Trevor Spelman
Trevor Spelman is a Ph.D. candidate in Management & Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. His research investigates how political conflict and group-based worldviews shape interpersonal relationships, decision-making, and workplace dynamics. Drawing on experimental, survey, cross-cultural, and archival methods, Trevor studies when and why political identity becomes a fault line in organizations — and how it influences outcomes such as incivility, employee voice, turnover, and psychological safety.
Grounded in social identity theory, intergroup conflict theory, and research on group dynamics, Trevor’s work explores a central question: What are the interpersonal and professional costs of disagreement — and how are those costs distributed in politically diverse groups? His dissertation examines how anticipated rejection and loyalty concerns influence people’s willingness to express dissenting views, and how those dynamics affect interpersonal relationships and collective decision-making.
Prior to Kellogg, Trevor was a Research Associate in the Negotiations, Organizations, and Markets unit at Harvard Business School and an affiliate of the Harvard Program on Negotiation.
Trevor is on the 2025–2026 academic job market.