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Adria L. Scharf

  • Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Human Resource Management (HRM)
  • Senior Associate Director, Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
adria.scharf@rutgers.edu
Expertise
  • Employee Ownership Models
  • Wealth Inequality
  • Job Quality
  • Why Business Owners Sell to their Workers


Adria Scharf, Ph.D. is a sociologist whose work centers on organizations, work, and ownership—with particular expertise in employee-owned business models. She serves as Senior Associate Director of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Human Resource Management at the Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations. She directs the Curriculum Library for Employee Ownership (cleo.rutgers.edu), the world’s largest online library of teaching and research materials on employee ownership and is developing the Employee Ownership Applied Research Lab, which translates research into practical tools to benefit workers, businesses, and communities. 

Courses
  • Employee Ownership & Equity Compensation (HRM)
  • HR in Tech (HRM)
  • Democratic Workplaces (LSER)
  • Women and Work in American Society (LSER)
  • Research Methods (LSER)
Recent Publications

Scharf, Adria. (2025). “The Impact of Employee Share Ownership on Job Quality: Insights from Closely Held Businesses.” International Review of Applied Economics. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692171.2025.2488767

Blasi, Joseph, Scharf, Adria, and Kruse, Douglas. (2023). “Employee Ownership in the U.S.: Some Issues on ESOPs – Overcoming the Barriers to Further Development.” Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPEO-11-2022-0028

Scharf, Adria, Eaton, Adrienne, Ji, Minsun, Kerr, Camille, and Pinto, Sanjay. (2023). Just Health: Case Studies of Worker Cooperatives in Health and Care Sectors. Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, Rutgers University.

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Related Links

Human Resource Management (HRM)

Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing