DCU Leadership and Talent Institute Research Seminar Series 2022

Research Seminar Week 1: Imprinting at IPO and Subsequent Downsizing Decisions

Professor Jake Messersmith

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Date: Thursday, 5th May

Time: 2pm

Abstract

This paper leverages imprinting theory to assess the extent to which a firm’s espoused commitment to employees at the time of their initial public offering (IPO) affects subsequent decisions related to the management of human capital. Specifically, this paper investigates whether firms with a stronger commitment to employees at the time of the IPO are more or less likely to engage in downsizing initiatives in subsequent years. We further assess key moderators of this relationship including the amount of funds raised at IPO, founder involvement, and the presence of a controlling shareholder. We assess these potential antecedents of downsizing post-IPO using a sample of 301 firms that went public in the U.S. between 2007 and 2014. We combine data from company filings with news releases and performance data from COMPUSTAT to test our conceptual model. Preliminary results indicate that values “imprinted” at the time of IPO affect subsequent downsizing decisions.

Jake Messersmith is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Jake’s research is focused on the strategic human resource management domain, with particular interests in HR systems in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and also in the effect of HR systems on employee well-being. His work has been published in such journals as the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal and the International Journal of Human Resource Management. Jake serves on several editorial boards within the discipline and previously served as the director of business graduate programs at the University of Nebraska. He completed his doctoral studies in management at the University of Kansas and worked as a consultant at Accenture prior to pursuing his graduate degree.

Research Seminar Week 2: A Premium on Perceived “Naturalness”: Contradictions to Our Ideals of Fairness and Meritocracy

Professor Chia-Jung Tsay

UW-Madison and the UCL School of Management

Date: Thursday, 12th May

Time: 2pm

ABSTRACT

Across domains, organizations and institutions invest heavily in the judgment of performance. After all, we consider fair systems, processes, and access to equitable opportunities to be celebrated aspects of modern society. Yet beliefs about the origins of individual performance outcomes can shape important decisions in all spheres of accomplishment and any context that involves social evaluations. Challenging our broad, explicit admiration of hard work, my research shows that people are subject to a hidden “naturalness bias,” a phenomenon which I define as the premium people place on apparent natural ability and talent, as opposed to the same achievements obtained through striving and deliberate motivation. The initial findings were extended through additional sets of studies elaborating on the generalizability and persistence of these effects, such as in entrepreneurship, leadership, negotiations, networking, and employee development. Works in progress discuss the implications for gender, race, ethics and healthcare, and learning outcomes.

Chia-Jung Tsay is an Associate Professor at UW-Madison and the UCL School of Management. Her work examines the psychological processes that influence decision making and interpersonal perception about performance. Chia’s research has been published in journals including PNAS, Management Science, OBHDP, ROB, and PSPB, and featured in media outlets including the BBC, Economist, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Nature, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. Chia received a Ph.D. in Organizational Behaviour jointly from Harvard Business School and the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, and has taught negotiations and decision making at institutions such as Oxford, Wharton, and Tsinghua. In other professional experience, as a classical pianist, Chia has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the U.S. Embassy and holds degrees from the Juilliard School and the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she later served as faculty.

Research Seminar Week 3: Network Influences on Employee Labor Market Perceptions and Job Search

Professor Julie Hancock

University of North Texas

Date: Thursday, 19th May

Time: 2pm

Abstract

Employee “water cooler conversations” with coworkers, as well as interpersonal interactions outside of one’s employing organization, are key sources of information about the labor market. Although the value of network ties for job search is well recognized, research to date has tended to focus on how network ties relate to job search outcomes, providing little insight into what types of network ties offer information that shape job seeker perceptions and behaviors throughout the job search process. Drawing from Steel’s (2002) evolutionary search model and social network research, we assert that different types of network ties—those that are weak versus strong and those internal versus external to the organization—offer different types of labor market information, which impacts employees’ labor market perceptions, propensity to search for employment, and job search effectiveness.

Using a time-separated research design in a sample of healthcare workers, we find that weak external ties (WETs) are associated with more optimistic perceptions of the labor market, and increased marketability and early-stage job search, and strong external ties (SETs) are associated with greater marketability and propensity to engage in early-stage job search. Strong internal ties (SITs) have dual, opposing influences on employee job search: SITs are associated with less early-stage job search, but they are also associated with increased concrete prospects when employees are more actively seeking alternative employment. Taken together, this study provides more nuanced insights into how network ties influence employee job search process, clarifying ambiguities in this literature.

Julie Hancock is an Associate Professor of Management and the Director of The People Center in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business at the University of North Texas. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Memphis and held an academic appointment at Rutgers University, Camden prior to joining UNT in 2015. Her primary research interests include the flow of people in organizations, collective turnover, perceived organizational support, and pro-social rule breaking. Her work on these topics has been published in Journal of Management, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Human Relations, Employee Relations and Human Resource Management Review. Julie has been a member of the Academy of Management since 2007 and has served in a variety of roles during this time, including acting as a reviewer, presenter, discussant, and session chair for the HR Division over the last 15 years, among other roles. When Julie isn’t researching, teaching, or volunteering, she enjoys traveling the world and spending time with her husband and two offspring.