Journal Articles (Peer-Reviewed)
(In press): Diversity and Inclusion Under Pressure: Building Relational Resilience into Humanitarian Operations, Production and Operations Management: .
Abstract: In this essay, our analysis takes important insights on diversity and inclusion from the behavioral literature but critically contextualizes them against the reality of humanitarian operations. Humanitarian operations are characterized by system immanent diversity, particularly between local and expatriate aid workers, who not only bring valuable different perspectives to the table but also differ along multiple dimensions of diversity into a so-called diversity faultline. Such a faultline, however, provides fertile ground for continued conflict resulting in relational fractures and, ultimately, inefficient collaboration. While, in theory, inclusion could help overcome the negative effects of faultlines, in practice, the time pressure for humanitarian organizations to quickly respond to disasters makes it effectively impossible to engage in it. Against this background, we argue, humanitarian organizations should take preemptive action before disaster strikes. Specifically, we posit that the pre-disaster phase presents an opportunity to engage in inclusion in order to cultivate relational resilience between local and expatriate aid workers. Such resilience would enable them to not only better weather the inevitable relational fractures during a disaster response (and thus stay more functional throughout), but also quickly realign with each other in the post-disaster phase. We conclude with a set of concrete recommendations for practicing inclusion in the pre-disaster phase.
(In press): Women in academic publishing: Descriptive trends from authors to editors across 33 years of management science, The Leadership Quarterly: .
Abstract: Traditionally, leadership scholars often study snapshots of leaders in organizations. However, academic publishing offers a unique, more controlled context to study leadership with implications for leadership scholars and scholarship. Hence, we present a descriptive overview of women’s representation across 33 years in 11 top management journals across levels of leaders in academic publishing (i.e., editors, associate editors, and editorial board members) and authors. To do so, we curated an archival dataset tracking women’s representation over time and across these four levels (i.e., 21,510 authors and 4,173 leaders) with 51,360 data entries for the authors and 320,545 for the leaders. Overall, women’s representation increased over time, which was explained by simple time trend effects. Only 32 of 135 editors were women (i.e., 23.7 %), and the share of women associate editors showed particularly drastic fluctuations. We did not observe a “leaky pipeline” except from the associate editor to editor step, as well as notable fluctuations—particularly after new editor appointments—and between journals. We discuss the influential roles editors and publishers have on women’s representation in academic publishing and science more broadly as well as implications for future research and policy.
(In press): Are women strategic leaders more effective during a crisis than men strategic leaders? A causal analysis of the relationship between strategic leader gender and outcomes during the COVID-19 crisis, The Leadership Quarterly: .
Abstract: Extant research has used the COVID-19 pandemic as a context to test the “women leadership advantage during crisis” hypothesis. An influential paper reported that women U.S. governors were associated with fewer COVID-19 deaths. Building on this work, we demonstrate that methodological assumptions play a critical role in our interpretation of findings. First, we conduct a literal replication (Study 1) of the original study to validate our dataset. Second, a series of constructive replications (Studies 2A-D) shows the results rely on methodological assumptions that are not fully supported. Without these assumptions, we find no evidence for the “women leadership advantage during crisis” hypothesis. Third, in two constructive replications focusing on U.S. counties and Brazilian municipalities, we causally test the relationship between strategic leader gender and COVID-19 deaths using a geographic matching design (Study 3A) and a regression discontinuity design (Study 3B). Again, we find no evidence for the “women leadership advantage during crisis” hypothesis. Collectively, we demonstrate that when following the methodological precedent of extant research, we were able to replicate previously identified relationships between gender and leadership outcomes, but after accounting for endogeneity and basic assumptions of linear models, we were no longer able to replicate these effects. In all our constructive replications, we found no significant difference in the effectiveness of women and men strategic leaders in crises.
(2024): How Identity Impacts Bystander Responses to Workplace Mistreatment, Journal of Management, 50 (7): .
Abstract: Integrating a social identity approach with Cortina's (2008) theorizing about selective incivility as modern discrimination, we examine how identification—with an organization, with one's gender, and as a feminist—shapes bystanders’ interpretations and responses to witnessed incivility (i.e., interpersonal acts of disrespect) and selective incivility (i.e., incivility motivated by targets’ social group membership) toward women at work. We propose that bystanders with stronger organizational identification are less likely to perceive incivility toward female colleagues as discrimination and intervene, but female bystanders with stronger gender identification are more likely to do so. Results from two-wave field data in a cross-lagged panel design (Study 1, N = 336) showed that organizational identification negatively predicted observed selective incivility 1 year later but revealed no evidence of an effect of female bystanders’ gender identification. We replicated and extended these results with a vignette experiment (Study 2, N = 410) and an experimental recall study (Study 3, N = 504). Findings revealed a “dark side” of organizational identification: strongly identified bystanders were less likely to perceive incivility as discrimination, but there were again no effects of women's gender identification. Study 3 also showed that bystander feminist identification increased intervention via perceived discrimination. These results raise doubts that female bystanders are more sensitive to recognizing other women's mistreatment as discrimination, but more strongly identified feminists (male or female) were more likely to intervene. Although strongly organizationally identified bystanders were more likely to overlook women's mistreatment, they were also more likely to intervene once discrimination was apparent.
(2018): Are all impostors created equal? Exploring gender differences in the impostor phenomenon-performance link, Personality and Individual Differences, 131: 156-163.
Abstract: Some individuals report feeling inauthentic at work, and fear being found out as a fake or as someone who does not deserve their status or reputation. Termed the imposter phenomenon (IP), this pervasive feeling has recently gained traction and recognition in organizational research. However, the relationship between IP and performance is still not well understood. We present two studies that explore the relationship between IP, performance, and gender under two different conditions: feedback (Study 1, N = 268) and accountability (Study 2, N = 250). Results indicate that male IPs react significantly more negatively under conditions of negative feedback and high accountability. These findings reveal a complex relationship between IP and gender which demonstrate that imposters' gender could potentially exacerbate the negative effects of IP on work outcomes.
(2013): What makes leadership, leadership? Using self-expansion theory to integrate traditional and contemporary approaches, The Leadership Quarterly, 24 (6): 798-821.
Abstract: Numerous traditional theories and paradigms of leadership purport to describe what leadership is. It is difficult to reconcile these traditional approaches, however, if each one alone, independent of the others, is viewed as capturing the actual identity of leadership. In this article, we take an integrative view of traditional approaches to leadership. To do so, we first identify some underlying ideas common to them. Next, we explain how these underlying ideas lead us to a fundamental theory about close relationships—that is, self-expansion theory, which refers to a psychological process in which an individual incorporates another into the self (Aron & Aron, 1986). We then review the traditional leadership theories to explore whether these theories may be linked through self-expansion theory and whether self-expansion may help to explain why boundary conditions have been discovered for all of them. In this process, we explore whether traditional approaches to leadership might also be linked with more contemporary approaches through self-expansion theory. Finally, we discuss the implications for future research and professional practice of the integration of traditional approaches to leadership.
Journal Articles (Professional)
(2024): Research: When Employees Identify with Their Company, They’re Less Likely to Recognize Gender Discrimination, Harvard Business Review: .
Abstract: Identifying as an organizational member — or feeling a strong sense of attachment to the organization — is generally a positive thing for employees and employers. But our research on workplace incivility and mistreatment shows that it can also shape when — and if — employees recognize and respond to subtle forms of discrimination against women at work. Evidence shows that leaders, as well as employees, play a key role in identifying and remedying gender discrimination in all its forms. If the goal is to proactively address gender discrimination in the workplace and encourage leaders and workers to remove their rose-colored glasses, this article offers a few suggestions.
Books
(2023): Leadership in the digital age: Competencies and mindsets to navigate the future of work, Independently published, 9798388757883..
Abstract: In a post-2020 world, we may have been forced to go digital, but we have the opportunity now to embrace it. We can adapt. We can learn. We can evolve. We can adapt to the new challenges and opportunities that digitalization brings. We can learn new skills and competencies to help us thrive in the digital era. We can evolve as individuals and as members of society who contribute to the common good. Our definitions of leaders have shifted and expanded. What we consider a team has become more fluid and globally distributed, requiring us to work with diverse people from different cultures, backgrounds, and time zones. At its very foundation, relationship building at work is more often than not mediated by technology via video calls and emails. Even how we define work and our relationship with our employer has been called into question as we seek more flexibility, autonomy, and purpose in our careers. We are in the midst of a global shift in mindset. So how can we best manage ourselves, let alone others, in such an age? What are some key competencies that I need to develop to be ready for the digital age? This book will guide you through these topics and provide concrete examples, exercises, and personal and professional development tips in the digital age. Whether you are a student just starting on your career journey or an established leader looking for new ideas, this book will provide some food for thought, ideas of where to get started, and, more than likely, even more questions than you started with. This means that this book is not meant to be a definitive answer to all your questions about digitalization but rather a catalyst for your curiosity and creativity regarding how the world of work is changing in the digital age. This book is an invitation for you to join the digital movement and become an agent of change and forward-thinking in your own life and the world around you. Finally, why did I write this book? In March 2020, when I joined as a professor and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, I was given an exciting and challenging opportunity to teach a course on leadership and management in the digital age – designing the course from scratch right at the beginning of the pandemic. It was a poetic start: the topic and the global context have never been more fitting. After surviving the first semester of online teaching at a new university with a new course (not to mention recording videos on my laptop stacked on top of my moving boxes while I sat on the floor), I was very enthusiastic about the topic. I couldn’t wait to see what new research and thoughts would come out on this subject. However, in the following years, I worked with textbook publishers and scoured online resources to find the most relevant and up-to-date reports and articles for my students. While significant resources exist on digital transformation, digital disruption, and the like, the individual worker’s experience is somehow missing. Therefore, I never found a text that quite fit my vision of leadership and management in the digital age. So I decided to put it together myself. How to use this book? This book is written so you can pick it up and read a chapter any time - while taking a short break between online meetings or a quick dose of knowledge in the morning. Each chapter is concise and to the point. If you want to learn more, the end of each lesson has three additional sections: ‘Reflection questions,’ ‘Your turn,’ and ‘Get inspired.’ ‘Reflection questions’ can be used as prompts for deeper thought on the topics or as a review of the themes discussed in the lesson. ‘Your turn’ outlines some practical ways to apply the themes or further explore the topics in a hands-on way. Finally, ‘Get inspired’ summarizes the resources and references for the lesson and provides some additional sources of inspiration to support you on your learning journey. So take a look and enjoy!