Ruth Wageman is one of the foremost scholars studying teams, especially leadership teams.  Prof. Wageman’s research research is identifying the organizational, group, and individual conditions that influence the effectiveness of task-performing teams.  She aspires to contribute both to basic theory in the social psychology of organizations, and to informed action in social systems.

Wageman especially focuses on teams whose purpose is to solve complex problems and lead system transformation.  In her intervention work, Prof. Wageman builds collaborative leadership capacity within and across organizations, especially with multi-sector leadership teams working to transform health and society. 

Wageman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Columbia University, and a Ph.D in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University.  She has been a professor at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and Harvard University, where she has led many research programs in social and organizational sciences. 

Wageman wrote “Senior Leadership Teams: What it Takes to Make them Great,” (Harvard Business School Press) with Deb Nunes, Jim Burruss, and Richard Hackman, as well as many influential peer-reviewed articles.  Wageman designed the Team Diagnostic Survey with Richard Hackman and Erin Lehman.  The TDS is a powerful, well-validated assessment that measures how well the conditions that drive effectiveness are established for a team.