Journal of Business and Psychology
Stay current with IO Psychology research
Aggregated feeds from the field's top journals, automatically updated daily. Browse recent articles, explore past research, and subscribe via RSS.
Articles about
Abstract
Recent Articles
View all
Journal of Applied Psychology
Selection & Assessment
Diversity & Inclusion
Organizational Culture
Exposure to successful women and racial minorities who defy stereotypes about their groups leads to inflated perceptions of diversity in organizations.
Abstract
The presence of historically underrepresented minority employees who defy negative stereotypes can have widespread organizational benefits. For example, hiring highly successful women and racial minority employees can reduce stereotypes about their groups, set a precedent for more inclusive norms, and create role models for members of stereotyped groups. Yet, defying stereotypes also makes these employees particularly salient, as their success in organizations conflicts with stereotypedâŠ
The presence of historically underrepresented minority employees who defy negative stereotypes can have widespread organizational benefits. For example, hiring highly successful women and racial minority employees can reduce stereotypes about their groups, set a precedent for more inclusive norms, and create role models for members of stereotyped groups. Yet, defying stereotypes also makes these employees particularly salient, as their success in organizations conflicts with stereotyped expectations regarding their career outcomes. By integrating insights from the stereotype content model and the process of attribute substitution from dual process theory, we argue that the salience of highly successful women and racial minority employees can ironically have negative secondary consequences for the groups from which they hail. Specifically, we propose that exposure to successful women and racial minorities can lead to inflated perceptions of gender and racial diversity, as the salience of such stereotype defiers is used to evaluate their groupsâ prevalence. We further suggest that such inflated diversity perceptions can significantly hinder organizational efforts to advance the interests of the historically underrepresented minority groups in question. We test our predictions across four complementary studies: three experiments (including stimuli generated with real data for gender diversity in organizations in the United States) and a study that combines real gender diversity and gender pay gap data from organizations in the United Kingdom with experimental data on diversity perceptions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Organizational Research Methods
Training & Development
Shedding Light on the Black Box: Integrating Prediction Models and Explainability Using Explainable Machine Learning
Abstract
In contemporary organizational research, when dealing with large heterogeneous datasets and complex relationships, statistical modeling focused on developing substantive explanations typically results in low predictive accuracy. In contrast, machine ...
In contemporary organizational research, when dealing with large heterogeneous datasets and complex relationships, statistical modeling focused on developing substantive explanations typically results in low predictive accuracy. In contrast, machine learning (ML) exhibits remarkable strength for prediction, but suffers from an unexplainable analytical process and outputâthus ML is often known as a âblack boxâ approach. The recent development of explainable machine learning (XML) integrates high predictive accuracy with explainability, which combines the advantages inherent in both statistical modeling and ML paradigms. This paper compares XML with statistical modeling and the traditional ML approaches, focusing on an advanced application of XML known as evolving fuzzy system (EFS), which enhances model transparency by clarifying the unique contribution of each modeled predictor. In an illustrative study, we demonstrate two EFS-based XML models and conduct comparative analyses among XML, ML, and statistical models with a commonly-used database in organizational research. Our study offers a thorough description of analysis procedures for implementing XML in organizational research, along with best-practice recommendations for each step as well as Python code to aid future research using XML. Finally, we discuss the benefits of XML for organizational research and its potential development.
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Leadership
Well-being & Health
Mitigating the toxic experience of knowledge theft: An exploration of interventions
Abstract
Drawing on research on toxic emotions and toxic climates, we investigate the emotional consequences of knowledge theftâwhen a colleague intentionally takes credit for our work or ideas. In two experimental studies, we highlight the central role of perceived loss in the relationship between the experience of knowledge theft and the anger it elicits in victims. Furthermore, we propose and evaluate two practical interventions that leaders and colleagues can implement to mitigate the toxicâŠ
Drawing on research on toxic emotions and toxic climates, we investigate the emotional consequences of knowledge theftâwhen a colleague intentionally takes credit for our work or ideas. In two experimental studies, we highlight the central role of perceived loss in the relationship between the experience of knowledge theft and the anger it elicits in victims. Furthermore, we propose and evaluate two practical interventions that leaders and colleagues can implement to mitigate the toxic emotional effects of knowledge theft and to restore what was lost. Our experimental results demonstrate that when leaders and colleagues amplify rightful ownership, knowledge theft victims' anger is reduced as ownership is restored. By implementing preventative measures that acknowledge and protect idea ownership, organizations can interrupt the toxicity of knowledge theft and mitigate its detrimental consequences on victims.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Absolute moral perceptions of the self and others: People are bad, a person is good, I am great.
Abstract
For decades, psychologists have appreciated that the average person sees themselves as better than average, particularly in moral domains. Although self-other comparisons permit establishing normative violations, they leave unanswered whether people see themselves and others positively or negatively in an absolute sense. The present research introduces a novel measure of moral thresholds to identify the behavioral tipping point that subjectively differentiates morality from immorality.âŠ
For decades, psychologists have appreciated that the average person sees themselves as better than average, particularly in moral domains. Although self-other comparisons permit establishing normative violations, they leave unanswered whether people see themselves and others positively or negatively in an absolute sense. The present research introduces a novel measure of moral thresholds to identify the behavioral tipping point that subjectively differentiates morality from immorality. Participants in two countries viewed themselves as clearly moral while viewing the other participants as falling short of the moral threshold (Study 1 and Supplemental Study A). Social targets of course take different forms. Study 2 (and Supplemental Study B) found that even when collectives (e.g., others in the study) were seen to fall short of moral thresholds, randomly selected individuals in those collectivesâwhether individuating information was offered about them or notâwere estimated to exceed moral thresholds. The relative positivity of behavioral estimates (self > individuals > collectives) could not be explained by perceiversâ confidence in those assessments (Study 3). Studies 4aâ4b completed an experimental causal chain to identify one reason individuals are judged more positively than collectives. People anticipated feeling worse if they were to be cynical about an individual (as opposed to a collective). This heightened anticipated negative experience was causally responsible for more positive behavioral forecasts. The moral threshold allows moral perception to join other domains (e.g., monetary outcomes, attitudes) in which identifying neutral reference points has been core to theoretical and empirical development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Organizational Psychology Review
Selection & Assessment
Theory & Philosophy of Science
Personnel Assessment and Selection in the Service of the Applicant (PASSA): Shifting the Applicant Perspective on Selection from Reaction to Action
Abstract
Research on staffing organizations traditionally focused on hiring the best performing applicants. This paradigm is restricted to serving the employer's interests, and its utility may be limited by skill shortage. It is therefore proposed to complement ...
Research on staffing organizations traditionally focused on hiring the best performing applicants. This paradigm is restricted to serving the employer's interests, and its utility may be limited by skill shortage. It is therefore proposed to complement traditional recruitment and selection based on a paradigm labeled Assessment and Selection in the Service of the Applicant (PASSA). PASSA is meant to support applicants taking on the agentic role in mutual interactions, such that they become recipients of the information gathered, whereas employers become targets of assessment. This idea is elaborated on along the typical stages of the staffing process, from defining goals and decision criteria, to job analysis, to recruitment, to assessment and selection, to validation. At each stage, implications and challenges for implementing PASSA in research and practice are discussed. Finally, theoretical arguments as to why and under which conditions both employers and applicants may benefit from this implementation are offered.
Journal of Management
More Light but Less Sight? The Dual Effect of Information Transparency on Firm Innovation
Abstract
Whether more information available in capital markets fosters or hinders corporate innovationâand ultimately long-term firm valueâremains a contentious question. Does enhanced transparency discipline managerial decision-making, or does it induce short-...
Whether more information available in capital markets fosters or hinders corporate innovationâand ultimately long-term firm valueâremains a contentious question. Does enhanced transparency discipline managerial decision-making, or does it induce short-termism? This study addresses this tension by proposing that firmsâ R&D capabilities critically moderate these opposing effects. Leveraging the European Unionâs mandate for quarterly reporting as a quasi-natural experiment, we employ a difference-in-differences design to a panel of EU-listed manufacturing firms. We uncover a dual pathway: For firms with weaker R&D capabilities, greater transparency exerts a disciplining effect, leading to reduced R&D investment and enhancing firmsâ value. Conversely, firms with stronger capabilities reallocate R&D toward more familiar domains to deliver quicker returns, consistent with a myopic response that limits exploration and undermines long-term value. Our findings contribute to management theory by unpacking how capital market pressures differentially affect the âwhetherâ and âwhereâ of innovation decisions and offer policymakers important insights into the unintended consequences of disclosure regulation.
Personnel Psychology
Leadership
Teams & Groups
A Social Hierarchy Perspective on the Detrimental Effects of LeaderâMember Exchange Differentiation on Team Functioning: LeaderâConferred Status Versus MemberâConferred Status
Abstract
Leaderâmember exchange (LMX) differentiation is often found to undermine team functioning. In this paper, we employ theoretical work on social hierarchy to investigate when and why LMX differentiation may not hinder team functioning. We differentiate two sources of membersâ social hierarchy in teams: the leaderâconferred hierarchy based on leadersâ actions and the memberâconferred hierarchy based on respect, admiration, and informal influence that members possess. The leaderâconferred hierarchyâŠ
Leaderâmember exchange (LMX) differentiation is often found to undermine team functioning. In this paper, we employ theoretical work on social hierarchy to investigate when and why LMX differentiation may not hinder team functioning. We differentiate two sources of membersâ social hierarchy in teams: the leaderâconferred hierarchy based on leadersâ actions and the memberâconferred hierarchy based on respect, admiration, and informal influence that members possess. The leaderâconferred hierarchy provides information about membersâ withinâteam status conferred by the leader, while the memberâconferred hierarchy informs membersâ withinâteam status conferred by team members collectively. We propose that the detrimental effects of LMX differentiation on team functioning are influenced by the degree of perceived alignment of membersâ withinâteam status between these two hierarchies (i.e., perceived status alignment). Only when perceived status alignment is low does LMX differentiation induce membersâ status conflict and thus hinder team performance. The results of our two independent field studies lend support to our propositions.
Journal of Management
Leadership
Job Attitudes
Leader Anthropomorphizing Behavior Toward Robots: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Implications for Perceived Objectification and Workplace Deviance
Abstract
As robots become more integrated into the workplace, leaders are increasingly engaging in behaviors that anthropomorphize robots. Given that this form of leader behavior remains undertheorized, we conceptualize it as leader anthropomorphizing behavior ...
As robots become more integrated into the workplace, leaders are increasingly engaging in behaviors that anthropomorphize robots. Given that this form of leader behavior remains undertheorized, we conceptualize it as leader anthropomorphizing behavior toward robots (LABR)âan observable behavior through which leaders endow robots with human-like characteristics. Although practical wisdom and previous studies have highlighted a prevailing optimism about adopting LABR to manage humanârobot teams, such optimism may be premature. Drawing on objectification theory, we develop a model that uncovers the detrimental effects of LABR on employees who observe such behavior. To test our model, we developed and validated a LABR scale (Study 1) and conducted five subsequent studies (Studies 2aâ5) using vignette-based experiments and field surveys. The results showed that employees who observed LABR were more likely to perceive themselves as being objectified by their leaders, which in turn increased their likelihood of engaging in workplace deviance. By theorizing LABR and revealing its potential dark sides, we contribute to the literature on leader behavior, robot anthropomorphism, humanârobot teams, and objectification.
Journal of Business and Psychology
Leadership
Performance Management
Responding Abusively or Innovatively? Exploring Supervisorsâ Maladaptive and Adaptive Responses to Poor Subordinate Performance
Abstract
Prior research has predominantly demonstrated that poor subordinate performance provokes a maladaptive abusive response from supervisors. Drawing on the control-theory perspective of repetitive thought, we take a more comprehensive perspective to explore both the maladaptive and adaptive responses from supervisors to poor subordinate performance. We propose that poor subordinate task performance will trigger supervisorsâ maladaptive rumination during off-work hours, resulting in increasedâŠ
Prior research has predominantly demonstrated that poor subordinate performance provokes a maladaptive abusive response from supervisors. Drawing on the control-theory perspective of repetitive thought, we take a more comprehensive perspective to explore both the maladaptive and adaptive responses from supervisors to poor subordinate performance. We propose that poor subordinate task performance will trigger supervisorsâ maladaptive rumination during off-work hours, resulting in increased downward abusive behavior, and will also induce supervisorsâ adaptive off-work reflexivity, leading to increased managerial innovative behavior. Furthermore, supervisorsâ growth mindset will serve as a moderator to reduce their maladaptive cognitive and behavioral responses to poor subordinate task performance and enhance the adaptive ones. Results from two scenario-based experiments (Studies 1a and 1b), one recall-based experiment (Study 2), and one two-wave survey (Study 3) provide support for these predictions. Our research reveals that stressful poor subordinate performance can become a mixed blessing for supervisors and offers recommendations to help them make constructive use of it.
Journal of Organizational Behavior
Leadership
Diversity & Inclusion
Unpacking the Differential Effects of Compassion at Work on Leadership Emergence: The Role of Gender, Compassion Type, and Work Context
Abstract
Compassionâa focal actor's behavioral response intended to alleviate sufferer distressâoffers an antidote to the pervasive challenge of workplace distress. Previous research focused on uniformly favorable, selfârelevant inferences observers make about organizations that enable compassion. We examine differential, otherârelevant inferences observers make about compassionate focal actors, specifically their leadership emergence. Drawing on Expectancy Violation Theory and the Integrated FrameworkâŠ
Compassionâa focal actor's behavioral response intended to alleviate sufferer distressâoffers an antidote to the pervasive challenge of workplace distress. Previous research focused on uniformly favorable, selfârelevant inferences observers make about organizations that enable compassion. We examine differential, otherârelevant inferences observers make about compassionate focal actors, specifically their leadership emergence. Drawing on Expectancy Violation Theory and the Integrated Framework for Leadership Emergence, we argue that observer inferences of compassionate focal actors differ depending on who displays compassion, what type of compassion is displayed, and where it is displayed. We expect observers to make differential leadership emergence (LE) inferences of compassionate focal actors, arguing that compassion represents a positive unexpected behavior only for men, garnering observers' attention and resulting in men's LE via increased perceptions of warmth and competence. Distinguishing between two forms of compassion, we argue that communal compassion replicates this gender effect, whereas agentic compassion offsets it as a positive unexpected behavior for women. We further suggest that work context attenuates gender and compassion type effects, with uniformly positive LE inferences only in feminine work contexts. We largely support our predictions in a multiâwave field study and two experimental vignettes and discuss our contributions to compassion and LE research.
Explore
Browse All Articles
Search, filter by journal or topic, and sort through the complete collection of recent research.
Past Research
Explore articles from 1–3 years ago — 51 articles archived.
Journal Directory
Metadata, impact factors, and publication details for every tracked journal.
How do I subscribe to an RSS feed?
- Right-click any "Subscribe" link and select "Copy Link"
- Open your RSS reader (Feedly, NewsBlur, Inoreader, etc.)
- Look for the "Add Feed" or "Subscribe" button
- Paste the URL and confirm