gupta (Eds.). Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 cultures. Sage Publications.   

Gelfand, M.J., Higgins, M., Nishii, L.H., Raver, J.L., Dominguez, A., Yamaguchi, S., & Toyama, M. (2002). Culture and egocentric perceptions of fairness in conflict and negotiation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(5), 833-845. 

*Winner of the Best Empirical Paper Published in 2002 in Conflict & Negotiation Award, International Association of Conflict Management  

Gelfand, M. J., Nishii, L.H., Holcombe, K., Dyer, N., Ohbuchi, K., & Fukuno, M. (2001). Cultural influences on cognitive representations of conflict: Interpretations of conflict episodes in the U.S. and Japan.  Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(6), 1059-1074. 

*Winner of the Best Empirical Paper Award, 11th Annual Conference of the International Association of Conflict Management (1998)  

*Honorable Mention, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Klineberg Award (2001)  

SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service (2023) 

Janet Chusmir Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of the status of women and people of color in the Academy and in organizations, the Gender & Diversity in Organizations Division of the Academy of Management (2019)

eCornell Trailblazer Award (2018)

Best Practices in Diversity and Inclusion Award (for work as past chair of the Gender and Diversity Organizations Division), the inclusion theme track committee of the Academy of Management (2017)

Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial Advising Award, Cornell University (2010)

Robert N. Stern Teaching and Mentoring Award, The ILR School, Cornell University (2009)

Wallace Reins Best Dissertation Award, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2005)

MacIntyre Award for Exemplary Teaching, The ILR School, Cornell University (2004)

Milton Dean Havron Social Sciences Award for Outstanding Achievements as a Doctoral Student, University of Maryland Department of Psychology (2002)

Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

Nishii, L. (Principal Investigator). Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program 

Nishii, L. (Principal Investigator). Higher Education Opportunity Program

Nishii, L. (Co-Principal Investigator). Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program

Nishii, L. (Principal Investigator). Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program.

Ratwani, K., Horn, Z., & Nishii, L.H. (2014) Leading organizational transformation: Leader strategies for creating an inclusive climate. Grant awarded by the Army Research Institute. $220,000 (with an additional $350,000 pending). 

Nishii Rubineau, & Bruyere (2011). Social networks, climate for inclusion, and employment outcomes for people with disabilities. Funded by the Department of Education, $606,000.

Bruyere, Hallock, Barrington, & Nishii (2010). Employer practices related to employment outcomes among individuals with disabilities. Grant awarded by the Department of Education, $4,000,000.

Nishii, Ainspan, & Bruyere (2007). Workforce policies and practices to promote effective inclusion, engagement, and retention of the aging American workforce. SHRM Foundation grant, $76,233.

Bruyere & Nishii (The Employment and Disability Institute, Cornell University), in collaboration with The Burton Blatt Institute (Syracuse University) and The Program for Disability Research (Rutgers University) (2007). Disability case study research consortium on employer organizational practices in employing people with disabilities. Grant awards by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor, $500,000.

• Diversity, discrimination, and inclusion in organizations
• International and comparative human resource management
• Cross-cultural perspectives on work
• Human Resource Management for small enterprises in emerging markets (global engaged learning courses)
• Personnel selection and training
• Introduction to human resource management