VSS: “Thanks for Everything: Three Examinations of Gratitude at Work”
IACM Virtual Seminar Speaker: A Monthly Series on Conflict and Negotiation Research
Thanks for Everything: Three Examinations of Gratitude at Work
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Professor Ryan Fehr, University of Washington, Seattle (Foster School of Business)
Moderator: Professor: Jessica Li
Using “Schedule 2”
45 minutes
Monday, Jan. 23, 2023
Schedule 2: 8 PM US Pacific, 11 PM US Eastern, 5 AM (next day) Amsterdam, 12 PM (next day) Singapore, 3 PM (next day) Melbourne.
Authors: Eli Awtrey, Ameer Basit, Ryan Fehr, Jessica Guo, Yu Tse Heng, Ussama Khan, Blair Middlebrook, Dan Ni, Lynda Song, Cindy Wang, Xiaoming Zheng
Abstract: For scholars interested in the development and maintenance of high-quality workplace relationships, gratitude is an important yet often-underappreciated factor. In this presentation, I will review several recent projects on the impact of gratitude expressions in organizations, exploring its downstream effects as well as important boundary conditions. In the first project, I will discuss our findings from a pair of gratitude expression interventions, and the impact of these interventions on employees’ cognitions, emotions, and behavior. In the second project, I will discuss our findings from a study of gratitude expression disparities in teams in a large microlending nonprofit, allowing us to look beyond main effects and better understand the boundary conditions of gratitude expressions’ impact. In the third project, I will discuss our findings from a series of studies on third party reactions to employees’ leader-directed gratitude expressions, offering insight into how gratitude expressions impact perceptions of the expressers.
Bio: Ryan Fehr is a Professor and Michael G. Foster Faculty Fellow at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. His research focuses on building more positive relationships at work, positive organizational scholarship, ethics and morality, and leadership. His work has been published in outlets such as AMR, JAP, JPSP, Personnel Psychology, and OBHDP, and featured in news outlets such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland and currently serves as an Associate Editor at OBHDP.
