Faculty Profile

Dr. Subra Tangirala
Associate Professor

Ph.D., Purdue University

4524 Van Munching Hall
Phone: 301-405-5647
E-mail: stangirala@rhsmith.umd.edu

Subra Tangirala

Subra Tangirala is Associate Professor of Management & Organization. He teaches the human capital course in the MBA program. His research focuses on interpersonal communication in organizations. He studies how technology is influencing the way employees communicate with each other. Recently, he has also explored reasons why employees often remain silent despite having information, concerns, or suggestions to share, and what organizations can do to facilitate candid exchange of ideas at the workplace. His research has been published or is forthcoming in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Tangirala received his PhD in organizational behavior and human resources from Purdue University. Prior to his doctoral studies, he worked for several years as a human resources manager. 

Primary Research Areas

  • Employee silence and voice
  • Distributed work settings
  • Organizational identity and identification

Selected Publications

Alge, B. J., Ballinger, G. A., Tangirala, S., & Oakley, J. (2006). Information privacy in organizations: Empowering creative and extra-role performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 221-232.

Tangirala, S., & Alge, B. J. (2006). Reactions to unfair events in computer-mediated groups: A test of uncertainty management theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 100, 1-20.

Tangirala, S., Green, S., & Ramanujam, R. (2007). In the Shadow of the Boss's Boss: Effects of Supervisors' Upward Exchange Relationships on Employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 309-320.

Tangirala, S., & Ramanujam, R. (2008). Employee silence on critical work issues: The cross-level effects of procedural justice climate. Personnel Psychology, 61, 37-68.

Tangirala, S., & Ramanujam, R. (2008). Exploring non-linearity in employee voice: The effects of personal control and organizational identification. Academy of Management Journal, 51, 1189-1203.

Venkataramani, V., & Tangirala, S. (2010). When and why do central employees speak up? An examination of mediating and moderating variables. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 582-591.

Chen, G., Kirkman, B. L., Kim, K., Farh, C., & Tangirala, S. (2010). When does cross-cultural motivation enhance expatriate effectiveness? A multilevel investigation of the moderating roles of subsidiary support and cultural distance. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 1110-1130.

Shapiro, D., Boss, A., Salas, S. Tangirala, S. & Von Glinow, M. A. (2011). When are transgressing leaders punitively judged? An empirical test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(2), 412-422.

Tangirala, S., & Ramanujam, R. (Forthcoming). Ask and you shall hear (But not always): An examination of the relationship between manager consultation and employee voice. Personnel Psychology.

Honors & Awards

  • Winner of SIOP’s 2008 S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Award in recognition of the best doctoral dissertation research in the field of industrial and organizational psychology.