I study emotions, interpersonal perception and communication, and close relationships at work.
People are hardwired to experience emotions, form impressions of others’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward them, and build close relationships. My research examines how these processes impact organizational life.
In my first stream of research, I seek to identify unique ways in which discrete emotions, such as awe, enter and affect our behavior in the workplace. In my second stream of research, I examine if, when, and why our perceptions of others’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward us are accurate, and how they shape our behavior despite our (in)accuracy. My work in this area focuses specifically on meta-perception and accuracy within the context of communication behaviors, such as flirting and favor-asking, that commonly unfold in organizations. In my third stream of research, I explore how people manage intimacy at work, focusing particularly on attachment in close relationships.
Research on Emotions
Belinda, C. D. & Christian, M. S. (in press). A spillover model of dreams and work behavior: How dream meaning ascription promotes awe and employee resilience. Academy of Management Journal. [Link]
Kundro, T. K.*, Belinda, C. D.*, Affinito, S. J.*, & Christian, M. S. Performance pressure amplifies the effect of evening detachment on next morning shame: Downstream consequences for workday cheating behavior. Under 3rd review at Journal of Applied Psychology.
* Denotes equal contribution
Belinda, C. D., Melwani, S., & Kapadia, C. Breaking boredom: Interrupting the residual effect of state boredom on future productivity. Under 2nd review at Journal of Applied Psychology.
Research on Interpersonal Perception and Communication
Belinda, C. D. & Melwani, S. Burdening our (presumed) admirers: How meta-perceptions of attractiveness shape who we ask for favors and how much we ask for. Working paper (Target: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
Belinda, C. D. & Melwani, S. People underestimate compliance, but they know who to ask: A dyadic perspective on anticipated compliance. Working paper (Target: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes).
Belinda, C. D. & Melwani, S. Do we know who flirts with us? Dyadic meta-accuracy among men and women. Working paper (Target: Psychological Science).
Research on Close Relationships
Belinda, C. D., & Christian, M. S., & Westerman, J. W. Attachment patterns and workplace romance. Planning Study 4.
Belinda, C. D. & Melwani, S. Attachment anxiety and leader role centralization. Planning Study 2.
Research on Ethics (Secondary Interest)
Belinda, C. D., Westerman, J. W, & Bergman, S. M. (2018). Recruiting with ethics in an online era: Integrating corporate social responsibility with social media to predict organizational attractiveness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 109, 101-117. [Link]
Belinda, C. D., Christian, M. S., Long, E. C., Welsh, D. T., & Slaughter, J. E. A self-control based contingency framework for state mindfulness and cheating behavior. Working paper (Target: Journal of Applied Psychology).
Belinda, C. D., Desai, S. D., & Christian, M. S. Bad dreams and good behavior. Planning Study 3.
Dissertation
My dissertation, Central complaint recipients as change agents: A theory of complaining, learning, and proactive work behavior, bridges my research on emotions, communication, and close relationships. Here is a synopsis of my dissertation:
People complain about four times per day, on average, and there is perhaps nothing that people complain about more than their work. Yet despite the prevalence of complaining in organizations, we know little about its organizational consequences—particularly for those on the receiving end of complaints. In my dissertation, I take the complaint recipient’s perspective and theorize that “complaint hubs,” or employees on the frequent receiving end of work-related complaints, benefit from exclusive access to information about problems that may arise in their work. This facilitates problem-oriented learning, or the acquisition of knowledge about how to identify, anticipate, and resolve work-related issues. In turn, problem-oriented learning translates “complaints received” into proactive work behaviors aimed at improving one’s job (task crafting) and organization (voice). However, the utility of complaining for learning and proactive behavior hinges on how close employees are with the members of their communication network, which determines the richness of the complaints they receive and their ability to infer their implications. This series of relationships ultimately impacts employee performance, conferring objective benefits to central complaint recipients. Thus far I have tested my theory in two network field studies, including a three-wave study with a public broadcasting organization and a second study with a large healthcare organization.