Explore Babson
Back to All Babson Back to All Babson
Close
Babson CollegeBabson College logo Centers & Institutes
High School Programs
profile image for Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

  • Professor
  • Camilla Latino Spinelli Endowed Term Chair
Academic Division: Management
781-239-5678
Jennifer Tosti-Kharas (hear my name) is the Camilla Latino Spinelli Endowed Term Chair and Professor of Organizational Behavior at Babson College. She teaches organizational behavior and leadership in the undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs. Prior to joining Babson, she was an Assistant Professor of Management at San Francisco State University. Jen earned her Ph.D. in Management with an emphasis on Organizational Behavior from New York University's Stern School of Business, and her B.S. in Economics with concentrations in Management and Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jen's research explores career development, with a focus on meaningful work and work as a calling. Her research has been published in outlets such as Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Personnel Psychology. Her research on calling won the Best Overall Paper Award from the Careers Division of the Academy of Management in both 2019 and 2021. She received the 2013 Best Micro Paper award from Group & Organization Management for her work on employee pro-environmental behaviors. The first edition of her co-authored "digital first" textbook, Organizational Behavior: Developing Skills for Managers (Pearson) is now available. She is also the co-editor of the Handbook of Research Methods in Careers (Edward Elgar). Her book with Christopher Wong Michaelson, "Is Your Work Worth It?" will be published in May 2024 by PublicAffairs.

Jen is on the editorial board of Journal of Organizational Behavior, and was a guest editor for the Journal of Business Ethics Special Issue on "Ethics and the Future of Meaningful Work". She was recently elected to the leadership track of the Careers Division of the Academy of Management, where she will begin as PDW Chair, having recently been Treasurer and Representative at-Large for the division.

Before entering academia, Jen worked as a strategy consultant at Accenture in New York City, specializing in the communications, media, and entertainment industries. She has appeared as a (winning!) contestant on the television game show Cash Cab, and officiated one marriage. In her free time, Jen enjoys skiing, yoga, knitting, baking, and seeing live music with her husband and two kids.

Academic Degrees

  • Ph D, Stern School of Business, New York University
  • M. Phil, Stern School of Business, New York University
  • BS, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Academic Interest / Expertise

Organizational behavior, Careers, Meaningful work and work as a calling, Employee sustainability behavior, Interdisciplinary teaching pedagogy

Awards & Honors

  • 2023 — Best Reviewer, Academy of Management, Careers Division
  • 2022 — Best Symposium Nominee, Academy of Management Managerial and Organizational Cognition Division
  • 2021 — Faculty Scholarship Award, Babson College
  • 2021 — Best Overall Paper, Academy of Management Careers Division
  • 2020 — Outstanding Reviewer, Career Development International
  • 2020 — Babson Research Scholar Award, Babson College
  • 2020 — Best Symposium Nominee, Academy of Management Careers Division
  • 2019 — Best Overall Paper, Academy of Management Careers Division
  • 2019 — Best Reviewer, Academy of Management, Careers Division
  • 2018 — Favorite Professor Honorable Mention, Babson College BL MBA
  • 2018 — Graduate School Excellence in Service Award, Babson College
  • 2018 — Faculty Research Fund Course Release, Babson College
  • 2018 — Best Symposium Proposal, Academy of Management Management & Spirituality Division
  • 2017 — BFRF Mini-Grant, Babson Faculty Research Fund
  • 2015 — Best Symposium Nominee, Academy of Management Careers Division
  • 2013 — Presidential Award for Probationary Faculty, San Francisco State University
  • 2013 — Best Paper, Micro Category, Group & Organization Management
  • 2012 — Best Reviewer, Academy of Management, Careers Division
  • 2010 — Best Reviewer, Academy of Management, Careers Division

Courses

  • Degree Courses 2025

    • HUM 4605 THE NATURE CULTURE AND FUTURE OF WORK

  • Degree Courses 2024

    • MOB 3524 CRAFTING A MEANINGFUL CAREER
    • MOB 7800 MANAGING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
    • MOB 1010 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

  • Degree Courses 2023

    • MOB 3524 CRAFTING A MEANINGFUL CAREER
    • MOB 1010 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Dobrow, S.R., Kappes, H.B. (2024). Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life? Testing fundamental assumptions about calling, effort, and enjoyment.. Journal of Management Scientific Reports. Vol: 2, Issue: 1, Page: 100-130.
  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Levinson, J.R. (2024). From "How-to" to "Why do?" A film-centered pedagogy for teaching contemporary careers. Journal of Management Education. Vol: 48, Issue: 2, Page: 367-398. link
  • Dobrow, S.R., Weisman, H., Heller, D., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2023). Calling and the good life: A meta-analysis and theoretical extension. Administrative Science Quarterly. Vol: 68, Issue: 2, Page: 508-550. link
  • Lysova, E.I., Tosti-Kharas, J., Michaelson, C.W., Fletcher, L., Bailey, C., McGhee, P. (2023). Ethics and the future of meaningful work: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Business Ethics. Vol: 185, Page: 713-723. link
  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Lamm, E. (2023). What really motivates you? A data-driven exercise and discussion. Management Teaching Review. Vol: 8, Issue: 2, Page: 180-196. link
  • Schultz, J.L., Comer, D.R., Holbrook, R., Lewis, V.J., Tosti-Kharas, J., Levinson, J.R., Wayne, K., Michaelson, C.W., Cooper, E.A., Tong, A.S. (2023). Two thumbs up: Teaching human resource management topics using recently-released films. Journal of Human Resources Education. Vol: 17, Issue: 1/2, Page: 1-38. link
  • DiRenzo, M.S., Tosti-Kharas, J., Powley, E.H. (2022). Called to serve: Exploring the relationship between career calling, career plateaus, and organizational commitment in the U.S. military. Journal of Career Assessment. Vol: 30, Issue: 1, Page: 60-77.
  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Michaelson, C. (2021). To mean is to be perceived: Studying the meaning of work through the eyes of others. Academy of Management Perspectives. Vol: 35, Issue: 3, Page: 503-516.
  • Carey, J.C., Beitelspacher, L.S., Tosti-Kharas, J., Swanson, E. (2021). A resource-efficient modular course design for co-teaching integrated sustainability in higher education: Developing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy. Vol: 4, Issue: 2, Page: 169-193.
  • Michaelson, C., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2020). A world changed: What post-9/11 stories tell us about the position of America, purpose of business, and meaning of work. Academy of Management Review. Vol: 45, Issue: 4, Page: 877-895. link
  • Wynstra, C.B., Cummings, K.H., Rodgers, V.L., Stillwagon, J.R., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2020). "Teaching 'Beyond the Horizon': Transdisciplinary Approaches". Eugene O'Neill Review, The. Vol: 41, Issue: 1, Page: 69-91. Penn State University Press.
  • Michaelson, C., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2019). Serving self or serving others? Close relations’ perspectives on ethics and calling. Journal of Vocational Behavior. Vol: 114, Page: 19-30.
  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Lamm, E., Thomas, T.E. (2017). Organization OR Environment? Disentangling Employees’ Rationales Behind Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment. Organization & Environment. Vol: 30, Issue: 3, Page: 187-210. Sage Publications, Inc..
  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Conley, C.A. (2016). Coding Psychological Constructs in Text Using Mechanical Turk: A Reliable, Accurate, and Efficient Alternative. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol: 7, Page: 9. Frontiers Research Foundation.
  • Lamm, E., Tosti-Kharas, J., King, C.E. (2015). Empowering employee sustainability: Perceived organizational support toward the environment. Journal of Business Ethics. Vol: 128, Issue: 1, Page: 207-220. Springer Netherlands.
  • Conley, C.A., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2014). Crowdsourcing content analysis for managerial research. Management Decision. Vol: 52, Issue: 4, Page: 675-688. Emerald Publishing Limited.
  • Kleinrichert, D., Tosti-Kharas, J., Albert, M., Eng, J.P. (2013). The Effect of a Business and Society Course on Business Student Attitudes Toward Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Education for Business. Vol: 88, Issue: 4, Page: 230-237. Routledge. link
  • Lamm, E., Tosti-Kharas, J., Williams, E. (2013). Read this article, but don’t print it: Organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment. Group & Organization Management. Vol: 38, Issue: 2, Page: 163-197.
  • Tosti-Kharas, J. (2012). Continued organizational identification following involuntary job loss. Journal of Managerial Psychology. Vol: 27, Issue: 8, Page: 829-847. Emerald Publishing Limited.
  • Dobrow, S.R., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2012). Listen to your heart: Calling and receptivity to career advice. Journal of Career Assessment. Vol: 20, Issue: 3, Page: 264-280. Sage Publications, Inc..
  • Dobrow, S.R., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2011). Calling: The development of a scale measure. Personnel Psychology. Vol: 64, Issue: 4, Page: 1001-1049.

Books

  • Michaelson, C.W., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2024). The Meaning and Purpose of Work: An Interdisciplinary Framework for Considering What Work is For. Routledge. link
  • Michaelson, C.W., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2024). Is Your Work Worth It? How To Think About Meaningful Work. PublicAffairs. link
  • Murphy, W.C., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2021). The Handbook of Research Methods in Careers. Edward Elgar.
  • Lamm, E., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2020). Organizational Behavior: Developing Skills for Managers. Pearson Education, Inc.. link

Cases and Teaching Notes

  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Levinson, J.R. (2020). "Downsizing is about saving yourself:" The paradoxical nature of work and career success in Downsizing. SAGE Business Case Series on the Humanities and Arts in Business.

Book Chapters

  • Akkermans, J., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2025). The future of careers: Imagining the Post-Covid Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities. Routledge.
  • Tosti-Kharas, J., Michaelson, C. (2023). A calling to heroism: Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. Springer.
  • Dokko, G., Tosti-Kharas, J., Barbulescu, R. (2020). Bridging micro and macro: An interdisciplinary review of theories used in career studies: The Routledge Companion to Career Studies. Page: 25-41. Routledge.
  • Riza, S.D., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2017). Work as a calling: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Issue: 2nd Edition. Sage Publications.
  • Murphy, W.C., Chandler, D.E., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2016). Developing Millennial leaders: A careers approach: Generational Differences in Work Values and Work Ethic: An International Perspective. Nova Science Publishers.
  • Wrzesniewski, A., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2006). Career as a calling: Encyclopedia of Career Development. Sage Publications.

Articles - Circular or newsletter (e.g., Babson Insight)

  • Michaelson, C.W., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2024). Steve Jobs was wrong. Finding work that you love might be the worst thing you can do.: Fortune. link
  • Michaelson, C.W., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2024). 5 thoughts for new college grads seeking to find the right balance between meaningful work and making money: The Conversation. link
  • Michaelson, C.W., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2024). What happens when technology replaces the need for workers?: Fast Company. link
  • Michaelson, C.W., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2023). Wealth or work? How to make the world a better place.: Meaning and Purpose Network (MaPNet) Series. King's Business School. link
  • Michaelson, C., Tosti-Kharas, J. (2016). Work worth dying for?: Huffington Post. link

Presentations

  • We can work it out: An interdisciplinary, narrative-centered pedagogy Levinson, J. Tosti-Kharas, J. Art of Management & Organization Conference, Liverpool, England (2022)
  • Moving a project-based experiential course online: Babson's experience with FME Tosti-Kharas, J. Babson Collaborative Webinar, Online (2020)
  • Silver Screen Solutions: Teaching Management Topics Using Recently Released Films Levinson, J. Tosti-Kharas, J. Academy of Management Conference, Boston, MA (2019)
  • Generation Me or Generation We? A Critical Review and Research Agenda for Understanding Millennials’ Careers Tosti-Kharas, J. Chanland, D. Murphy, W. Dobrow, S. Academy of Management , Chicago, IL (2018)
  • Macbeth Spiess, S. Tosti-Kharas, J. Macbeth & Leadership, Babson College (2018)
  • Innovating how we teach innovation: Innovation and entrepreneurship - courses, resources, and incubators Yamakawa, Y. Fixson, S. Tosti-Kharas, J. Academy of Management Conference, Anaheim (2016)
MoreGreen Chevron

Department & College Wide Services

  • Appointments Decision-Making Body (Fall 2023 - Spring 2025)
  • Institutional Review Board (Summer 2017 - Summer 2022)
  • Faculty Senate (Fall 2016 - Fall 2019)
  • Senate Executive Committee (Fall 2018 - Spring 2019)