Rellie Derfler-Rozin Directory Page

Rellie Derfler-Rozin is a 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

Liu, X., Derfler-Rozin, R., Mao, J., Zhou, Q., & Schaubroeck, J. (2024) Unraveling Mentors’ Positive and Negative Reactions to Protégés’ Taking Charge. Journal of Management, 1-34.

Venkataramani, V., & Derfler-Rozin, R., Liu, X., & Mao, J. (2024) Keep off my turf! Low status managers’ territoriality as a response to employees’ novel ideas. Organization Science, 35(4), 1224-1250.

Wee, E. +, Derfler-Rozin, R., & Marr, J. (2023). Jolted: How Task-Based Jolts Disrupt Status Conferral by Impacting Higher- and Lower-Status Individuals’ Generosity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(5), 750-772.

Derfler-Rozin, R., Isaakyan, S, & Park, H+. (2022). Swiftly Judging Whom to Bring On Board: How Person Perception (Accurate or Not) Influences Selection of Prospective Team Members. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 173: 104206

Derfler-Rozin, R., Sherf, E. N., & Chen, G. (2021). To be or not to be consistent? The role of friendship and group-targeted perspective in managers' allocation decisions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 42(6), 814-833.

Derfler-Rozin, R., & Pitesa, M. (2020) Motivation Purity Bias: Expression of Extrinsic Motivation Undermines Perceived Intrinsic Motivation and Engenders Bias in Selection Decisions. Academy of Management Journal, 63(6), 1840-1864.

Liu, X., Liao, H., Derfler-Rozin, R., Zhang, X., Qin, F., & Wee, E. (2020) In Line and Out of the Box: How Ethical Leaders Help Offset the Negative Effect of Morality on Creativity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(12), 1447-1465

He, T., Derfler-Rozin, R., & Pitesa, M. (2020) Financial Vulnerability and the Reproduction of Disadvantage in Economic Exchanges. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(1), 80-96.

Baker, B., Derfler-Rozin, R., Pitesa, M., & Johnson, M. Economic Consequences of Unethical Behavior: Organization Science, 30(2), 235-445.

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

Media Contributions

TEDx – Correcting the misconception about job candidates' motivation.

WNYC (New York Public Radio) The Brian Lehrer Show – Feb. 24, 2022 - “Managers Are Less Likely to Hire People Who Ask About Salary. Will NYC’s New Wage Law Help?”