I am an associate professor of Management and Organizations at the Stern School of Business, New York University. You can learn more about me by visiting my homepage.
My Approach to Ethical Systems:
My research investigates the psychology of justice, particularly (though not exclusively) in organizational contexts. As such, I address questions such as how people (e.g., employees) evaluate justice, why they care about justice, and their attitudinal and behavioral reactions to justice. Most recently, I have also begun to explore factors that shape whether people treat others fairly. One of the key themes of my work is that although people care deeply about justice, there is great variation in how people evaluate what is just or unjust and thus there is great variation in people’s justice-based reactions and behavior. This poses significant challenges for creating organizational and other social systems that fulfill people’s desires and expectations for justice. Interestingly, I find that many common characteristics of organizations and groups exacerbate these differences among people’s justice judgments and actions. As such, typical and sometimes well-intentioned features of organizational and group life can act as obstacles to creating systems that will be broadly regarded as fair.
My perspective on ethical systems is profoundly shaped by my research on justice. My work highlights the challenges of creating more ethical social systems. At the same time, it suggests factors that may help overcome those challenges.
My Major Relevant Publications:
A sample of my relevant publications related to ethical systems includes:
Blader, S. L., & Chen, Y. (in press). Differentiating the effects of status and power: A justice perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Blader, S. L. & Chen, Y. (2011). What influences how higher status people respond to lower status others? Effects of procedural fairness, outcome favorability, and concerns about status. Organization Science.
Blader, S. L., Wiesenfeld, B., Rothman, R. & Wheeler-Smith, S. (2010). Social emotions and justice: How the emotional fabric of groups determines justice enactment and reactions. In E. A. Mannix, M. A. Neale (Series Eds.) & E. Mullen (Vol. Ed.), Research on managing groups and teams: Fairness & Groups (pp. 29-62). Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing.
Blader, S. L. & Tyler, T. R. (2009). Testing & extending the Group Engagement Model: Linkages between social identity, procedural justice, economic outcomes and extra role behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 445-464.
Blader, S. L. (2007). What determines people’s fairness judgments? Identification and outcomes influence procedural justice evaluations under uncertainty. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 986-994.
Blader, S. L. (2007). What leads organization members to collectivize? Injustice and identification as precursors of union certification. Organization Science, 18, 108-126.
Tyler, T. R. & Blader, S. L. (2005). Can businesses effectively regulate employee conduct? The antecedents of rule following in work settings. Academy of Management Journal, 48, 1143-1158.
Tyler, T. R., & Blader, S. L. (2000). Cooperation in groups: Procedural justice, social identity and behavioral engagement. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.