MGMT 2110 - Organizational Behavior (Fall 2025)

Topic 1: Emotional expression

• Assigned Research Paper: Bencharit, L. Z., Ho, Y. W., Fung, H. H., Yeung, D. Y., Stephens, N. M., Romero-Canyas, R., & Tsai, J. L. (2019). Should job applicants be excited or calm? The role of culture and ideal affect in employment settings. Emotion, 19(3), 377-401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0000444
• Instruction:  In professional settings, emotional expression plays a subtle but powerful role in shaping perceptions and outcomes. Bencharit et al. (2019) explored how cultural differences in ideal affect—the emotions people value—can influence hiring decisions. Specifically, it examines whether job applicants who express excitement or calmness are perceived more favorably.
  • Using this article as a starting point, you can talk to an HR professional or a manager and ask about his/her views of job candidates’ emotional expression during interviews.
  • You can also talk to an employee and ask about his/her emotional display and their experiences during job interviews.
  • Propose solutions based on the research findings from this paper.

Topic 2: Ostracism

• Assigned Research Paper: Balliet, D., & Ferris, D. L. (2013). Ostracism and prosocial behavior: A social dilemma perspective. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 120, 298-308. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2012.04.004
• Instruction: Ostracism—being excluded by others—is not an uncommon workplace experience. Balliet and Ferris (2013) examined how ostracism affects individuals’ willingness to engage in prosocial behavior, such as cooperation and helping others.
  • Using this article as a starting point, discuss with an employee about personal or observed experiences with workplace exclusion.
  • Consider how that influences interpersonal dynamics or individual behavior.
  • Propose solutions based on the research findings from this paper.

Topic 3: Multicultural experience

• Assigned Research Paper: Lu, J. G., Swaab, R. I., & Galinsky, A. D. (2021). Global leaders for global teams: Leaders with multicultural experiences communicate and lead more effectively, especially in multinational teams. Organization Science, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1480
• Instruction: In today’s globalized workplace, leadership effectiveness often depends on the ability to navigate cultural differences. Lu et al. (2021) examines how multicultural experiences enhance leaders’ communication and leadership effectiveness, particularly in multinational teams.
  • Using this article as a starting point, you can talk to an employee about their experiences working in multicultural teams and their perceptions toward their leaders.
  • You can also interview a manager to explore their experiences in managing multicultural team. Note that “multicultural experience” in the article refers to ethnic cultures, but it can also be regional cultures (e.g., North-South) or disciplinary cultures (e.g., Engineering-Business).
  • Propose solutions based on the research findings from this paper.

Topic 4: Over-qualification

• Assigned Research Paper: Campbell, E. L., & Hahl, O. (2022). He’s overqualified, she’s highly committed: Qualification signals and gendered assumptions about job candidate commitment. Organization Science, 33(6), 2451-2476. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1550
• Instruction: The qualifications of job candidates are often seen as central to hiring decisions. Campbell and Hahl (2022) examined when and how over-qualifications influence decision makers’ perception toward the job candidates.
  • Using this article as a starting point, you can talk to an HR professional or a manager and ask about how he/she evaluates job candidates’ qualifications and how that might influence hiring decisions.
  • You can also talk to an employee and ask about his/her view about (over)qualifications and how that influences their job opportunities.
  • Propose solutions based on the research findings from this paper.

Why Read Research Literature & Do Research?

 As a beginning scholar and aspiring professional,you know you are not the first to ask questions about topics like organizational behavior. Many people have studied it for many years. 

So, you need to become familiar with the types of questions asked and answered, and the way in which they are asked and answered (theories, evidence, and the ways people (scholars, professionals, experts) share the theories and evidence.  A short way to describe it is " research and professional literature".

What sorts of things are found in the research and professional literature?

• Key concepts and theories and ideas
• Main questions and problems answered up to now 
• Major issues and debates
• What is accepted as good evidence
• Key sources (authors, journals, articles, data, etc.

One way to think about this is a giant "conversation".  It helps to learn the discussion subjects, methods, tone, and language before you join in. This goes for most topics, whether you are discussing hobbies like gaming, anime, or different book or movie fandoms.

Watch this video or use the image below to learn about the structure of research articles. These are also called scholarly articles.

Thanks to NCSU Libraries for this excellent tutorial!

Reading a research article is different from reading a magazine article or a web posting for interest or pleasure. The steps below outline a method to do it. It is based on Earl R. Babbie's The Practice of Social Research. 15th ed. Mason, OH: Cengage, 2020, Chapter 17. 

Remember, you want to do close (in-depth, careful, critical) reading for research.

1. Abstract first

• Helps you decide if you want to read the whole thing
• Gives you a framework for reading the rest – prepares you

2.Skim

• Note headings and look for graphs & tables
• Pay close attention to *methods* and *conclusion*

3. Read

• Carefully read the whole thing
• Take notes

4.Re-skim

• Anything new pop out?
• New ideas?
• New questions or critiques?
• New connections in your mind?

These are some important journals in Organizational Behavior: