My research lies at the intersection of social psychology and organizational behavior. I primarily draw on social psychological and evolutionary theories of status to examine judgements and behaviors of individuals and groups within social hierarchies.
In my dissertation, building on theoretical framework of dominance and prestige as two different status striving strategies, I ask the following three questions:
- Why are there contradictory findings in the status literature when it comes to the punishment of high status actors following ambiguous transgressions
- Even though dominant leaders may appear socially unappealing, under what circumstances are they preferred over the more amicable prestigious leaders, and finally
- How and why do leader’s status strategies affect employee’s prosocial behaviors.
My secondary stream of research concerns both positive and negative deviance. I investigate factors that encourage positive deviant behaviors—such as helping others or suggesting ideas that brings positive change at work—as well as factors that motivate unethical behaviors, sharing of fake news or judgments of moral transgressions.