Dr Etlyn Kenny

Dr Etlyn Kenny

Department of Management
Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 6219
Email
e.j.kenny@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Birmingham Business School
University House
Birmingham
B15 2TY

Etlyn Kenny joined Birmingham Business School in September 2014 and is a member of the Department of Management.  Prior to this Etlyn was a lecturer in the Department of Organisational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London.  Etlyn is currently the module leader for the Training and Development module on the MSc HRM.

Etlyn's research interests are in the field of employee diversity and organisational careers. Her research and publications focus both on how employees experience organisations as minorities as well as the analysis of organisational practices and structures designed to facilitate equal access to career opportunities and progression.

Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Human Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham
  • MSc Occupational Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London
  • PhD Organizational Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London

Teaching

  • Training and Development -  MSc Human Resource Management
  • Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management – Executive MBA
  • Dissertation Supervision – MSc Human Resource Management

Postgraduate supervision

Etlyn co-supervised Dr Giulia Guinti’s PhD student who graduated in 2019.  She is seeking to supervise PhD students interested in pursuing research in line with her current research interests in diversity and organisational careers.

Research

Dr Kenny’s research focuses on how careers are influenced by demographic categories.  Her current work focuses on:

  • Minority ethnicity and career-related experiences
  • Women and careers in technology and other male-dominated professions
  • Social class and entry to elite careers

She has conducted research with employees from a wide range of organisations including the military, civil service, technology industry, investment banks, and the media. Etlyn’s research is funded by a range of funders including the British Academy and the UK Government. 

Other activities

Professional Qualifications

  • Chartered Psychologist, Division of Occupational Psychology, British Psychological Society
  • Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Professional Memberships

  • Member of British Academy of Management
  • Member of European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology
  • Member of the American Academy of Management

External Examining Roles

External Examiner at the University of Liverpool and at Swansea University

Publications

Journal articles

Fernando, D. & Kenny, E. (in press) Negotiating a Sense of Fit in Elite Higher Education: Exploring the Identity Work of Widening Participation Students. Academy of Management Learning & Education https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2019.0358

Kenny, E. J. & Donnelly, R. (2020) Navigating the gender structure in IT: How does this affect the experiences and behaviours of women in tech?  Human Relations, 73 (3) 326-350.

Fernando, W .D .A. & Kenny, E. J. (2018) Navigating panethnic categorization in the workplace: A study of British Sri Lankan employees. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 91 (4) 769-797.

Kenny, E. J. & Briner, R. B. (2014) Stereotype threat and minority ethnic employees: What should our research priorities be?  Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 7 (3) 425-429.

Kenny, E. J. & Briner, R.B. (2013) Increases in salience of ethnic identity at work: the roles of ethnic assignation and ethnic identification. Human Relations, 66 (5), 725-748.

Kenny, E. J. & Briner, R. B. (2010). Exploring ethnicity in organizations. Equality, Diversity, Inclusion: An International Journal, 29, (4), 348-363.

Kenny, E.J. & Briner, R.B. (2007) Ethnicity and behaviour in organizations: A review of British research. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 80, (3), 437-457.

Book chapters

Kenny, E. J. (2017) Minority ethnic employees experiences in the workplace. In Cornish T. & Calvard T. (Eds). The Psychology of Ethnicity in Organizations.  London: Palgrave. 

Reports

Moore, J., Higham, L., Moutford-Zimdars, A., Ashley, L., Birkett, H., Duberley, J.  & Kenny, E. J. (2016) Socio-economic diversity in life sciences and investment banking.  Social Mobility Commission, London.

Conferences

Kenny, E. J. & Donnelly, R. (2020) The tech sector in the UK: On a road to greater inequality? CIPD Applied Research Conference, Dublin, January 2020.

Kenny, E. J. & Donnelly, R. (2019) Gender balancing tech work through HRM. Gender and HRM: Advances, Challenges and Future Directions, British Academy of Management Special Interest Group Workshop, Manchester, June 2019.

Kenny, E. J.& Donnelly, R. (2018) Navigating the gender structure in IT: Examining women's experiences and behaviors.  American Academy of Management Conference, Best Paper Proceedings, Gender, Diversity and Organisation Stream, Chicago, USA, August 2018.

Kenny, E. J. & Donnelly, R. (2018) ‘Women can’t code’: Female IT Professionals Navigating Assumptions, Bias and Identity, Accepted at the British Psychological Association Division of Occupational Psychology Conference, Stratford-upon-Avon, January 2018.

Kenny, E. J. & Donnelly, R. (2017) Women in IT: Navigating gender salience in an increasingly male dominated industry. British Academy of Management Conference, Coventry, September 2017.

Kenny, E. J. (2014) Increasing ‘safety’, minimising identity threat, de-stigmatising salience: Towards making organizations fit for a diverse workforce. International Congress on Applied Psychology, Paris, July 2014.

Kenny, E. J. & Briner, R. B. (2013). Understanding increases in the salience of minority ethnic identity at work. 16th European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology, Muenster, Germany, May 2013.

Kenny, E.J. & Briner, R. B. (2008). A study of ethnicity in organizations. Proceedings of the Equal Opportunities International Conference, Norwich, July 2008.

Kenny, E.J. & Briner, R. B. (2006). Experiencing ethnicity at work: A study of black British professionals. Proceedings of the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference, Glasgow, January 2006, 44-46.

Kenny, E.J. & Briner, R. B. (2005). Experiences and identities: Ethnicity in organizations. European Group of Organizational Studies conference, Berlin, July 2005.

Kenny, E.J. & Briner, R. B. (2004). Ethnicity in organizations: The contribution of UK organizational psychology. Proceedings of the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference, Stratford-upon-Avon, January 2004, pp 87-90.

Kenny, E.J. & Briner, R. B. (2003). Entry into graduate careers: The role of ethnicity and social class in career decision-making. 11th European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology, Lisbon, Portugal May 2003.

Presentations and Keynote Addresses

Kenny, E. J. (2019) Women, computing and identity: Navigating the gender structure in IT. Presentation to Edinburgh Napier University, June 2019.

Kenny, E .J. (2018) Female and minority ethnic professionals: Making sense of minority status.  Presentation to the UoB College of Social Sciences Research Conference on Diversity and Inclusion, Oct 2018.

Kenny, E .J. (2018) Women, computing and identity: Navigating the gender structure in IT.  Presentation for Presentation for Essex Business School Centre for Work Organisation and Society Seminar Series 2017/18, May 2018.

Kenny, E .J. (2018) Navigating the gender structure in IT.  WIRC presentation, Birmingham Business School. May 2018.

Briner, R B; Wilde, J., Tuit, D. & Kenny, E. J. (2014) Evidence based organisational psychology practice: the case of a UK based ethnicity driven social innovation in a fortune 100 company. BPS Division of Occupational Psychology and Diversity and Inclusion at Work Event, Birkbeck, University of London, March 2014.

Briner, R B; Wilde, J., Tuit, D. & Kenny, E. J. (2014) Evidence based organisational psychology practice: the case of a UK based ethnicity driven social innovation in a fortune 100 company. BPS Division of Occupational Psychology and Diversity and Inclusion at Work Event, Aston University, Birmingham, March 2014.

Kenny, E. J. & Briner, R. B. (2013) Employee network groups: Some background research. Presentation to Higher Education Race Action Group, June 2013.

Kenny, E. J. (2011) Psychology and ethnicity in the UK: The research.  Keynote address given to the Ethnicity at Work: the Value of Psychology Conference. British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Ethnic Diversity at Work Group.  London, September 2011.

Kenny, E. J. (2008) Organizational psychology and ethnicity research:  Where have we been and where are we going?  Presentation given to the Organizational Psychology and Ethnicity at Work: Research Agenda, Approaches and Perspectives Seminar.  Birkbeck, University of London, June 2008.

Briner, R. B.; Kenny, E. J.; Miller, G.; Kandola, B. (2005) Understanding ethnicity and work behaviour: The challenges for UK occupational psychology research and practice. Professional forum delivered to the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology Conference, Warwick, January 2005.

Blogs

Kenny, E. J. & Donnelly, R. (2020) Women in Tech Work: Navigating the Gender Structure.  American Sociological Association Work in Progress, April 23 2020. http://www.wipsociology.org/2020/04/23/women-in-tech-work-navigating-the-gender-structure/

View all publications in research portal