OBHR Faculty in the News

City dwellers seek to pursue a slower pace and a return to their true selves

Commenting on the importance of mindfulness in a face paced country, SMU Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Jochen Reb, who is also the Director of the Mindfulness Initiatives, noted that from a positive perspective, it is good that companies and individuals now attach importance to the health of their employees. As acceptance of mental health issues is growing, more people will also take the initiative to seek psychological help. On another level, Prof Reb also expressed concern about the issue of "fast-food meditation" and whether it only helps to treat the symptoms but not the root cause. He explained that convenient apps and the condensed version of mindfulness workshops may lead to users not actually understanding what they are doing and why they are doing certain practices. He concluded that mental wellness requires long-term investment, and everyone deserves to take the time to get to know themselves well, to recognise and take care of their emotions. Chang Ching Chen, Senior Content Strategist from the SMU Office of Integrated Information Technology Services and a Mindfulness-Based Reduction (MBSR) trainer, shared what led her to become a MBSR trainer and her observations on the psychological issues that are becoming increasingly prevalent among students, and how she hopes to help the youths and the elderly groups through mindfulness practice.
Lianhe Zaobao, 21 Apr 23

Asking about pay in a job interview makes you less likely to get hired

Research by SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Marko Pitesa and Rellie Derfler-Rozin of the University of Maryland has found managers are less likely to hire candidates who ask about pay and perks during job interviews. The researchers also found that managers rate candidates who ask questions related to the job higher than applicants who also ask about compensation or benefits. The researchers chalked this up to something called "motivation purity bias" — meaning managers only want to hire people who are intrinsically motivated by the job itself.
Business Insider Online, 26 Dec 22

Poets&Quants’ Top 50 Undergraduate Professors of 2022

SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Abhijeet K. Vadera and SMU Assistant Professor of Marketing Christilene du Plessis have been named as one of Poet&Quants’ Top 50 Best Undergraduate Business School Professors. SMU was among eight schools which had two professors on the list. The winners emerged from more than 500 nominations from students, alumni, colleagues, and school deans and they hail from 39 different schools.
Poets & Quants For Undergrads Online, 12 Dec 22

Employees want work-life balance, Bosses want to retain talent but worry about productivity, Conflicting emotions over a 4-day work week

Commenting on the pros and cons of having a four-day work week, SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Jared Nai shared that using an ongoing large-scale four-day pilot program in the UK as an example, preliminary results showed positive responses from employers. It was noted that productivity has not been affected, and some even observed an improvement in efficiency. Asst Prof Nai also explained why customer-facing industries may have reservations about a four-day work week, and the challenges they may face with flexible arrangements. He opined that some companies were accustomed to the conventional methods of work and lacked the ability to adapt existing policies and systems to accommodate new work arrangements.
Lianhe Zaobao, 23 Oct 22

To Achieve Happiness

While happiness is a universal human need, it is also a Singaporean aspiration that is in the nation’s pledge and anthem. In this two-part documentary journey, CNA presenter Munah Bagharib embarks on a personal journey to explore evidence-based ways to achieve happiness through wealth, work, rest, health, the mind, relationships, community & resilience. She spoke with SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology (Practice) Paulin Straughan, SMU Professor of Psychology Norman Li, SMU Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources and Director of the SMU Mindfulness Initiative Jochen Reb and SMU Associate Professor of Psychology William Tov, who shared their insights on achieving happiness and well-being in various aspects of life.
CNA, 10 Oct 22

SG workers want more flexibility, training and attractive salary

SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon said that until the labour market eases, “employers are unlikely to dictate where employees work. Assoc Prof Tan said, "Some folks are talking about a 10-month work year, pointing to the need to provide more flexibility rather than less. What is happening in the labour market now is a movement towards employee preferences."
Berita Minggu, 5 Jun 22

The great renegotiation: Workforce expectations on the rise in S'pore

Commenting on surveys showing that a majority of workers want flexibility, training and are willing to quit if their demands are not met, SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon said choice is not on employers' side. She added that until the labour market eases, “employers are unlikely to dictate where employees work. Assoc Prof Tan said, "Some folks are talking about a 10-month work year, pointing to the need to provide more flexibility rather than less. What is happening in the labour market now is a movement towards employee preferences."
The Straits Times, 30 May 22

Physically fit people are less likely to engage in deviant behaviors, according to new research

A series of three studies published in the Journal of Applied Psychology provides evidence that physical fitness is negatively correlated with deviant behaviours that violate organisational and societal norms. “I got interested in this topic because issues related to physical fitness (e.g., exhaustion, poor nutrition etc.) continue to be on the rise on a global scale and are not actively managed in most organisations,” explained study author and SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Kenneth Tai. Assoc Prof Tai and his colleagues found that physical fitness was negatively related to deviant behaviour and that this relationship was mediated by ego depletion. “The takeaway is that physically fit people are less likely to engage in deviance. In addition, our findings suggest that people who increase their physical fitness over time through physical activities are likely to develop greater self-control, which helps them override their impulses to engage in deviant behaviours,” he added.
Psy Post, 30 Apr 22

Vigilantism is an identity for some people, researchers report

SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Abhijeet Vadera had contributed to a new study reported in the journal Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes. The study supports the idea that for some people, vigilantism is a personal identity that spurs them to act in certain circumstances and reinforces their positive self-regard. In a series of studies, the researchers refined their methods for identifying those with a propensity for adopting a vigilante identity.
Illinois, 10 Mar 22

'People think the boss is always right': Workplace bullying not uncommon in Singapore, experts say

Commenting on the issue of workplace bullying, SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Abhijeet Vadera said, “Unfortunately, it’s quite prevalent. But because we live in a society where it's extremely difficult for people who are bullied to speak up, not only in terms of the organisational systems, but also societal cultures, we don’t often hear much about it.” Assoc Prof Vadera also shared studies have shown that toxic workplace cultures have a clear impact on employees’ well-being and job satisfaction, as well as spill over effects on their personal life. Despite this, some organisations may choose not to sack those who have been found to be guilty of bullying, which could harm their reputation, said SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Kenneth Tai. He shared about the multi-pronged approach companies should have in creating a safe environment for their employees.
CNA Online, 21 Nov 21

These are the two things you should never say in a job interview | Chronicle

SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Marko Pitesa and Derefler-Rozin co-authored the article, Motivation Purity Bias: Expression of Extrinsic Motivation Undermines Perceived Intrinsic Motivation and Engenders Bias in Selection Decisions. Their findings have broad implications for hiring managers, who can reject the best candidates by screening those who express interest in compensation. The authors wrote, “Penalising expressed extrinsic motivations is not only unfair to candidates but is also counterproductive from the point of view of maximising future employee performance.”
Oicanadian, 20 Nov 21

When your authority fluctuates throughout the day

A joint commentary by SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Michael Schaerer and three other academics shared their research which revealed that first-person experiences with power at work can differ greatly from the level of power their job titles suggest. They then recommended strategies for making power imbalances more manageable.
Harvard Business Review, 19 Nov 21

Smart manufacturing and its implications for Singapore's SMEs

In a commentary, SMU Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources (Education) Thomas Menkhoff and SMU postgraduate student Gopalakrishnan Surianarayanan, who is currently pursuing his Doctor of Business Administration degree, discussed about smart manufacturing and its implications for Singapore’s small and medium-sized enterprises. They shared about their ongoing study on the impact of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) on the business models of local manufacturers, and how their research interviews with key decision-makers across Singapore’s I4.0 eco-system helped to identify five key drivers and four main barriers for sustained I4.0 success.
The Business Times, 9 Nov 21

Commentary: Close friendships at work are lifelines that have frayed during the pandemic

In a commentary, SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Kenneth Tai discussed how the shift towards working from home and fewer physical opportunities to connect is causing close friendships at work to fray. He explained the importance of work friendships, and how the change in relationships at work affects productivity and organisational performance.
CNA Online, 18 Oct 21

The Big Read: Toxic workplaces more common than we think but when do we say enough is enough?

Commenting on the issue of toxic workplaces, SMU Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Donald Ferrin said healthy, non-toxic organisations emphasise kindness, respect, due process, fairness, trust, compassion, and psychological safety. That said, the point at which an organisation “crosses the line” to be considered toxic is “really in the eyes of the employees themselves”, he said. SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Michael Ramsay Bashshur said that people management is the hard part as it is never “plug and play”, or as simple as talking about “transparency” and “openness”. SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon noted that in the area of fairness, firms often emphasise outcome fairness (pay and bonuses) but overlook procedural fairness (having avenues for redress and ensuring that the criteria for decision are made clear) and interpersonal fairness (treating folks with dignity). SMU Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Paul Lim identified insecurity to be at the root of toxicity in the workplace, drawing parallels to dominant work cultures here, such as the “Singapore FaceTime” – or the practice of not leaving before the boss does – and managers’ compulsive need to “double confirm” things. 

On laws to protect workers who feel harassed in toxic workplaces, SMU Assistant Professor of Law Benjamin Joshua Ong noted that the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA), for instance, prohibits intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress through threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or through doxing. SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan said a significant barrier to any law being effective in dealing with internal company affairs is the asymmetry of power within most organisations. Even with POHA, it may not be “straightforward” to prove a case of harassment at work, he said.
CNA Online, 18 Oct 21

IN FOCUS: Can good mentorship at work lead to a more fulfilling career - and life?

Commenting on the possible reasons for the lack of mentorship in Singapore, SMU Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Dr Paul Lim said, “If you took (up mentorship) in your own time, or you decided to do it because you want to help, that’s something else. But if someone assigned (mentoring) to you, you have to take time off. You already have daily targets and things you have to deliver. And then now you have to babysit this person.” Dr Lim added that it’s “hard to measure the ROI (return on investment)” for mentorship, and noted that there is the mentor’s “very real” fear of being replaced. Regardless of the hurdles and blindspots of mentoring in Singapore, there is no better time to “rehash the topic” with work-from-home being the norm for the last one-and-a-half years, noted Dr Lim. He also explained the concept of “organisational socialisation” to illustrate the significant role that career mentorship can play in the pandemic.
CNA Online, 2 Oct 21

Commentary: Can employers justify paying workers who return to the office more than those who work from home?

In a commentary, SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Jared Nai discussed the issue of whether employers can justify paying workers who return to the office more than those who work from home. He opined that it is absolutely essential for companies to carefully calibrate the trade-offs if they choose to differentiate compensation and benefits for employees working from home versus those in the office. Asst Prof Nai also urged firms to focus on abiding by the spirit of “psychological contracts” – an implicit agreement employees have regarding the kind of work they agree to perform for the level of compensation provided by the employer, or risk fuelling dissatisfaction and having poorer work outcomes.
CNA Online, 31 Aug 21

Predicting work performance with personality 

A team of researchers from SMU and Ghent University in Belgium has demonstrated a way to combine the strengths of the two approaches of situational judgment test (SJT) and the trait theory to assess and predict work performance – an adjusted form of SJT with a contemporary rethinking of trait theory – and the results are promising. The team's paper, “The Predictive Power of People's Intra-individual Variability Across Situations: Implementing Whole Trait Theory in Assessment”, won the 2020 Joyce and Robert Hogan Award for Personality and Work Performance, presented by the U.S.-based Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology. SMU Lee Kong Chian Professor of Human Resources Filip Lievens shared that the researchers enriched the SJT field by drawing on insights from recent developments in the personality domain. The research team included Prof Lievens and SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Ronald Bledow and several others from Ghent University.
Eurek Alert, 5 Mar 21
Life Science Weekly Online, 23 Mar 21

Enabling Singapore's youths to adapt in an era of climate change 

In a commentary, SMU Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources (Education) Thomas Menkhoff, SMU Associate Professor of Communication Management (Practice) Mark Chong and SMU Associate Professor of Information Systems (Education) Benjamin Kok Siew Gan discussed possible ways of enabling Singapore’s youths to adapt in an era of climate change. They opined that nudging youths towards more eco-friendly behavioural habits is arguably a feasible approach to build greater climate resilience. They also shared about how SMU provides all students with exposure to sustainability issues in the course of their university education, particularly via Big Questions and Ethics & Social Responsibility, various sustainability-related course initiatives and projects with industry.
The Business Times, 25 Feb 21

How To Be A Good Negotiator, According To Psychology  

Rather than going into a negotiation with the view that a gain for one side is a loss for the other (a so-called “win-lose mindset”), it is worth remembering that, depending on the terms of the deal, it could be win-win. This is according to the authors of a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in 2019. The team found that people in a position of financial vulnerability were more likely to hold the win-lose mindset by default, and less likely to capitalise on any opportunities for both sides to gain. “By holding this win-lose mindset, financially disadvantaged people may continue to make poor deals, perpetuating their situation,” said SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Marko Pitesa, who was involved in the research. However, being aware of this mentality might help to stop it happening.
Research Digest, 19 Jan 2021

A balancing act: Why S'pore needs both local and foreign talents to power the economy 

SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon noted that although Singapore is competitive, challenges remain due to the focus on rote learning as current employers require a “sense of adaptability” and soft skills that Singaporeans might be lacking.
Vulcan Post, 1 Sep 2020 

Commentary: Why do you not feel like working from home? You’re probably procrastinating more

In a commentary, SMU Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Paul Lim explained how procrastination may be one of the biggest contributing factors to a lack of productivity in remote working and suggested ways to break out of the procrastination cycle.
CNA Online, 21 Aug 2020 

Asking this question during an interview can wreck your shot at getting the job

A study titled “Motivation Purity Bias: Expression of Extrinsic Motivation Undermines Perceived Intrinsic Motivation and Engenders Bias in Selection Decisions” co-authored by SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Marko Pitesa and another academic, found that hiring managers often have a significant bias against candidates who ask about pay and perks during interviews. Furthermore, managers rate candidates who focus on the job higher than applicants who inquire about benefits when evaluating people for positions.
Fast Company, 15 Aug 2020 

Narcissists don’t learn from their mistakes because they don’t think they make any

A study [titled “When and why narcissists exhibit greater hindsight bias and less perceived learning perceived learning”] co-authored by SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Jochen Reb revealed that narcissists fail to learn from their mistakes as they refuse to acknowledge that they have made a mistake.
Yubanet, 27 July 2020
India New England, 25 July 2020 
Newsweek, 24 July 2020 
Health Medicine Network, 23 July 2020

Retrenchment: What is fair compensation, clear communication and empathy in letting people go?

In an interview, SMU Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon shared her insights on Singapore’s jobs market outlook and retrenchment in a time of COVID-19. She discussed among other things, the role of HR in retrenchment, the proper retrenchment practice, fair compensation, and how companies should manage the process of letting employees go.
CNA (Heart of the Matter), 23 July 2020
CNA (Singapore Tonight, 10pm), 24 July 2020 

RESEARCH: The ONE trick to get exactly what you want in a negotiation

According to a research co-authored by SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Michael Schaerer, including an extra sentence which compares your offer to the seller’s minimum price in a negotiation increases the likelihood of you getting what you want. The research examined how negotiators can achieve both economic benefits and maintain a friendly relationship with those you are negotiating with
Real Business, 21 July 2020
Response Source, 20 July 2020