Rao is the Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. In addition, he is a Fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, a Fellow of the Sociological Research Association and also a Fellow of the Academy of Management.  His research has also been published in journals such as the Administrative Science Quarterly, American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science and Strategic Management Journal.  His teaching specialties include leading organizational change, building customer focused cultures, and organization design. He teaches courses on these topics to MBA and executive audiences.

Rao is co-author of the recent book Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less. Drawing on their own experience, Rao and co-author, Robert Sutton, identify the key principles necessary to ensure the successful growth and spread of any organization. Rao previously published Market Rebels: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovation.