Faculty

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Deshon Richard P. Deshon
Professor
Ph.D. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. 1993
Masters Industrial and Organizational Psychology, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. 1991
Bachelors Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1988
Primary Program: Organizational
306 Psychology
(517) 353-4624
deshon@msu.edu


Research Statement
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Regulatory Dynamics

My primary research program focuses on the dynamics of organizational behavior across multiple levels of analysis. Longitudinal data are increasingly important in the study of organizational behavior. However, the current models used to represent the patterns present in longitudinal data are largely limited to the study of recursive relations (i.e., HLM and SEM). This is inconsistent with what we know about the self-regulated functioning of organizations, teams, and individuals where feedback loops and cyclical processes are thought to be the norm. My current research utilizes multivariate time series analyses to explore the dynamic cycles underlying regulatory processes in individuals (i.e., motivation) and teams (i.e., coordination and interdependence). 

 

Multilevel Theory 

Although my primary research focus is on the functioning of dynamic systems within a particular level of analysis (e.g., individual motivation or team coordination), I am fascinated with the process through which aggregate functioning of micro-level units yields macro-level phenomena and behavior (i.e., emergence). In fact, it becomes difficult to ignore this process when using fully dynamic, multivariate models. I am currently developing a new approach to the study of multilevel phenomena in organizational science that allows one to see how the dynamic functioning of micro-units yields emergent phenomena at the macro-level of analysis. This approach also has strong implications for the current process of aggregating micro-unit responses to represent macro-level phenomena in organizational science. 

 

Methodology 

I enjoy exploring and evaluating new methods for conducting organizational science research. In this area my research clusters into two distinct approaches. First, I invest considerable energy into exploring the applicability and utility of models and research paradigms developed in physics, biology, engineering, and economics for improving organizational science research. Examples of these efforts are the application of diffusion models to the study of motivation and the application of power law dynamics to the study of team performance. Second, I continue striving to identify new measurement approaches that can be used productively in organizational science. My current approach explores individual and team cognitive representations of key organizational science constructs and the way respondents transform these representations into quantitative estimates. 


Related Research Websites
 description
The NASA Lab - Studying Processes and Effectiveness in Lab, Field, and Astronaut Analog Teams Dr. Steve W. J. Kozlowski, Dr. Richard P. DeShon, Dr. Chu-Hsiang (Daisy) Chang, Tara A. Rench, Michael T. Braun, Marina Pearce, Samantha K. Baard
The primary focus of our research is on understanding and monitoring team functioning over time in order to learn how to conduct training and interventions targeted at improving team effectiveness for long duration space crews (funded by NASA, $1.2M). We are currently running four studies, all of which relate to this focus: One study investigating the relationships between team processes and effectiveness for familiar and unfamiliar virtual teams over lengthy observations (weeks); One focusing on the building and maintenance of (lab) team cohesion over the course of multiple interdependent tasks; One looking at the dynamics of (NASA analog) teams working in isolated, confined, and extreme environments; and One developing wireless sensors to monitor real-time team collaboration and cohesion indicators.


Research Publications    
  Title 
2013Park, G., Spitzmuller, M., & DeShon, R. P. (2013). Advancing our understanding of team motivation: Integrating conceptual approaches and content areas. Journal of Management, 20, x.
2013Braun, M. T., Kuljanin, G., & DeShon, R. P. (2013). Spurious results in the analysis of longitudinal data in organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 00, 1–29.
2013DeShon, R. P. (2013a). Inferential meta-themes in organizational science research: Causal inference, system dynamics, and computational models. In N. W. Schmitt, S. highhouse & I. Weiner (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, volume 12: Industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., Vol. 12). John Wiley and Sons.
2013DeShon, R. P. (2013b). Multivariate dynamics in organizational science. In S. W. J. Kozlowski (Ed.), The oxford handbook of organizational psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 117–142). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
2011Kuljanin, G., Braun, M. T., & DeShon, R. P. (2011). A cautionary note on modeling growth trends in longitudinal data. Psychological Methods, 16, 249–264.
2010Schmidt, A. M., & DeShon, R. P. (2010). The moderating effects of performance ambiguity on the relationship between self-efficacy and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 572–581.
2009DeShon, R. P., & Rench, T. A. (2009). Clarifying the notion of self-regulation in organizational behavior. In G. P. Hodgkinson & J. K. Ford (Eds.), International review of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 24, pp. 217–248). Wiley-Blackwell.
2009Converse, P. D., & DeShon, R. P. (2009). A tale of two tasks: Reversing the self-regulatory resource depletion effect. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 1318–1324.
2008Von Eye , A. & DeShon, R. P. (2008). Characteristics of measures of directional dependence - Monte Carlo studies. Interstat, 14, 1-33.
2008Mathieu, J. E., DeShon, R. P., & Berg, D. D. (2008). Mediation inferences in organizational research: Then, now, and beyond. Organizational Research Methods, 11, 202–223.