Kai Chi Yam
Biographic Data
| ID | 1659987 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kai Chi Yam |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kai Chi |
| FAMILY NAME | Yam |
| SIGNATURE | YAM K C |
| AFFILIATIONS | National University of Singapore |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7381-8039 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 55 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Gender Equality Differentiation Hinders Progress Toward Gender Equality
Gender inequality has been an enduring issue throughout history and continues to persist in modern society. Although we have achieved much gender equality, this progress has stagnated. We propose that gender equality differentiation, defined as the variance in the levels of gender equality across different dimensions, is a critical but neglected factor that impedes progress toward gender equality. Using a global dataset of 158 countries spanning …
The Affective Processes of Ethical Leadership
Collectivism Impairs Team Performance When Relational Goals Conflict With Group Goals
This research challenges the idea that teams from more collectivistic cultures tend to perform better. We propose that in contexts in which there are tradeoffs between group goals (i.e., what is best for the group) and relational goals (i.e., what is best for one’s relationships with specific group members), people in less collectivistic cultures primarily focus on group goals but those in more collectivistic cultures focus on both group and rela…
Machine Replacement
Here we review work examining reactions to machines replacing humans in both professional and personal domains. Using a mind-role fit perspective, we synthesize findings across several decades of research spanning multiple disciplines to suggest the types and trends for how people will respond to machines replacing humans. We propose that as intelligent machines have evolved to possess “minds,” their range of replacement and the scope of people's…
Middle power plays
Given Machiavellianism's strong historical and theoretical roots in power and politics, there are surprisingly few empirical studies, if any, that directly examine how Machiavellians attain and maintain power in organizations. Understanding this is important because Machiavellian employees have managed to effectively gain power to reach managerial positions of influence in organizations despite their negative reputation. Further, there are contra…
Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with job crafting
The rise of robots increases job insecurity and maladaptive workplace behaviors
threatened by robots. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Employee Humor Can Shield Them from Abusive Supervision
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Adults still can't resist
The Unintended Consequences of Empowering Leadership
Laughing with me or laughing at me? The differential effects of leader humor expressions on follower status and influence at work
Although research suggests that leader humor shapes followers' perceptions of their leaders' status, questions remain as to whether and how leader humor can shape followers' own acquisition of status at work. Drawing from the approach‐avoidance framework, we provide an important extension to the leader humor literature by developing a serial mediation model that explains how and why two styles of leader humor—aggressive humor and affiliative humo…
Helping after dark
Helping has long been considered as a beneficial behavior that enhances organizational effectiveness. Recent technological boons, however, have expanded the boundaries of when and where employees fulfill their responsibilities. In the context of leadership, this means that leaders are now able to efficiently provide help to their followers in the evening after the official workday ends, and there is theoretical reason to expect that this behavior…
When your boss is a robot
Threat of racial and economic inequality increases preference for algorithm decision-making
Reducing the uncanny valley by dehumanizing humanoid robots
The rise of Covid-19 cases is associated with support for world leaders
Significance Amid the present COVID-19 pandemic, we find that many citizens around the world “rally ‘round the flag” and increase their support for their respective political leaders. We observe these findings among countries that are culturally and geographically diverse, and even among leaders who are strongly disliked by citizens prior to the pandemic. Our findings could have important voting implications during or immediately after the pandem…
Feeling proud but guilty? Unpacking the paradoxical nature of unethical pro-organizational behavior
The double-edged sword of leader humility
Extant research has uniformly demonstrated that leader humility is beneficial for subordinates, teams, and even organizations. Drawing upon attribution theory, we challenge this prevailing conclusion by identifying a potential dark side of leader humility and suggesting that leader humility can be a mixed blessing. We propose that the effects of leader humility hinge on subordinates' attributions of such humble behavior. On the one hand, when sub…
Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests
To what extent are research results influenced by subjective decisions that scientists make as they design studies? Fifteen research teams independently designed studies to answer five original research questions related to moral judgments, negotiations, and implicit cognition. Participants from 2 separate large samples (total N > 15,000) were then randomly assigned to complete 1 version of each study. Effect sizes varied dramatically across diff…
Do not like it when you need it the most
This paper advances the understanding of managerial voice endorsement based on a self‐regulation perspective. We suggest that although managers might potentially benefit more from employees' upward voice when they are more depleted, they are paradoxically less likely to diligently process or endorse such voice under ego depletion. We draw from ego depletion theory and argue that when managers are more depleted of their self‐control resources, the…
Why so serious? A laboratory and field investigation of the link between morality and humor
Previous research has identified many positive outcomes resulting from a deeply held moral identity, while overlooking potential negative social consequences for the moral individual. Drawing from Benign Violation Theory, we explore the tension between moral identity and humor, and the downstream workplace consequence of such tension. Consistent with our hypotheses, compared with participants in the control condition, participants whose moral ide…
The Mixed Blessing of Leader Sense of Humor
Workplace humor is ubiquitous, yet scholars know little about how it affects employees’ behaviors in organizations. We draw on an emerging psychological theory of humor—benign violation theory—to suggest that a leader’s sense of humor often conveys counter-normative social information in organizations. We integrate this theory with social information processing theory to develop hypotheses about the effects of a leader’s sense of humor on followe…
Shared leadership
The traditional “great man” approaches to leadership emphasize qualities of individual leaders for leadership success. In contrast, a rapidly growing body of research has started to examine shared leadership, which is broadly defined as an emergent team phenomenon whereby leadership roles and influence are distributed among team members. Despite the progress, however, the extant literature on shared leadership has been fragmented with a variety o…
From Good Soldiers to Psychologically Entitled
Research has consistently demonstrated that organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) produce a wide array of positive outcomes for employees and organizations. Recent work, however, has suggested that employees often engage in OCBs not because they want to but because they feel they have to, and it is not clear whether OCBs performed for external motives have the same positive effects on individuals and organizational functioning as do traditi…
Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with job crafting
Reducing the uncanny valley by dehumanizing humanoid robots
Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests
To what extent are research results influenced by subjective decisions that scientists make as they design studies? Fifteen research teams independently designed studies to answer five original research questions related to moral judgments, negotiations, and implicit cognition. Participants from 2 separate large samples (total N > 15,000) were then randomly assigned to complete 1 version of each study. Effect sizes varied dramatically across diff…
When your boss is a robot
Why so serious? A laboratory and field investigation of the link between morality and humor
Previous research has identified many positive outcomes resulting from a deeply held moral identity, while overlooking potential negative social consequences for the moral individual. Drawing from Benign Violation Theory, we explore the tension between moral identity and humor, and the downstream workplace consequence of such tension. Consistent with our hypotheses, compared with participants in the control condition, participants whose moral ide…
Do not like it when you need it the most
This paper advances the understanding of managerial voice endorsement based on a self‐regulation perspective. We suggest that although managers might potentially benefit more from employees' upward voice when they are more depleted, they are paradoxically less likely to diligently process or endorse such voice under ego depletion. We draw from ego depletion theory and argue that when managers are more depleted of their self‐control resources, the…
Interactional justice, leader-member exchange, and employee performance
Past research suggests that interactional justice plays a pivotal role in facilitating high-quality leader–member exchange (LMX), with downstream implications for employee performance. However, the broader context in which these effects unfold has received scarce attention. Drawing from deontic justice and social exchange theories, we suggest that interactional justice differentiation is an important contextual moderator of the link between inter…
Laughing with me or laughing at me? The differential effects of leader humor expressions on follower status and influence at work
Although research suggests that leader humor shapes followers' perceptions of their leaders' status, questions remain as to whether and how leader humor can shape followers' own acquisition of status at work. Drawing from the approach‐avoidance framework, we provide an important extension to the leader humor literature by developing a serial mediation model that explains how and why two styles of leader humor—aggressive humor and affiliative humo…
Interactional justice, leader-member exchange, and employee performance
Past research suggests that interactional justice plays a pivotal role in facilitating high-quality leader–member exchange (LMX), with downstream implications for employee performance. However, the broader context in which these effects unfold has received scarce attention. Drawing from deontic justice and social exchange theories, we suggest that interactional justice differentiation is an important contextual moderator of the link between inter…
From Good Soldiers to Psychologically Entitled
Research has consistently demonstrated that organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) produce a wide array of positive outcomes for employees and organizations. Recent work, however, has suggested that employees often engage in OCBs not because they want to but because they feel they have to, and it is not clear whether OCBs performed for external motives have the same positive effects on individuals and organizational functioning as do traditi…
Workplace status
Research suggests that employee status, and various status proxies, relate to a number of meaningful outcomes in the workplace. The advancement of the study of status in organizational settings has, however, been stymied by the lack of a validated workplace status measure. The purpose of this manuscript, therefore, is to develop and validate a measure of workplace status based on a theoretically grounded definition of status in organizations. Sub…
The Mixed Blessing of Leader Sense of Humor
Workplace humor is ubiquitous, yet scholars know little about how it affects employees’ behaviors in organizations. We draw on an emerging psychological theory of humor—benign violation theory—to suggest that a leader’s sense of humor often conveys counter-normative social information in organizations. We integrate this theory with social information processing theory to develop hypotheses about the effects of a leader’s sense of humor on followe…
Shared leadership
The traditional “great man” approaches to leadership emphasize qualities of individual leaders for leadership success. In contrast, a rapidly growing body of research has started to examine shared leadership, which is broadly defined as an emergent team phenomenon whereby leadership roles and influence are distributed among team members. Despite the progress, however, the extant literature on shared leadership has been fragmented with a variety o…
Do not like it when you need it the most
This paper advances the understanding of managerial voice endorsement based on a self‐regulation perspective. We suggest that although managers might potentially benefit more from employees' upward voice when they are more depleted, they are paradoxically less likely to diligently process or endorse such voice under ego depletion. We draw from ego depletion theory and argue that when managers are more depleted of their self‐control resources, the…
Why so serious? A laboratory and field investigation of the link between morality and humor
Previous research has identified many positive outcomes resulting from a deeply held moral identity, while overlooking potential negative social consequences for the moral individual. Drawing from Benign Violation Theory, we explore the tension between moral identity and humor, and the downstream workplace consequence of such tension. Consistent with our hypotheses, compared with participants in the control condition, participants whose moral ide…
The rise of Covid-19 cases is associated with support for world leaders
Significance Amid the present COVID-19 pandemic, we find that many citizens around the world “rally ‘round the flag” and increase their support for their respective political leaders. We observe these findings among countries that are culturally and geographically diverse, and even among leaders who are strongly disliked by citizens prior to the pandemic. Our findings could have important voting implications during or immediately after the pandem…
Feeling proud but guilty? Unpacking the paradoxical nature of unethical pro-organizational behavior
The double-edged sword of leader humility
Extant research has uniformly demonstrated that leader humility is beneficial for subordinates, teams, and even organizations. Drawing upon attribution theory, we challenge this prevailing conclusion by identifying a potential dark side of leader humility and suggesting that leader humility can be a mixed blessing. We propose that the effects of leader humility hinge on subordinates' attributions of such humble behavior. On the one hand, when sub…
Crowdsourcing hypothesis tests
To what extent are research results influenced by subjective decisions that scientists make as they design studies? Fifteen research teams independently designed studies to answer five original research questions related to moral judgments, negotiations, and implicit cognition. Participants from 2 separate large samples (total N > 15,000) were then randomly assigned to complete 1 version of each study. Effect sizes varied dramatically across diff…
Threat of racial and economic inequality increases preference for algorithm decision-making
Reducing the uncanny valley by dehumanizing humanoid robots
Adults still can't resist
The Unintended Consequences of Empowering Leadership
Laughing with me or laughing at me? The differential effects of leader humor expressions on follower status and influence at work
Although research suggests that leader humor shapes followers' perceptions of their leaders' status, questions remain as to whether and how leader humor can shape followers' own acquisition of status at work. Drawing from the approach‐avoidance framework, we provide an important extension to the leader humor literature by developing a serial mediation model that explains how and why two styles of leader humor—aggressive humor and affiliative humo…
Helping after dark
Helping has long been considered as a beneficial behavior that enhances organizational effectiveness. Recent technological boons, however, have expanded the boundaries of when and where employees fulfill their responsibilities. In the context of leadership, this means that leaders are now able to efficiently provide help to their followers in the evening after the official workday ends, and there is theoretical reason to expect that this behavior…
When your boss is a robot
The rise of robots increases job insecurity and maladaptive workplace behaviors
threatened by robots. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Employee Humor Can Shield Them from Abusive Supervision
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Collectivism Impairs Team Performance When Relational Goals Conflict With Group Goals
This research challenges the idea that teams from more collectivistic cultures tend to perform better. We propose that in contexts in which there are tradeoffs between group goals (i.e., what is best for the group) and relational goals (i.e., what is best for one’s relationships with specific group members), people in less collectivistic cultures primarily focus on group goals but those in more collectivistic cultures focus on both group and rela…
Machine Replacement
Here we review work examining reactions to machines replacing humans in both professional and personal domains. Using a mind-role fit perspective, we synthesize findings across several decades of research spanning multiple disciplines to suggest the types and trends for how people will respond to machines replacing humans. We propose that as intelligent machines have evolved to possess “minds,” their range of replacement and the scope of people's…
Middle power plays
Given Machiavellianism's strong historical and theoretical roots in power and politics, there are surprisingly few empirical studies, if any, that directly examine how Machiavellians attain and maintain power in organizations. Understanding this is important because Machiavellian employees have managed to effectively gain power to reach managerial positions of influence in organizations despite their negative reputation. Further, there are contra…
Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with job crafting
Psychology (26 works) · Social Psychology (22 works) · Political science (14 works) · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior (10 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Epistemology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Artificial Intelligence (5 works) · Organizational commitment (5 works)