Barsade's interest in organizational behavior began at a young age. Her father would recount tales of his experiences at work during family dinners, often commenting on his approach to leadership and managerial decision making.^[4]

Barsade graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) in 1986, where her senior honors thesis under Dr. Bert Raven and an elective course in industrial/organizational psychology began her career in the field of organizational behavior.^[5] After a series of positions in industrial and start-up organizations, she enrolled for her PhD in Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, where her two mentors included Professors Barry M. Staw and Charles A. O’Reilly. She received the Hayase Award at UC Berkeley in 1992. Her most highly cited article, “The Ripple Effect: Emotional Contagion and its Influence on Group Behavior,” is based on her dissertation work at Berkeley,^[6] focusing on the use of multiple methodologies triangulating in on a novel theoretical construct of contagion. This paper was cited by Thomson Reuters’ Essential Science Indicators as one of the most cited papers, and chosen as a “Fast Moving Front” on ScienceWatch in May, 2009.^[7]

Barsade was a scholar of emotional contagion, emotional intelligence, and organizational culture, and is credited with coining the term “affective revolution in organizations” ^[8] to capture the growing body of research on emotions in organizations and groups. She co-created and co-led Wharton's teamwork and leadership course for MBA students with Nancy Rothbard.^[9] She was the Joseph Frank Bernstein Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and was previously an Associate Professor of Management at Yale. Barsade also contributed in various capacities at the Academy of Management, most recently as OB Division Chair.^[9]

Barsade mentored women and junior scholars, supported the Black Lives Matter movement, served as a board member at several organizations and charities, and as an expert witness. She also helped co-found the CT Children's Museum.^[5]

Barsade died on February 6, 2022, at the age of 56, after two years with glioblastoma.^[10]

An award-winning researcher, Barsade received prestigious accolades for her scholarly work including the “2020 ASQ Award for Scholarly Contribution” and the “2017 Academy of Management Perspectives Decade Award”.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

• Research articles by Sigal Barsade, Wharton School website
• Barsade, S. G. (2021). What I have learned... In my journey as a scholar. In X.P. Chen & K.H. Steensma (Eds.), A Journey Toward Influential Scholarship: Insights from Leading Management Scholars. Oxford University Press.
• Barsade, S. G., Coutifaris, C. G. V., & Pillemer, J. (2018). Emotional contagion in organizational life. Research in Organizational Behavior. 38, 137–151.
• Barsade, S. G., & O'Neill, O. A. (2014). What's love got to do with it? A longitudinal study of the culture of companionate love and employee and client outcomes in a long-term care setting. Administrative Science Quarterly, 59(4), 551.
• Chatman, J. A., & Barsade, S. G. (1995). Personality, organizational culture, and cooperation: Evidence from a business simulation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40 (3), 423–443.