Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

Situation Descriptions In Situational Judgment Tests: A Matter Of Including Trait-Relevant Situational Cues?, Philipp Schapers, Stefan Krumm, Filip Lievens, Jan-Philipp Freudenstein, Julian Schulze, Cornelius J. Konig

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

SJTs have traditionally been conceptualized as low-fidelity simulations of how respond to work-related situations. Yet, several studies demonstrated that situation descriptions were necessary to solve some SJT items, whereas they were not needed for other SJT items. So far, no solid support was found for various factors (e.g., item characteristics, presentation format, instructions, and content domain) that make some situation descriptions relevant and others irrelevant for responding to SJT items. Building on trait activation theory, we posit that trait-relevant situational cues serve as an ignored factor in SJT situation descriptions. Across two main studies (N-1 = 269, N-2 = 1,092), …

Are Less Hierarchical Firms Organized Around Stronger Cultures? Evidence From Big Data, Arianna Marchetti, Phanish Puranam

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Research Summary: Are less hierarchical firms organized around stronger cultures instead? We analyze 1.5 million employee reviews on Glassdoor.com from 23,000 US-based firms, alongside data on managerial hierarchy estimated from 42 million professional social media profiles. Our findings confirm a negative association between managerial hierarchy and organizational culture strength. We explore two potential explanations for this association: Functional equivalence between the two, and culture fragmentation caused by managerial hierarchy. Multiple correlational tests show support for functional equivalence as a plausible explanation for the observed negative correlation. Our findings enhance our understanding of the complex relationships between organizational structure and culture …

The Effects Of Linguistic Ostracism On Job Performance. A Replication And An Extension, John Fiset, Devasheesh P. Bhave

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examined the phenomenon of linguistic ostracism—instances where a focal workgroup member perceives other members of their workgroup have rejected and/or excluded them by using a language they cannot comprehend. In a 2021 article, Fiset and Bhave observed that linguistic ostracism was related to two dimensions of job performance (interpersonal citizenship and deviance) and that disidentification served as an explanatory mechanism for the linguistic ostracism–job performance relationship. We constructively replicate and extend their work in several ways. First, we replicate prior effects on interpersonal citizenship and deviance and extend their work to focus on a third dimension of job performance: …

Perceptions Of Game-Based Assessments: The Role Of Test Takers' Occupational Background, Marie L. Ohlms, Klaus G. Melchers, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Game-based assessments (GBAs) have become increasingly popular in personnel selection. However, research on perceptions of GBAs has yielded mixed results, highlighting the need to explore variables that may shape perceptions of GBAs. Therefore, we examined whether test takers' occupational background and other person-related characteristics (i.e., gender, age, video game usage, openness to experience) are associated with their perceptions of GBAs. N = 179 individuals from technical and social occupational backgrounds rated their perceptions of GBAs and non-gamified tests. We found that GBAs were generally rated more positively than non-gamified tests in terms of organizational attractiveness, behavioral intentions toward the organization, …

Structural Empowerment And The Work Environment Of Nursing Home Care Workers In China, Yawen Ou

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

China is experiencing a profound demographic transformation as its population ages rapidly, driven by declining fertility, increased longevity, and long-term effects of the One- Child policy. Traditional family-based elderly care has become increasingly unsustainable due to the pressures of the “4-2-1” family structure and the rising prevalence of empty-nest households. In this context, there is an increasing trend in institutionalized elderly care, accompanied by a growing demand for Nursing Home Care Workers (NHCWs). In spite of their vital importance, NHCWs often face heavy workloads, poor compensation, low recognition, and limited professional autonomy. This study explores the work environment and structural …

Hybrid Quantum-Classical Optimization Of The Resource Scheduling Problem, Tyler Christeson, Md Habib Ullah, Ali Arabnya, Amin Khodaei, Rui Fan

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Resource scheduling is critical in many industries, especially in power systems where the Unit Commitment (UC) problem determines the on/off status and output levels of generators under physical and economic constraints. Traditional exact methods, such as Branch-and-Bound, Branch-and-Cut, dynamic programming and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP), remain the backbone of UC solution techniques, but they often rely on linear approximations or exhaustive search, leading to high computational burdens as system size grows. Metaheuristic approaches, such as genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and other evolutionary methods, have been explored to mitigate this complexity; however, they typically lack optimality guarantees, exhibit sensitivity to …

Peace Innovation And Healing: A Design Justice Framework To Support Change Processes, Strengthen Relationships, Foster Trust, And Build Community, Michelle Helman

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Many organizations aiming to achieve peace and health equity outcomes often focus their design processes and innovation efforts externally without addressing how their organizational culture can unintentionally reproduce the very harms they are trying to address. The purpose of this qualitative design research study is to explore the role of a design justice framework in piloting a Peace Innovation Project aimed at facilitating an organizational culture change process. Specifically, the study focuses on better understanding how integrating a design justice approach could support research collaborators to center equity and justice as core components in building a culture of peace and …

Embodying Design Justice: A Peace Education Framework To Strengthen Relationships, Foster Trust And Build Community, Michelle Helman

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

BACKGROUND

Groups working toward creating peace and equity often focus on external innovation without addressing internal culture shifts necessary to navigate change and achieve their goals. Michelle’s doctoral research and practice address this challenge through a design research study and peace innovation project focused on organizational culture transformation through a design justice framework. Findings suggest that interweaving the framework with storytelling, arts, and embodiment practices are key to support people in navigating change processes to strengthen relationships, foster trust, and build community.

ABOUT

The workshop offers an applied learning experience for participants to explore the concepts of design and innovation …

The Influence Of Continuous Improvement Initiatives On Employee Performance: The Mediating Role Of Organizational Culture. An Applied Study On Sharjah Police Science Academy, Fakhri Abdul Kareem Bani Doumii

Journal of Police and Legal Sciences

This research aims to investigate the effects of the Continuous Improvement (CI) Initiatives on the employees’ performance within the framework of Police Higher Education institution with special reference to the Sharjah Police Science Academy. It examines organizational culture as a mediating variable, through which the connection between CI Initiatives and improved performance results is explained. This research assesses the impact of each dimension of CI initiatives which includes employee involvement, process management, customer focus, leadership commitment, and training on employee performance indices which includes task performance, contextual performance, adaptive performance and counterproductive work behaviour. Using the PLS-SEM analysis, the study …

The Effect Of Servant Leadership And Psychological Safety On Employee Commitment And Workplace Engagement, Pierce J. Ippolito, Joshua S. Kay, Kevin J. Hurt

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

This paper presents a conceptual model of servant leadership, psychological safety, work engagement, and individual commitment. Psychological safety is positioned as a causal factor that provides answers addressing why servant leaders have positive effects on individual commitment and work engagement. The depicted model operates under the consideration that commitment and engagement serve two distinct roles based on the study conducted by Hirschfeld and Feild (2000). Theory-based propositions are developed linking servant leadership and psychological safety to individual commitment and work engagement. Finally, the authors provide a framework that may be utilized for future research.

Change Management With Ethical Leadership, Sophia Rudisill Holmes

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Ethical leadership ensures organizational environments are created and nurtured to support complex dilemmas that surface during change management. Leaders and followers in particular can navigate change management with intentional advance planning guided by the motives of their heart. The motives of a leader’s heart is observed by the ethical practices of their core values. Morally leaders and followers core values inform their ethical behaviors. Furthermore, Christian leaders have access to biblical scripture which provides a roadmap for leaders and followers in the mastery of adapting and not resisting during change management. Biblical scriptures also provide examples of practices that solve …

Effects Of Ai Transparency On Perceived Fairness In Ai-Driven Selection Tools: The Mediating Roles Of Ai Literacy And Attitudes Towards Ai, Tony Mellek

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly prominent feature of modern hiring, creating opportunities to enhance efficiency and consistency in selection. This study examined how AI transparency, AI literacy, and attitudes toward AI shape applicants’ perceptions of fairness when engaging with AI-scored pre-hire assessments. A sample of 290 U.S. adults were randomly assigned to either a high- or low-transparency hiring scenario and then completed measures of AI literacy, attitudes toward AI, and procedural fairness. Results indicated that both AI literacy and attitudes toward AI were strong and significant predictors of perceived procedural fairness, suggesting that applicants who feel knowledgeable about AI …

Experiencing Objectification In Platform Work: Food Delivery Riders’ Accounts Of Organizational Absence And Self-Valuation, Emerald Jay D. Ilac, Ma. Tonirose D. Mactal, Clarisse Aeaea M. Kilboy

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

This study aimed to explain how food delivery platform riders experience objectification in the context of platform-based work, with particular attention to how organizational practices and leadership shape experiences of marginalization, dignity, and voice. A qualitative design was employed using Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine food delivery platform riders to describe the essential structures of their lived experiences of objectification. Subaltern Theory was used as an interpretive lens in making sense of the findings. Five experiential themes were identified: (1) leaders’ non-presence resulting in perceived abandonment, (2) leaders’ devaluing of food delivery riders, (3) social devaluation …

Merger Crisis Role-Play: Organizational Behavior In Action, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

To advance professionally, students must be prepared to navigate dynamic and contentious organizational environments by articulating their varied views, protecting their personal and professional intentions, anticipating challenges, and then fostering consensus. This paper addresses a high-stakes, multi-round immersive role-play simulation of a company merger in an undergraduate Organizational Behavior course. Grounded in the core pillars of experiential learning, adaptive leadership, and organizational sensemaking, this classroom exercise places students in a pre-set, realistic post-merger leadership team facing immediate business challenges. Compared to traditional case studies, this method requires students to demonstrate real-time organizational behavior competencies, providing a powerful platform for negotiation …

Ai In The Workplace: Understanding Role Ambiguity, Employee Motivation, And Learning Engagement, Sheena Leah Metzger

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organizational processes has altered how work is performed and experienced by employees, yet empirical research examining the human implications of AI-driven change remains limited. This study examined the perceived impact of AI implementation on role ambiguity, employee motivation, and training engagement, and investigated the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS). Grounded in Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory and Organizational Support Theory (OST), the research examined how employees interpreted and responded to AI-related changes in their work environment.

The results offer valuable insights into a shifting perception of how employees experience technology in …

What Makes An Internationalizing Firm Entrepreneurial?, Daniel R. Clark, Robert J. Pidduck, Nicole E. Coviello

Management Faculty Publications

Zahra et al. (2024) argue that prior research has insufficient understanding of the entrepreneurial nature of internationalization. To address this, they integrate theories from management and international business to develop a firm-level typology that incorporates (1) the degree of radicalness of the firm’s entrepreneurial behavior and (2) the firm’s level of foreign market commitment. We advance these efforts by proposing that, to understand what makes an internationalizing firm entrepreneurial, researchers will also benefit from direct insights from entrepreneurship research. We retain Zahra et al.’s (2024) behavioral focus in our arguments but shift attention to the individuals …

Evolving Motives: How Art Collecting Has Changed Across Generations, Giovanni Mazzoleni

MA Theses

This thesis elucidates the changing reasons for collection in recent years and focuses on three generations of collectors: those born before 1950; those born between 1951-1980; and those born after 1981. It commences with a literature review of the initial collecting motivations and challenges, motives based on socio-cultural, economic and technological advancements which foster the importance and reasons for collections. To make this investigation tangible, a quantitative survey was adopted. Forty-five participants, each ranking their levels of agreement from one to five based on an assessment of eight statements based on five motives: economic, normative, uniqueness, hedonic and intellectual. Descriptive …

90-Day Consulting Engagement Grounded In Authentic And Servant Leadership Approaches–Building Capacity For Small Business, Michon Hicks

Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Capstone Abstracts

This doctoral capstone project examined a 90-day consulting engagement designed to strengthen organizational capacity in a small, M/WBE-certified professional services firm operating in a government contracting environment. Grounded in authentic and servant leadership frameworks, the engagement used a structured 30-60-90-day intervention model to assess leadership alignment, administrative infrastructure, human resources capacity, data management practices, and marketing readiness. The project employed an organizational health check-up approach to diagnose systemic gaps, co-create solutions with organizational leadership, and implement practical tools to improve operational consistency, compliance readiness, and leadership effectiveness. Outcomes of the engagement included improved leadership alignment, standardized administrative and operational workflows, …

We Can Be Heroes: Sustaining Vitally Engaged Social Heroes In A Heroic Organization (Act Up/New York), Michael Condren

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Contextual factors are particularly important in understanding social heroism, which is characterized by heroic action in the service of existing and emerging community values, principles and ideals (Franco et al., 2011). Social heroism almost always entails serious risks for the hero and frequently requires committed action over long time periods to achieve positive social change. Unlike other types of heroism, social heroism frequently emerges from and is enacted through organizations. However, heroism research has focused largely on individual factors involved in different types of heroic actions, such as character, moral development and courage. The goal of this study was to …

Work Disengagement: Motivational Regulation Shaped By Psychological Need Frustration And Perceived Injustice, Stephanie R. Dailey

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Employee disengagement represents a persistent global challenge, yet remains theoretically underdeveloped and is frequently conflated with burnout, behavioral withdrawal, or deviance. Building on Kahn’s (1990) original conceptualization, this dissertation reconceptualizes disengagement as a distinct motivational state characterized by the withdrawal of cognitive, emotional, and physical energies from role performance. Drawing on Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), Conservation of Resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), and the Job Demands–Resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), I test a model where disengagement emerges as a motivational response to psychological need frustration, where organizational justice functions as an upstream contextual antecedent. Two complementary studies …

Pedagogical Readiness And Adaptability In Higher Education In Egypt: An Exploration Of Generational Disparities In Ai Adoption., Maha Ahmed Zaki Dajani, Israa Lewaa, Hadia Fakhreldin

Business Administration

ABSTRACT

Dajani, M., LewaaElhamd, I., & FakhrEldin, H. (2025). Pedagogical readiness and adaptability in higher education in Egypt: An exploration of generational disparities in AI adoption. In Conference proceedings for the Annual Conference of Business, Economics and Politics in the Middle East (BEP-ME) 2025 (pp. 96,116). The British University in Egypt.

This study investigates generational differences in the adoption of AI tools in Egyptian higher education, examining how pedagogical readiness and adaptability influence engagement among students and educators. It addresses a key gap in the literature—the lack of an integrated pedagogical framework combining Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Constructivist …

Pedagogical Readiness And Adaptability In Higher Education In Egypt: An Exploration Of Generational Disparities In Ai Adoption, Maha Ahmed Zaki Dajani, Israa Lewaa Elhamd, Hadia Fakhr Eldin

Business Administration

This study investigates generational differences in the adoption of AI tools in Egyptian higher education, examining how pedagogical readiness and adaptability influence engagement among students and educators. It addresses a key gap in the literature—the lack of an integrated pedagogical framework combining Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Constructivist Learning Theory to explain AI adoption across generations. Prior studies have seldom compared Generations X, Y, and Z within one empirical model, and evidence from Egyptian universities remains limited despite distinctive cultural and institutional contexts shaping AI readiness.

Using a survey-based design grounded in these theories, the study employs structural equation modelling …

Too Warm To Lead? How Motherhood And Racioethnicity Shape Perceptions Of Warmth And Competence, Patricia Guerrero

Management Dissertations

Women continue to face workplace bias, including wage disparities (Fry & Aragao, 2025) and barriers to advancement like the glass ceiling (Babic & Hansez, 2021). For mothers these challenges are compounded by stereotypes tied to their maternal status, such as assumptions about reduced commitment and the motherhood penalty (Arena Jr. et al., 2023). Research shows mothers are often viewed as warmer but less competent than non-mothers, which can hinder career progression (Cuddy et al., 2004; Heilman & Okimoto, 2008). Racial and ethnic stereotypes further shape perceptions, with Black women often labeled as “aggressive” and Latinas as “nurturing” (Ghavami & Peplau, …

The Effects Of Bilingual Services In Adaptively Leading Shared Parishes, John Patrick Cahill

Dissertations

Shared parishes are churches that have services in more than one language. Pastors struggle with how to lead, unify, and pastorally respond as populations shift and demographics change. One-third of the Catholic parishes in the United States have Mass in more than one language every Sunday. Leaders need to adapt by exploring bilingual services as a way to be more effective and inclusive. This descriptive quantitative study examined three blocks of parishioners at a particular shared parish: (a) those who attend Mass in English, (b) those who attend Mass in Spanish, and (c) those who attend the bilingual Mass. A …

Ai In The Workplace: Understanding The Path Between Ai Adoption Intensity And Ai-Induced Job Insecurity, Joanna J. Frieske

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more embedded in organizational workflows and is reshaping work environments, changing how we work, make decisions, stay engaged, perform, and learn. While AI adoption is associated with a wide range of benefits, it also presents negative aspects that may affect employee experiences and influence the future of work. Drawing on extant literature and on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, this research proposes a model in which psychological safety mediates the relationship between AI adoption intensity and job insecurity, while procedural justice and AI self-efficacy act …

Why We Stayed, Why We Left: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Hispanic/Latino Child Welfare Professionals’ Experiences Of Organizational And Safety Culture, Cynthia Franco

Theses and Dissertations

This hermeneutic phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of Hispanic/Latino child welfare professionals who were formerly employed at a large urban public child welfare agency. Despite the growing representation of Hispanic/Latino children and families in child welfare systems and the strong vocational commitment of Hispanic/Latino professionals, this group remains underrepresented in the workforce and experiences notable patterns of early attrition. Grounded in safety science and psychological safety frameworks, this study explores how organizational culture, leadership practices, and identity-related dynamics shape professional meaning-making, well-being, and decisions to remain in or leave the field.

Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and …

Shaping Occupational Self-Efficacy In Complex Jobs: Cognitive Flexibility, Role Stressors, And The Workplace, Carolyn Henn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Career advancement in many professions requires employees to move beyond a single specialized role and perform effectively across different responsibilities. These complex jobs often combine technical work, project oversight, client interaction, financial accountability, and coordination with others. Successfully managing these overlapping responsibilities requires strong occupational self-efficacy, but not much is known about the factors that shape employees’ confidence in their ability to perform in complex jobs, particularly under role stress. This study uses cross-sectional survey data from 132 full-time professionals working in complex, multi-role jobs across a range of industries to examine how cognitive flexibility, role stressors, and job demands …

Examining Moral Susceptibility In Ai Vs. Human-Assisted Decision-Making, Seth James Fogle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly integrated into decision-making contexts, yet their influence on ethical judgment remains unclear. This study examines whether advice from an AI advisor, compared to a human advisor, affects moral susceptibility in a consumer decision-making scenario. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design (advisor type × price condition), this research tests whether personal agency, perceived objectivity, and diffusion of responsibility operate as psychological mechanisms underlying ethical decision-making.

Results indicate that advisor type did not significantly influence moral susceptibility, nor did it significantly affect the proposed mediators. Additionally, the price condition did not moderate these relationships. …

Sports And Corporate Innovation, Bing Qin

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Driven by the digital economy and intensifying global competition, corporate innovation has become a core driver of sustainable growth. Topmanagement members are key strategic decision-makers, and their individual characteristics critically influence the formulation and implementation of innovation strategies. While existing studies have examined the impact of topmanagement’s cognitive and psychological traits on innovation performance, significant gaps remain in understanding how their routine behavioral preferences—particularly running, a globally prevalent exercise—affect innovation performance through psychological mechanisms. The systematic relationship between running preferences, top management’s psychological traits, and organizational innovation outcomes remains underexplored.

Against this backdrop, the study investigates the mechanismthroughwhich top management’s …

Gamification Of Online And Onsite Corporate Trainings In The Philippines, Jyro B. Triviño, Kylie Rayne S. Cai, Jan Angeli G. Cane, Clarissa Marie R. Fernandez, Faith D. Goli Cruz, Kleid L. Pedraja

Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD)

This study examined Filipino corporate trainers’ views on the effectiveness of gamification in onsite and online training. Using Clark and Braun’s thematic analysis, eight trainers shared their insights into its impact on engagement, motivation, and reinforcement. Results showed gamification can boost participation and structure learning, but its success depends on deliberate integration of game elements and digital tools. This varied slightly between modalities, especially when involving inductive and deductive assessments. Trainers emphasized the importance of incorporating interactive activities, providing feedback, enhancing competition, and offering rewards to strengthen engagement. The study also identified the complementary benefits of online and onsite training …