Michèle Lamont

Michèle Lamont turns the intangibles of dignity and recognition into a working blueprint for cultures where people feel seen, stay committed, and do their best work.

Inclusion & Belonging Organizational Belonging Inclusive Leadership Workplace Equity Organizational Culture

Cambridge, United States

Videos

Watch Michèle in Action

Michèle Lamont: How to heal a divided world | TED Talk (Video)

Bio

About Michèle Lamont

As artificial intelligence spreads across the business world, Michèle Lamont points to something vital that humans can give each other and machines cannot: recognition. Lamont is a pioneer in cultural and comparative sociology. Her research on stigma and its corrosive effects spans the United States, Europe, Brazil and Israel, and she co-chaired the advisory board to the 2021-22 UN Human Development Report, Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives.

"Most people think of work as something that gives you money, which gives you the tools to do other things in life," explains Lamont, who chairs Harvard's Weatherhead Research Cluster on Comparative Inequality and Inclusion. "But research really shows that what people seek at work is not only money but also meaningful relationships. Therefore, if we want people to be more committed to work, we really have to figure out how to engineer collective environments which are more empowering and where people feel more valued."

Topics

Michèle's Keynote Topics

With inequality, bias and stigma increasingly impacting how people relate within society, building a workplace culture of inclusion and dignity is vital. According to renowned Harvard cultural sociologist Michèle Lamont, workplaces where recognition, trust, and dignity are key can be built. In this revealing presentation, Lamont draws from her book, “Seeing Others” (2023) to outline a framework for creating successful workplace cultures. From building an inclusive environment where people can live authentically to understanding the values and needs of multiple generations that are in the workforce or soon to enter it, leaders will learn to create sustainable workplaces with committed employees, boosting employee retention, collaboration and productivity.

Between racial tensions, inequality, and the spread of misinformation, the feeling that society has reached a moment of crisis is growing. But, according to renowned Harvard cultural sociologist Michèle Lamont, organizational leaders can help foster hope. In this eye-opening presentation, Lamont advises leaders to think about work more holistically. While in its simplest terms work is a way to earn money, her research shows that we crave much more than just a paycheck from our jobs. Audiences will learn how to engineer collective environments where employees feel recognized as a valued part of the greater whole, allowing them to bring the recognition and hope beyond their places of work and into their communities and beyond.

How can we practically evaluate the meaning of achievement, the calculation of worth, and what we have come to value? According to renowned Harvard cultural sociologist Michèle Lamont, dignity is directly connected to the extent to which a person is seen by others. In this engaging presentation, Lamont draws from her book, “Seeing Others” (2023), to take a broad perspective in describing how we can and ought to shape our “scripts” of success to the benefit of generations to come. She illustrates how we judge ourselves and others in terms of self-reliance, competition, accomplishment, and wealth. In an era of growing inequality, these narratives loom larger than ever. Audiences will learn how narratives help to reduce stigma and put change within reach at the emotional, social, and societal levels, making dignity a vital ingredient of every social interaction on the street, with agents of change, and in the halls of power.

Research & Writing