Cassandra Chambers, PhD

Cassandra Chambers, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Her research explores how organizations use algorithmically maintained reward systems to motivate extra-role behaviors. These behaviors cannot be mandated in job requirements or performance objectives, but are nevertheless a fundamental feature of organizational behavior, that if effectively mobilized, translate into enhanced levels of creativity, coordination, and performance. Motivating these contributions has always been a challenge for organizations, but this challenge is now compounded by increasing rates of remote work and the broad movement of social interactions into online settings. New organizational structures and reward systems that algorithmically track, publicize, and reward contributions may be a promising way to fill this void. However, we know relatively little about their effectiveness and in particular whether they produce negative externalities that may artificially constrain rather than strictly support contributions. Using a mix of archival and laboratory studies that rely on big data as well as targeted interventions, her primary body of work aims to advance research on this new world of algorithmic motivation by exploring the unintended consequences that may arise from algorithmically maintained reward systems.

Education

• PhD, Business Administration (Management & Organizations), University of Michigan
• MBA, University of Florida
• BA, Political Science, University of California Los Angeles

Research

Selected publications

• Chambers, C.R., Alves, M., and Aceves, P. Individual Learning from Inconsistent Performance Feedback. Conditionally Accepted at Organization Science
• Aceves, P. and Cassandra, C.R. Inconsistent Rating Scales Decrease Social Influence Bias and Enhance Crowd Wisdom. Conditionally Accepted at Computers Human Behavior
• Chambers, C.R. (2023). Nonmonetary reward systems, counterproductive behavior, and responses to sanctions in open collaboration environments. In press, Organization Science
• Liu, H., Chambers, C.R., and Moore, C. (2023). 50 Years of research on leadership communication: A review and guide for future research. Conditionally accepted, Leadership Quarterly
• Chambers, C.R., & Baker, W.E. (2020). Robust systems of cooperation in the presence of rankings: how displaying prosocial contributions can offset the disruptive effects of performance rankings. Organization Science, 31(2), 287-307

Working papers

• Alves, M., Chambers, C.R., and Aceves, P. When others help me find my way: Conceptual antecedents to individual problem solving (manuscript draft available)
• Liu, E.H., Chambers, C.R., & Moore, C. Leader Communication and Stakeholder Responses in the Covid-19 Pandemic (manuscript draft available)
• Ye, J., Chambers, C.R. and Aceves, P. Cognitive style conditions usefulness of AI agents

Teaching

Current

• Power and Politics
• Negotiation

Honors and distinctions

• Editorial Board Member Administrative Science Quarterly
• Editorial Board Member Organization Science

In the media

• Chambers, C.R.The Dark Side of Game Playing. Financial Times (December 6, 2020)