Biography
Tashlin Lakhani is an assistant professor of management and organizations at the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, part of the Cornell SC Johnson School of Business. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) and holds a M.S. in ILR, a M.S. of Industrial Relations from Queen’s University and an Honors B.S. of Business Administration with high distinction from Wilfrid Laurier University. Before joining Cornell, she was an assistant professor of management and human resources in the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.
Lakhani’s research examines how changes in the organization of work shape employment practices and influence worker and firm outcomes. She studies how firms manage workers under different organizational arrangements, including franchise, corporate and independent ownership structures, chain organizations, gig work and global supply chains, and has also examined labor relations and employment law. Her work has appeared in Organization Science, Human Resource Management, Industrial & Labor Relations Review and the British Journal of Industrial Relations, as well as in book chapters and industry reports. She has presented her research at leading academic and industry conferences.
She has received several awards for her research, including the Seidman Prize at Cornell University, the Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award from the Academy of Management Human Resources Division, the Thomas A. Kochan and Stephen R. Sleigh Best Dissertation Award from the Labor and Employment Relations Association and the Industry Studies Association Best Dissertation Award.
Lakhani has also received individual and team grants from organizations including the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Labor and Employment Relations Association, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation.
Education
PhD School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, 2014 MS School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University, 2011 MILR School of Policy Studies, Queen's University, 2006 BBA School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2005
Research
- Lakhani, Tashlin; Ouyang, Can. "Chain Affiliation and Human Resource Investments: Evidence from the Restaurant Industry"Organization Science. 33.6 (2022): 2209-2225
- Lakhani, Tashlin. "How and Why Does Franchise Ownership Affect Human Resource Practices: Evidence from the US Hotel Industry"Industrial and Labor Relations Review. 75.2 (2022): 321–347
- Maffie, Michael; Lakhani, Tashlin. "Human Resource Management in New Service Arrangements: Extending the Ability, Motivation, Opportunity Framework Into the Gig Economy"Human Resource Management. 64.5 (2025): 1263-1280
- Lakhani, Tashlin; Ouyang, Can; Chung, Hyesook; Batt, Rosemary. "Line Managers as Conduits of Corporate Standards: Evidence from Human Resource Practices in Fast Food Franchise Chains"Human Resource Management. (forthcoming).
Awards
- Ted Teng ’79 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award (2025 - 2026) Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration
- Best Undergraduate Elective Course Teaching Award for HADM 3340: Franchising in the Hospitality Industry (2024) Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration
- Sophmore Core Teaching Award for HADM 2810: Human Resources Management (2022) Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration
- Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award (2015) Academy of Management, The Human Resources Division
- Industry Studies Association Best Dissertation Award, First Place (2015) Industry Studies Association