What Is Vulnerability at Work? Clarifying the Concept and Integrating Perspectives.
Published: 22 May 2026
24 June 2026. WOPE Seminar Series with Dr Ashley Fulmer, Georgia State University, USA
Dr Ashley Fulmer, Georgia State Univeristy. What Us Vulnerability at Work? Clarifying the Concept and Integrating Perspectives.
Wednesday, 24 June 2026. 15:00 - 16:30 Room 381, Adam Smith Business School Building
Abstract
Vulnerability is a pervasive, widely experienced, yet under-theorized reality of organizational life. Despite its relevance across diverse areas of management, including organizational behavior, strategy, and entrepreneurship, research on vulnerability remains fragmented, lacks a coherent conceptual foundation, and is often conflated with adjacent constructs, which limit theoretical integration and practical application. In this talk, I present one of the first comprehensive examinations of vulnerability in management. Drawing on multidisciplinary insights, I critically evaluate prevailing external and internal conceptual approaches to conceptualizing vulnerability and introduce an integrative definition. I discuss how individuals experience vulnerability both voluntarily and involuntarily, and the strategies they use to minimize exposure and mitigate susceptibility to harm. By clarifying the conceptual foundations of vulnerability and integrating previously disconnected perspectives into a coherent framework, this work positions vulnerability as a central construct in management that bridges research streams and informs organizational practices.
Bio
Ashley Fulmer is a Fulbright US Scholar and Associate Professor of Management at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University. She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on trust dynamics and vulnerability in organizations, with a focus on levels of analysis. Her work has been published in outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Journal of Management. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Review, Personnel Psychology, and Journal of Management, as well as on the executive board of the First International Network on Trust (FINT).
For further information, please contact business-seminar-series@gla.systa-s.com.
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First published: 22 May 2026