2 PhD positions on the topic “Gender ratios and power dynamics in work teams”

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The graduate school SOM of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen (RUG) and the Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences of the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam have available:

2 PhD positions on the topic “Gender ratios and power dynamics in work teams” (2.0 FTE)

General Description
Two fully paid PhD (1.0 fte) positions for four years are available; one at the University of Groningen (RUG) and one at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). These position are funded by the NWO grant “Gender ratios and power dynamics in mixed-gender teams: Implications for gender inequality in organizations” awarded to prof. Bernard Nijstad (RUG) and prof. Mark van Vugt (VU).

One PhD will be located in Groningen, and is supervised by prof. Bernard Nijstad (RUG) and prof. Astrid Homan (University of Amsterdam; UvA). The PhD will be part of the SOM graduate school of the Faculty of Economics and Business.

Th other PhD will be located in Amsterdam and supervised by prof. Mark van Vugt and dr. Wendy Andrews (VU), and will be a member of the Amsterdam Leadership Lab (amsterdamleadershiplab.nl).

Both PhDs will be part of a larger project team, which, in addition to mentioned supervisors from the RUG, VU, and UvA, also includes prof. Charlotte Hemelrijk (RUG, biology).

The Research Project
The proposed research project examines how factors such as gender ratio (proportion of men and women), leadership schemas, and level of competitiveness within teams affect the power dynamics in mixed-gender work teams and whether these dynamics affect the relative opportunities of men and women to make promotion in an organization. In three subprojects we study (1) the basic dynamics of the process of claiming and granting influence and power in a controlled laboratory setting; (2) these power dynamics in organizational settings using observational, survey and archival data; and (3) the dynamics of claiming-granting processes in agent-based models. Together, these projects will lead to a better understanding of how influence hierarchies emerge in teams with different gender compositions, and what consequences this may eventually have for gender equality in organizations.

The PhD project at the RUG will focus on question (1), and will mainly rely on experimental methodology, including detailed (video) coding of group interactions.

The PhD project at the VU will focus on question (2) and will use observational, survey, and archival data to understand power dynamics in work teams in organizations.

Question (3) will be examined by a postdoctoral researcher that will be hired in a separate procedure at a later point in time.

We are looking for applicants with:

• a (research) master degree in the field of social/organizational psychology, organizational behaviour, human resource management, or organizational sciences
• experience with and a passion for empirical research, and preferably experience with experimental methodology and (video) data coding (position 1, RUG), or with survey research and observational methods (position 2, VU)
• excellent data handling and analysis skills
• excellent command of spoken and written English and, in case of position 2 a good command of Dutch
• affinity and demonstrable experience with working with people in business settings (for position 2, VU).

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a salary of € 2,541 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,247 gross per month in the fourth and final year,
• a full-time position (1.0 FTE)
• a holiday allowance of 8% gross annual income
• an 8.3% end-of-the-year allowance
• minimum of 29 holidays and additional 12 holidays in case of full-time employment.

The full-time appointment is temporary for a period of in principle four years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year.

Starting date: preferably January 1, 2023

For information you can contact:

SOM, for general information on the application procedure,   [email protected]

Prof. Bernard Nijstad (PhD1), for information on the project,   [email protected]

Prof. Mark van Vugt (PhD2), for information on the project,   [email protected]

(please do not use the email addresses above for applications)