Varshini
Balaji

Context

I co-authored (with Karen Dahms and Jennifer Brown) the second edition of How To Be an Inclusive Leader, a book helping leaders and managers build inclusive, equitable teams and organizations by moving beyond theory into action.

Approach

I co-developed a four-stage continuum (Unaware, Aware, Active, Advocate) that guides leaders through examining their own biases, privilege, and influence. Grounded in real and relatable stories, the book translates personal reflection into clear strategies leaders can implement across each stage, ultimately helping them build organizations centered around trust and equity while driving better business results.

Result

The book is a publisher bestseller used globally in leadership development and to build more equitable and collaborative organizational cultures.

Context

I worked with the Center for New York City Affairs to improve the FAFSA application process for students in vulnerable conditions, specifically first-generation students and students with undocumented parents.

Approach

I conducted user interviews and focus groups with students, parents, and counselors to understand barriers in the FAFSA application process for first-generation students and students with undocumented parents.

Result

I translated key insights into strategic recommendations such as language translation, use of visual aids, and a clear FAQ section to create engaging and condensed resource guides that directly support students applying for FAFSA.

Context

I partnered on a global research project, working with an organization, Mann, that provides vocational training and job placement services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The project was focused on two key research questions: a) How are employees with IDD experiencing the workplace? and b) Are they in a work environment that provides sufficient resources, accessibility, and accommodations they need to succeed?

Approach

Using a mixed-methods ethnographic approach, I engaged people with intellectual disabilities, job coaches, caregivers, and managers to explore how competing definitions of "success" and "independence" shape workplace outcomes. My contributions included multilingual translation and transcription, thematic coding, and co-authoring a findings report with actionable recommendations for workplaces nationwide.

Result

This project translated India's Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act of 2016 into actionable guidance for accessible onboarding, inclusive HR policies, supportive management practices, and team culture, helping organizations better recruit, support, and integrate employees with IDD.

Context

In 2021, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) staged a 15-day hunger strike to demand relief from crushing medallion debt, a crisis that devastated the incomes of thousands of taxi workers following the rise of rideshare apps and claimed the lives of several drivers by suicide. The hunger strike was led by current New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who at the time was serving as a New York State Assemblymember.

Approach

Through 10 one-on-one interviews with taxi drivers and union leaders, I applied thematic coding to surface narratives most likely to resonate with broader public audiences. I authored the full project narrative, grounding it in an individual case study woven together with wider research findings, and co-designed participatory workshop activities that brought drivers and union leaders together to identify practices of mutual care and solidarity.

Result

In November 2021, the taxi drivers came to a three way agreement between NYTWA, the de Blasio administration, and the city's medallion lenders. The agreement involved a city-backed taxi medallion guarantee and for drivers who owe nearly $550,000 each, their debt was reduced to $170,000.

Context

I conducted ethnographic fieldwork across the Middle East and South Asia with low-income migrant workers to document their labor conditions and the ways they build community under precarious circumstances. This project was funded by the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility and the India China Institute.

Approach

Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation, I gathered comprehensive data on their lived experiences. Interviews were conducted across multiple Indian languages (Tamil and Hindi), allowing for deeper engagement with participants in their native tongues.

Result

Through this rigorous process, I uncovered how the collapse of formal infrastructural networks gives rise to a profound reordering, one in which people themselves become the infrastructure, sustaining one another through monetary support, care, and solidarity.