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Faculty Profile

Michael SCHAERER's photo

Michael SCHAERER

Full-time Faculty

Professor of Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources; Sustainable Business Research Peak Co-lead

Lee Kong Chian School of Business LKCSB

Education

2012 - 2017Ph.D. in Management (Organizational Behavior)
INSEAD
2009 - 2010M.Sc. in International Management
London School of Economics
2006 - 2009B.A. in Business Administration
University of St. Gallen

Current Appointment(s)

2026 - NowProfessor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
2022 - 2025Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
2017 - 2021Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

Research Interests

  • Social hierarchies (power, status, gender)
  • Negotiation
  • Groups and teams
  • Judgment and decision-making
  • Feedback and advice giving

Selected Awards

  • Winner Core Curriculum Teaching Excellence Award, Singapore Management University, 2025
  • Winner Best Paper with Practical Implications Award, Academy of Management, 2025
  • Dean's Teaching Honor List, SMU, 2018 - 2025
  • Winner Outstanding Conference Paper Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2023
  • Winner Best Paper Award, Singapore Rising Scholars Conference, 2023
  • Lee Kong Chian Fellowship, Singapore Management University, 2020-21; 2022-23
  • Winner Best Reviewer Award, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2022
  • MIM Excellent Teaching Award, Singapore Management University, 2020
  • Winner Early Career Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2020
  • Winner Best Empirical Paper Award, Academy of Management, 2020
  • Nominated for Most Promising Teaching Award, SMU, 2019; 2020
  • Winner Outstanding Article Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2017
  • INSEAD MBA Alumni PhD Award for outstanding achievements during the PhD program, 2017
  • Winner Best Student Paper Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2016
  • Winner Best Student Poster Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2016
  • Runner-up Best Student Poster Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2016
  • Winner Best Student Paper Award, Academy of Management, 2015
  • Swiss National Science Foundation Doc Mobility Scholarship, 2015-2016

 

Selected Journal Articles (Refereed)

  • Petrowsky, H. M., Boecker, L., Escher, Y. A., Frech, M.-L., Friese, M., Galinsky, A. D., Gunia, B., Lee, A. J., Schaerer, M., Schweinsberg, M., Soliman, M., Swaab, R. I., Troll, E. S., Weber, M., & Loschelder, D. D. (2025). The power and peril of first offers in negotiations: A conceptual, meta-analytic, and experimental synthesis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
  • Foulk, T. A., Tu, M.-H., & Schaerer, M. (2025). Can’t get work off my mind: The effect of non-work goal reflection on after-work rumination and well-being. Journal of Applied Psychology.
  • Kim, H.-L., Foulk, T. A., Schaerer, M., Gale, J., & Anicich, E. A. (2025). Riding the waves of power: Power fluctuation, productive energy, and goal pursuit. Personnel Psychology.
  • He, T.†, Schaerer, M.†, Foulk, T. A., Wolf, E. B., & Jiang, W. (2025). From low power to action: Reappraising powerlessness as an opportunity restores agency. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 187, 104404.
    [†shared first authorship]
  • Hussain, I., Pitesa, M., Thau, S., & Schaerer, M. (2024). Pay suppression in social impact contexts: How framing work around the greater good inhibits job candidate compensation demands. Organization Science, 35(2), 525-549.
  • Schaerer, M.†, du Plessis, C.†, Nguyen, M., van Aert, R., Tiokhin, L., Lakens, D., Clemente, E. G., Pfeiffer, T., Dreber, A., Johannesson, M., Clark, C. J. Gender Audits Forecasting Collaboration, & Uhlmann, E. L. (2023). On the trajectory of discrimination: A meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 179, 104280.
    [†shared first authorship]
  • du Plessis, C., Nguyen, M. H. B., Foulk, T., & Schaerer, M. (2023). Relative power and interpersonal trust. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(3), 567-592. 
  • Cyrus-Lai, W., Tierney, W., du Plessis, C., Nguyen, M. H. B., Schaerer, M., Clemente, E., Uhlmann, E. L. (2022). Avoiding bias in the search for implicit bias. Psychological Inquiry, 33(3), 203-212. 
  • Tey, K., Schaerer, M., Madan, N., & Swaab, R.I. (2021). The impact of concession patterns on negotiations: When and why decreasing concessions lead to a distributive disadvantage. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 165, 153-166.
  • Schaerer, M., Foulk, T. A., du Plessis, C., Tu, M.-H., & Krishnan, S. (2021). Just because you're powerless doesn't mean they aren't out to get you: Low power, paranoia, and aggressive behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 165, 1-20.
  • Anicich, E. M., Schaerer, M., Gale, J. P., & Foulk, T. A. (2021). A fluctuating sense of power is associated with reduced well-being. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 92, 104057.
  • Schaerer, M., Schweinsberg, M., Thornley, N., & Swaab, R. I. (2020). Win-win in distributive negotiations: The affective and economic benefits of strategic offer framing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 87, 103943. 
  • Anicich, E. M., Foulk, T., Osborne, M., Gale, J. P., & Schaerer, M. (2020). Getting back to the “new normal”: Autonomy restoration during a global pandemic. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(9), 931-943.
  • Foulk, T., De Pater, I., Schaerer, M., du Plessis, C., Lee., R., & Erez, A. (2020). It’s lonely at the bottom (too): The effects of experienced powerlessness on social closeness and disengagement. Personnel Psychology, 73(2), 363-394.
  • Schaerer, M., Teo, L., Madan, N., & Swaab, R. I. (2020). Power and negotiation: Review of current evidence and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 47-51.
  • Schaerer, M., du Plessis, C., Yap, A.J., & Thau, S. (2018). Low power individuals in social power research: A quantitative review, theoretical framework, and empirical test. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 149, 73-96.
  • Schaerer, M., Schweinsberg, M., & Swaab, R.I. (2018). Imaginary alternatives: The impact of mental simulation on powerless negotiators. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(1), 96-117.
  • Schaerer, M.†, Tost, L.P.†, Huang, L., Gino, F., & Larrick, R.P. (2018). Advice giving: A subtle pathway to power. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(5), 746-761. [†shared first authorship]
  • Schaerer, M., Kern, M., Berger, G., Medvec, V.H., & Swaab, R.I. (2018). The illusion of transparency in performance appraisals: When and why accuracy motivation explains unintentional feedback inflation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 144, 171-186.
  • Schaerer, M., Loschelder, D, & Swaab, R.I. (2016). Bargaining zone distortion in negotiations: The elusive power of multiple alternatives. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 137, 156-171.
  • Loschelder, D., Friese, M., Schaerer, M., & Galinsky, A.D. (2016). The too-much precision effect: When and why precise anchors backfire with experts. Psychological Science, 27(12), 1573-1587.
  • Schweinsberg, M., et al. (2016). The pipeline project: Pre-publication independent replications of a single laboratory’s research pipeline. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 66, 55-67.
  • Swaab, R.I., Phillips, K.W., & Schaerer, M. (2016). Secret conversation opportunities facilitate minority influence in virtual groups: The influence on majority power, information processing, and decision quality. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 133, 17-31.
  • Schaerer, M., Swaab, R.I., & Galinsky, A.D. (2015). Anchors weigh more than power: Why absolute powerlessness liberates negotiators to achieve better outcomes. Psychological Science, 26(2), 170-181.
  • Swaab, R.I., Schaerer, M., Anicich, E.M., Ronay, R., & Galinsky, A.D. (2014). The too-much-talent effect: Team interdependence determines when more talent is too much or not enough. Psychological Science, 25(8), 1581-1591.

 

Research Advisor / Co-Research Advisor To

 

68289657
Curriculum Vitae

Research Areas and Areas of Expertise

Strategic Priorities

Highlights
19
Publications
23
H-Index (All Time)
1905
Citations (All Time)
Michael Schaerer is an award-winning organizational behavior scholar whose research on power, negotiation, and workplace hierarchies has shaped both academic thought and practical management worldwide.

Recognized for bridging rigorous empirical research with actionable insights for organizations; recipient of multiple best paper and teaching awards; research featured in leading journals and global media (e.g., Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BBC); significant influence on negotiation practice, diversity initiatives, and understanding of workplace power dynamics; strong record of research funding and collaboration.

Focused research areas include Mechanisms and consequences of power and powerlessness in organizations; negotiation strategies and outcomes; gender gaps and diversity in workplace outcomes; psychological and behavioral effects of social hierarchies; meta-analytic and experimental approaches to organizational behavior.
Areas of Expertise
Organizational BehaviorPowerStatusGenderNegotiation
This highlights are AI-generated content using the faculty's CV.

Education

2012 - 2017Ph.D. in Management (Organizational Behavior)
INSEAD
2009 - 2010M.Sc. in International Management
London School of Economics
2006 - 2009B.A. in Business Administration
University of St. Gallen

Current Appointment(s)

2026 - NowProfessor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
2022 - 2025Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
2017 - 2021Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

Research Interests

  • Social hierarchies (power, status, gender)
  • Negotiation
  • Groups and teams
  • Judgment and decision-making
  • Feedback and advice giving

Selected Awards

  • Winner Core Curriculum Teaching Excellence Award, Singapore Management University, 2025
  • Winner Best Paper with Practical Implications Award, Academy of Management, 2025
  • Dean's Teaching Honor List, SMU, 2018 - 2025
  • Winner Outstanding Conference Paper Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2023
  • Winner Best Paper Award, Singapore Rising Scholars Conference, 2023
  • Lee Kong Chian Fellowship, Singapore Management University, 2020-21; 2022-23
  • Winner Best Reviewer Award, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2022
  • MIM Excellent Teaching Award, Singapore Management University, 2020
  • Winner Early Career Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2020
  • Winner Best Empirical Paper Award, Academy of Management, 2020
  • Nominated for Most Promising Teaching Award, SMU, 2019; 2020
  • Winner Outstanding Article Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2017
  • INSEAD MBA Alumni PhD Award for outstanding achievements during the PhD program, 2017
  • Winner Best Student Paper Award, International Association for Conflict Management, 2016
  • Winner Best Student Poster Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2016
  • Runner-up Best Student Poster Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2016
  • Winner Best Student Paper Award, Academy of Management, 2015
  • Swiss National Science Foundation Doc Mobility Scholarship, 2015-2016

 

Selected Journal Articles (Refereed)

  • Petrowsky, H. M., Boecker, L., Escher, Y. A., Frech, M.-L., Friese, M., Galinsky, A. D., Gunia, B., Lee, A. J., Schaerer, M., Schweinsberg, M., Soliman, M., Swaab, R. I., Troll, E. S., Weber, M., & Loschelder, D. D. (2025). The power and peril of first offers in negotiations: A conceptual, meta-analytic, and experimental synthesis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
  • Foulk, T. A., Tu, M.-H., & Schaerer, M. (2025). Can’t get work off my mind: The effect of non-work goal reflection on after-work rumination and well-being. Journal of Applied Psychology.
  • Kim, H.-L., Foulk, T. A., Schaerer, M., Gale, J., & Anicich, E. A. (2025). Riding the waves of power: Power fluctuation, productive energy, and goal pursuit. Personnel Psychology.
  • He, T.†, Schaerer, M.†, Foulk, T. A., Wolf, E. B., & Jiang, W. (2025). From low power to action: Reappraising powerlessness as an opportunity restores agency. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 187, 104404.
    [†shared first authorship]
  • Hussain, I., Pitesa, M., Thau, S., & Schaerer, M. (2024). Pay suppression in social impact contexts: How framing work around the greater good inhibits job candidate compensation demands. Organization Science, 35(2), 525-549.
  • Schaerer, M.†, du Plessis, C.†, Nguyen, M., van Aert, R., Tiokhin, L., Lakens, D., Clemente, E. G., Pfeiffer, T., Dreber, A., Johannesson, M., Clark, C. J. Gender Audits Forecasting Collaboration, & Uhlmann, E. L. (2023). On the trajectory of discrimination: A meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 179, 104280.
    [†shared first authorship]
  • du Plessis, C., Nguyen, M. H. B., Foulk, T., & Schaerer, M. (2023). Relative power and interpersonal trust. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(3), 567-592. 
  • Cyrus-Lai, W., Tierney, W., du Plessis, C., Nguyen, M. H. B., Schaerer, M., Clemente, E., Uhlmann, E. L. (2022). Avoiding bias in the search for implicit bias. Psychological Inquiry, 33(3), 203-212. 
  • Tey, K., Schaerer, M., Madan, N., & Swaab, R.I. (2021). The impact of concession patterns on negotiations: When and why decreasing concessions lead to a distributive disadvantage. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 165, 153-166.
  • Schaerer, M., Foulk, T. A., du Plessis, C., Tu, M.-H., & Krishnan, S. (2021). Just because you're powerless doesn't mean they aren't out to get you: Low power, paranoia, and aggressive behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 165, 1-20.
  • Anicich, E. M., Schaerer, M., Gale, J. P., & Foulk, T. A. (2021). A fluctuating sense of power is associated with reduced well-being. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 92, 104057.
  • Schaerer, M., Schweinsberg, M., Thornley, N., & Swaab, R. I. (2020). Win-win in distributive negotiations: The affective and economic benefits of strategic offer framing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 87, 103943. 
  • Anicich, E. M., Foulk, T., Osborne, M., Gale, J. P., & Schaerer, M. (2020). Getting back to the “new normal”: Autonomy restoration during a global pandemic. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(9), 931-943.
  • Foulk, T., De Pater, I., Schaerer, M., du Plessis, C., Lee., R., & Erez, A. (2020). It’s lonely at the bottom (too): The effects of experienced powerlessness on social closeness and disengagement. Personnel Psychology, 73(2), 363-394.
  • Schaerer, M., Teo, L., Madan, N., & Swaab, R. I. (2020). Power and negotiation: Review of current evidence and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 47-51.
  • Schaerer, M., du Plessis, C., Yap, A.J., & Thau, S. (2018). Low power individuals in social power research: A quantitative review, theoretical framework, and empirical test. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 149, 73-96.
  • Schaerer, M., Schweinsberg, M., & Swaab, R.I. (2018). Imaginary alternatives: The impact of mental simulation on powerless negotiators. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(1), 96-117.
  • Schaerer, M.†, Tost, L.P.†, Huang, L., Gino, F., & Larrick, R.P. (2018). Advice giving: A subtle pathway to power. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(5), 746-761. [†shared first authorship]
  • Schaerer, M., Kern, M., Berger, G., Medvec, V.H., & Swaab, R.I. (2018). The illusion of transparency in performance appraisals: When and why accuracy motivation explains unintentional feedback inflation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 144, 171-186.
  • Schaerer, M., Loschelder, D, & Swaab, R.I. (2016). Bargaining zone distortion in negotiations: The elusive power of multiple alternatives. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 137, 156-171.
  • Loschelder, D., Friese, M., Schaerer, M., & Galinsky, A.D. (2016). The too-much precision effect: When and why precise anchors backfire with experts. Psychological Science, 27(12), 1573-1587.
  • Schweinsberg, M., et al. (2016). The pipeline project: Pre-publication independent replications of a single laboratory’s research pipeline. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 66, 55-67.
  • Swaab, R.I., Phillips, K.W., & Schaerer, M. (2016). Secret conversation opportunities facilitate minority influence in virtual groups: The influence on majority power, information processing, and decision quality. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 133, 17-31.
  • Schaerer, M., Swaab, R.I., & Galinsky, A.D. (2015). Anchors weigh more than power: Why absolute powerlessness liberates negotiators to achieve better outcomes. Psychological Science, 26(2), 170-181.
  • Swaab, R.I., Schaerer, M., Anicich, E.M., Ronay, R., & Galinsky, A.D. (2014). The too-much-talent effect: Team interdependence determines when more talent is too much or not enough. Psychological Science, 25(8), 1581-1591.

 

Research Advisor / Co-Research Advisor To