Rellie Derfler-Rozin Directory Page

Rellie Derfler-Rozin
Associate Professor
Ph.D., London Business School
Rellie Derfler-Rozin is an Associate Professor of Management & Organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. She received her PhD in Organizational Behavior from London Business School.
She studies how the social context impacts employees' decision-making. She examines situations in which people in organizational settings behave in ways that end up counter to their own goal, because of innate social needs, such as the need to belong or the need for social status. As such, she applies psychological theories to critical organizational challenges (e.g., how organizations should design their selection practices or structure employees' jobs) to seek solutions that improve employees' lives in the workplace and organizations' success. She uses a multi-method approach, combining field surveys, field experiments, laboratory experiments and archival data analysis. Most of her research revolves around two specific areas: behavioral ethics and selection decisions and biases.
Primary Research Areas
- behavioral ethics
- selection decision and biases
- belongingness needs
- emotions
Selected Publications
Baker, B., Derfler-Rozin, R., Pitesa, M., & Johnson, M. Economic Consequences of Unethical Behavior: An Organizational Context Model. Paper accepted at Organization Science
Derfler-Rozin, R., Baker, B., & Gino, F. (2018). Compromised Ethics in Hiring Processes? How Referrers’ Power Affects Employees’ Reactions to Referral Practices. Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 615-636.
Derfler-Rozin, R., Moore, C., & Staats, B. (2016) Reducing Organizational Rule Breaking through Task Variety: How Task Design Supports Deliberative Thinking. Organization Science, 27(6), 1361-1379
Thau, S., Derfler-Rozin, R., Pitesa, M., Mitchell, M., & Pillutla, M. (2015) Unethical for the sake of the group: Risk of exclusion and pro-group unethical behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100(1), 98-113.
Rafaeli, A., Erez, A., Ravid, S., Derfler-Rozin, R., Efrat, D., & Rozilio, R. (2012). When customers exhibit verbal aggression employees pay the cognitive costs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(5), 931-950
Derfler-Rozin, R., Pillutla, M., & Thau, S. (2010). Social reconnection revisited: The effects of social exclusion risk on reciprocity, trust, and general risk-taking. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 112(2), 140-150
Rafaeli, A., Sagy, Y., & Derfler-Rozin, R. (2008). Logos and initial compliance: A strong case of mindless trust. Organization Science, 19(6), 845-859
News
SMITH BRAIN TRUST — When employees break the rules at work, it might not be mischief. It might be monotony. A new study finds that…
SMITH BRAIN TRUST – When employees break the rules at work, it might not be mischief. It might be monotony.
Research by Rellie Derfler-Rozin
Managers can mitigate the effects that verbally abusive customers have on employees
…
Research

How Ethical Leaders Give Employees Space to Be Creative

Research Finds Bias Against Job Candidates Motivated By Pay, Benefits

How Better Give-and-Take Can Improve Socioeconomic Status
Insights

COVID-19 Widened Existing Inequities for Career Women. Here’s How We Get Back on Track.

For a record number of Americans, 2021 has been the year they said, “I quit.”

And Why Organizations Must Battle Against the Zero-Sum Mindset