Elisa OPERTI

Elisa OPERTI is a Professor in the Management Department at ESSEC Business School, France, a position she has held since 2022. She previously served as Associate Professor (2015-2022) and Assistant Professor (2011-2015) at the same institution. She is currently Head of the Management Department (2025-2028). Her academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Management from Università Bocconi, Italy (2009), following an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management (magna cum laude) from Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy (2003).

Professor Operti's research spans several interconnected domains within organizational studies. Her work primarily investigates the intersection of social networks, gender dynamics, and organizational behavior, with particular attention to how rivalry and competition influence network activation and mobilization. She has made significant contributions to understanding gender differences in network returns, regional innovation systems, and the impact of economic crises on technological exploration. Her methodological approach combines quantitative analysis of large datasets with experimental and qualitative methods, allowing for both breadth and depth in her investigations.

Her most recent publications reveal a consistent focus on contextual factors affecting network returns, with particular emphasis on gender differences. Her 2025 paper in Journal of Management Studies demonstrates how rivalry creates a negative impact on women's network activation and mobilization due to misalignment with gender-based expectations. This work builds on her earlier research examining neighborhood rivalry in the Palio di Siena and systemic nature of rivalry in career mobility.

• Runner-up for the Best Entrepreneurship Paper Award (2023)
• Outstanding Service Award from TIM division of Academy of Management (2021)
• Multiple Academy of Management Best Reviewer Awards
• EGOS Best Paper Award (2015)
• TIM Best Paper Award from ASAC (2017)

Professor Operti serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Management and is on the editorial boards of several top management journals. She has supervised multiple PhD students including Amit Kumar, Shemuel Lampronti, Himanshu Bhatt, and currently co-supervises Francesca Nannetti. Her supervisory approach emphasizes methodological rigor, theoretical contribution, and the development of independent research capabilities in her students.