Dr. Katrina Monton

Dr. Katrina Monton is an Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of Experiential Learning in the Organizational Psychology Program at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP).

Prior to joining Rutgers, she taught at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies and Teachers College, where she designed and instructed courses in group dynamics, social psychology, and organizational behavior.

Dr. Monton’s work bridges scholarship and practice. As a researcher, educator, and consultant, she examines how organizational cultures shape performance, well-being, and belonging in high-performance environments. Her expertise draws on systems psychodynamics, organizational culture, leadership, and group dynamics to understand the often unseen dynamics that sustain both excellence and harm.

Her research has been presented nationally and internationally, including at the Academy of Management (AOM), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). She has also been invited to speak at the United Nations and the U.S. Department of Justice. Her scholarship appears in journals including Career Development International and Annals of Surgery, and her public scholarship has been featured in The Globe and Mail and Montreal Gazette.

Prior to her academic career, Dr. Monton was a member of the Canadian Women’s National Water Polo Team for more than a decade, helping Canada earn medals at six major international competitions. Following her athletic career, she completed an MA in Counselling Psychology at McGill University and practiced as a clinical counselor in Montreal.

• Organizational Psychology: Science and Practice
• Organizational Development and Change
• Experiential Group Dynamics
• Leadership 

Dr. Monton's research examines how organizational cultures shape performance, well-being, and belonging in high-performance environments. Drawing on organizational psychology, systems psychodynamics, and organizational theory, her work explores the often unseen cultural, structural, and relational dynamics that enable both excellence and harm.

Much of her research uses elite sport as a lens through which to better understand broader organizational phenomena, including leadership, organizational culture, psychological safety, masculinity contest cultures, and systems of accountability. Her work extends beyond sport to other high-performance domains, including medicine and healthcare, with a focus on identifying organizational practices that support both human flourishing and sustained performance.

Across her scholarship, Dr. Monton seeks to bridge research and practice by generating insights that help organizations create cultures where people and performance can thrive together.

Research Areas

• High-performance cultures and systems
• Organizational culture and climate
• Psychological safety, voice, and silence
• Masculinity contest cultures
• Athlete and employee well-being
• Leadership and organizational responsibility
• Group dynamics and systems psychodynamics
• Safe and sustainable performance systems

Monton, K., & Noumair, D. (2026). Beneath the Surface: What Sport Reveals about High-Performance Systems. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Essays & Provocations. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863261433641

Monton, K., Venier, N., & Brazaitis, S. (2026). Organizational practices that champion people and performance: A case study of Speed Skating Canada. Frontiers in Organizational Psychology, 3, Article 1673007. https://doi.org/10.3389/forgp.2025.1673007

Monton, K., & Block, C. (2025). No pain, no gain? Masculinity contest culture in elite sport contexts. Career Development International. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-07-2024-0329

Monton, K., Monton, O., Ervin, A. M., Frank, A. L., Seal, S. M., Block, C. J., & Johnston, F. M. (2025). An Exploration of Culture in General Surgery Training Programs: A Scoping Review. Annals of Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000006932

Monton, K. (2025). Athlete maltreatment: A systems perspective on human rights and social justice in sport. In J. Zajda & Y. Vissing (Eds.), Globalisation and Human Rights for Democracy and Social Justice. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-80297-3_9

Vissing, Y., & Monton, K. (2025). The Symbolic Importance of Athlete Attire: What it States about Gender Equality and Justice. In J. Zajda & Y. Vissing (Eds.), Human Rights and Education Globally. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-88615-7_4

Monton, K., Broomes, A. M., Brassard, S., & Hewlin, P. (2022). The Role of Sport-Life Balance and Well-Being on Athletic Performance. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 21(1), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.53379/cjcd.2022.330