Predicting and understanding the future of work is one of the most pressing issues of our time. My research unpacks this issue by examining how technological advancements influence organizational actors, workplace practices and the management of employees.
In one line of research, I examine how novel technologies such as behavior-tracking products, virtual reality tools, and autonomous agents influence the decisions, perceptions and behaviors of managers and their subordinates. Projects in this area examine the critical role that technology plays in shaping organizational actors’ social and psychological experiences in the workplace.
In a second line of research, I examine how organizations can increase the effectiveness of their human resource management practices to address the changing nature of work. Specifically, I explore how organizations can promote appropriate supervisory behaviors to enable the effective management of employees in modern organizations. Across these two lines of research, I build on and extend existing psychological and organizational theories using a variety of empirical methods in a number of different domains.
Dissertation: Technology, Behavior Tracking and the Future of Work
In my dissertation, I develop and test a theoretical model suggesting that interacting with technology changes people’s focus from perceiving a situation as controlling to perceiving it as informational.
I examine this in the context of behavior-tracking technologies and use a combination of field studies and laboratory experiments to develop insights about when and why employees submit to extreme monitoring.
Novel Technologies in the Workplace
How do novel technologies influence organizational actors’ perceptions, decisions and behaviors?
Novel technologies are rapidly changing how organizational actors engage with their work and with each other. Therefore, to effectively integrate these novel technologies into the workplace, it is critical to understand the effects that these technologies have on organizational actors and the mechanisms that underlie these effects. Toward this end, I explore how new technologies influence individuals’ perceptions, inter-personal dynamics, and performance.
Projects in this Area
- Raveendhran, R., Fast, N.J., & Carnevale, P.J. (2020). Virtual (Freedom From) Reality: Evaluation Apprehension and Leaders’ Preference for Communicating Through Avatars. Computers in Human Behavior.
- Raveendhran, R., & Fast, N. J. (2019). Technology and social evaluation: Opportunities and challenges. In R. N. Landers (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Technology and Employee Behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Changing Nature of Work and the Effective Management of Employees
In light of the changing nature of work, how can organizations effectively manage their employees?
In this line of work, I examine this question by exploring how organizations can strategically create effective human resource management practices and promote appropriate supervisory behaviors in modern organizations. In doing so, I seek to enhance our understanding of how managers can increase their legitimacy and influence in modern organizations.
Projects in this Area
- Perrigino, M. & Raveendhran, R. (2020). Managing remote workers during quarantine: Insights from organizational research on boundary management. Behavioral Science and Policy.
Other Projects
In these projects, I apply micro theoretical perspectives to understand macro-organizational phenomena. Specifically, I draw on psychological theories to understand intra-organizational processes and inter-organizational relationships.
- Raveendhran, R., Xing, Z., & Mayer, K. J. (2019). Understanding contracting behavior: The role of power. In F. J. Contractor & J. Reuer (Ed.), Alliance Frontiers. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Joshi, P., Wakslak, C., & Raveendhran, R. Dictates of Distance: Understanding the Experience and Impact of Distance in Organizations. Revision requested at Organizational Psychology Review.
Roshni Raveendhran 