Universität Zürich · Education
PhD opportunity in Business Administration with a focus on leader self-disclosure of flaws
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Today, leaders are encouraged to be open about their personal flaws (i.e., negative personal characteristics) at work. For example, an award-winning Harvard Business Review article advises business leaders to “show us who they are–warts and all,” like admitting being irritable, disorganized, or shy. Supporting this idea, self-disclosure theory has long suggested that revealing aspects of one's self to others builds stronger connections with them. Similarly, the literature on authenticity suggests that leaders who are more open and transparent are more effec-tive. These examples from science and practice all suggest that leaders who let their guard down and openly show their more negative sides can be more successful.
However, this optimistic view takes a one-size-fits-all approach that neglects aspects of human diversity, including leader attributes like gender, age, and race. This research project thus examines how leader diversity influences self-disclosure of flaws in the workplace. For members of social groups that are already underrepresented in leadership positions and face stereotypes in leadership (e.g., women), being open about certain personal flaws could present a risk for leaders rather than an advantage (e.g., constituting a social norm violation that prompts backlash).
The proposed research has meaningful societal implications as leadership is becoming more diverse and more personal. The insights from this research inform dialogues among practitioners and the public that, right now, reinforce the notion that leaders should be their true selves at work. Results will help to unpack whether openly disclosing personal flaws at work is a privilege that only some leaders may enjoy. Already, women and other un-derrepresented groups are disadvantaged when it comes to the pursuit of leadership positions. Trends that en-courage leaders to be open about personal flaws may risk exacerbating these differences – or alternatively, may hold promise in ameliorating them. Our employees benefit from a wide range of attractive offers. More
- to conduct research and publish in top-tier journals in areas of organizational behavior and/or human resource management, with a special focus on leader self-disclosure of flaws at work
- to assist with the development and delivery of organizational behavior, human resource management and/or general management courses, for undergraduate, graduate and/or executive participants
- to provide supervision for undergraduate and graduate students
- as part of the team in the Center for Leadership in the Future of Work, to contribute to the center, particularly with regard to science communication efforts in the Center, as a leading platform for rigorous research, forward-looking teaching, effective outreach, and organizational and societal impact
- an enthusiasm for the topic of leadership and an interest in disclosure of flaws at work
- an excellent Masters degree or its equivalent in Business or Psychology or neighboring fields, including success-fully completed courses in organizational behavior or organizational/industrial psychology or social psychology
- excellent oral and written English, as evidenced, for non-native speakers, in relevant test scores (e.g., TOEFL), stays abroad and/or a Masters thesis written in English; German language skills are not needed (taking German classes is an option for those who want to)
- a very good understanding of quantitative methods, including study design and statistical analyses, and a very good command of relevant software packages, such as R, Mplus, Stata, and/or SPSS
- experience with qualitative/mixed methods, or curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about these methods, is a plus
- good technical skills, including a very good command of Microsoft office software; any coding skills are a plus
- a strong interest in research and, ideally, some relevant experience, for example, as a research assistant during your previous studies
- a collaborative spirit and energy for working in a team, as well as curiosity, self-reliance, and initiative-taking
- an interest in science communication, with a focus on research that has practical impact
Today, leaders are encouraged to be open about their personal flaws (i.e., negative personal characteristics) at work. For example, an award-winning Harvard Business Review article advises business leaders to “show us who they are–warts and all,” like admitting being irritable, disorganized, or shy. Supporting this idea, self-disclosure theory has long suggested that revealing aspects of one's self to others builds stronger connections with them. Similarly, the literature on authenticity suggests that leaders who are more open and transparent are more effec-tive. These examples from science and practice all suggest that leaders who let their guard down and openly show their more negative sides can be more successful.
However, this optimistic view takes a one-size-fits-all approach that neglects aspects of human diversity, including leader attributes like gender, age, and race. This research project thus examines how leader diversity influences self-disclosure of flaws in the workplace. For members of social groups that are already underrepresented in leadership positions and face stereotypes in leadership (e.g., women), being open about certain personal flaws could present a risk for leaders rather than an advantage (e.g., constituting a social norm violation that prompts backlash).
The proposed research has meaningful societal implications as leadership is becoming more diverse and more personal. The insights from this research inform dialogues among practitioners and the public that, right now, reinforce the notion that leaders should be their true selves at work. Results will help to unpack whether openly disclosing personal flaws at work is a privilege that only some leaders may enjoy. Already, women and other un-derrepresented groups are disadvantaged when it comes to the pursuit of leadership positions. Trends that en-courage leaders to be open about personal flaws may risk exacerbating these differences – or alternatively, may hold promise in ameliorating them. Our employees benefit from a wide range of attractive offers. More