Lehman Benson

Interests

Teaching

Leadership and Risk Management:Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:Sports Management:Managerial Effectiveness:Bargaining and Negotiation:Leadership and Teams:The Life Cycle of Elite Athletes:Professional Image Management

Research

Judgment and Decision-Making:Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:Risk Management:The Effect of Time Pressure on Judgment and Decision Making:Image Theory:Sports Psychology:

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Benson, L. (1993). Studies in human decision-making: On the effects of experimental instructions, framing and time constraints.. Malmo, Sweden: Team Offset.

Chapters

• Ordonez, L. D., Benson, L., & Pittarello, A. (2015). Time Pressure Perception and Decision Making. In The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making.
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  This two-volume reference is a comprehensive, up-to-date examination of the most important theory, concepts, methodological approaches, and applications in the burgeoning field of judgment and decision making (JDM).•Brings together a multi-disciplinary group of contributors from across the social sciences, including psychology, economics, marketing, finance, public policy, sociology, and philosophy•Provides accessible, essential information, complete with the latest research and references, for experts and non-experts alike in two volumes•Emphasizes the growth of JDM applications with separate chapters devoted to medical decision making, decision making and the law, consumer behavior, and more•Addresses controversial topics (such as choice from description vs. choice from experience and contrasts between empirical methodologies employed in behavioral economics and psychology) from multiple perspectives
• Benson, L. (2008). The role of third-parties/mediation in resolving conflict in organizations(pp 291-320). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Benson, L. (2005). Organizational justice. In Handbook of work stress(pp 63-87). Beverly Hills: Sage.
• Benson, L. (1993). Framing and time pressure in human decision-making. In Time pressure and stress in human judgment and decision-making(pp 133-144). New York: Plenum.

Journals/Publications

• Benson, L., Ellis, A. P., Motro, D. D., & Evans, J. J. (2022). Motro, D., Evans, J.B., Ellis, A.P. J., & Benson, III, L. (2022) The “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype at Work.  Harvard Business Review.. Harvard Business Review..
• Motro, D., Evans, J. B., Ellis, A. P., & Benson, L. (2022). Race and Reactions to Women’s Expressions of Anger at Work: Examiningthe Effects of the “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(Issue 1). doi:10.1037/apl0000884
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  Across two studies (n = 555), we examine the detrimental effects of the “angry black woman” stereotype in the workplace. Drawing on parallel-constraint-satisfaction theory, we argue that observers will be particularly sensitive to expressions of anger by black women due to widely held stereotypes. In Study 1, we examine a three-way interaction among anger, race, and gender, and find that observers are more likely to make internal attributions for expressions of anger when an individual is a black woman, which then leads to worse performance evaluations and assessments of leadership capability. In Study 2, we focus solely on women and expand our initial model by examining stereotype activation as a mechanism linking the effects of anger and race on internal attributions. We replicated findings from Study 1 and found support for stereotype activation as an underlying mechanism. We believe our work contributes to research on race, gender, and leadership, and highlights an overlooked stereotype in the management literature. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed
• Motro, D. D., Evans, J. B., Ellis, A. P., & Benson, L. (2021). Race and reactions to negative feedback among women at work: Examining effects of the ‘angry black woman’ stereotype. Journal of Applied Psychology.
• Motro, D., Benson, L., Ellis, A. P., & Evans, J. B. (2019). Race and Reactions to Negative Feedback: Examining the Effects of the “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019(1), 11230. doi:10.5465/ambpp.2019.11230abstract
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  The purpose of this study is to examine how angry reactions to negative performance feedback among women at work affect observer evaluations. Specifically, we argue that angry black women will rece...
• Cropanzano, R., & Li, A. (2011). Peer Justice and Teamwork Process.. Group & Organizational Management, 36(5), 567-596.
• Cropanzano, R., Li, A., & Benson, L. (2011). Peer Justice and Teamwork Process. GROUP & ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT, 36(5), 567-596.
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  We articulate a teamwork process model of peer justice, defined as a shared perception regarding how individuals who work together within the same unit and who do not have formal authority over each other judge the fairness with which they treat one another. We argue that unit-level judgments of procedural and interpersonal fairness may influence team process, characterized by such things as better communication, better coordination, and more mutual support for members. These team processes, in turn, promote higher team performance and unit-level citizenship behaviors. These ideas were tested among teams of business students working on a semester-long class project. Findings generally supported our theoretical model, attesting to the importance of peer justice. We also found that peer procedural justice strength influenced team outcome variables, including performance, through teamwork processes. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
• Cropanzano, R., Li, A., & Benson, L. (2011). Peer justice and teamwork process. Group and Organization Management, 36(Issue 5). doi:10.1177/1059601111414561
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  We articulate a teamwork process model of peer justice, defined as a shared perception regarding how individuals who work together within the same unit and who do not have formal authority over each other judge the fairness with which they treat one another. We argue that unit-level judgments of procedural and interpersonal fairness may influence team process, characterized by such things as better communication, better coordination, and more mutual support for members. These team processes, in turn, promote higher team performance and unit-level citizenship behaviors. These ideas were tested among teams of business students working on a semester-long class project. Findings generally supported our theoretical model, attesting to the importance of peer justice. We also found that peer procedural justice strength influenced team outcome variables, including performance, through teamwork processes. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. © The Author(s) 2011.
• Griffith, T. L., Tansik, D. A., & Benson, L. (2002). Negotiating technology implementation: An empirical investigation of a website introduction. Group Decision and Negotiation, 11(Issue 1). doi:10.1023/a:1014596623389
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  Negotiated implementation is suggested as a cogent approach to meeting user and implementer needs, and thus, to increasing technology implementation. Negotiated implementation is expected to have its effect through three well-known dimensions: ease of use, usefulness, and commitment. The efficacy of negotiated implementation is tested in the context of a university-based field study of World Wide Web site use. Empirical support is found for the negotiated implementation approach. Implications and future research related to both theory and application are provided.
• Griffith, T. L., Tansik, D. A., & III, L. B. (2002). Negotiating technology implementation: An empirical investigation of a website introduction. Group Decision and Negotiation, 11(1), 1-22.
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  Abstract: Negotiated implementation is suggested as a cogent approach to meeting user and implementer needs, and thus, to increasing technology implementation. Negotiated implementation is expected to have its effect through three well-known dimensions: ease of use, usefulness, and commitment. The efficacy of negotiated implementation is tested in the context of a university-based field study of World Wide Web site use. Empirical support is found for the negotiated implementation approach. Implications and future research related to both theory and application are provided.
• Ordonez, L., Benson, L., & Beach, L. (1999). Testing the compatibility test: How instructions, accountability, and anticipated regret affect prechoice screening of options. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN DECISION PROCESSES, 78(1), 63-80.
• Ordóñez, L. D., Benson, L., & Beach, L. R. (1999). Testing the Compatibility Test: How Instructions, Accountability, and Anticipated Regret Affect Prechoice Screening of Options. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 78(Issue 1). doi:10.1006/obhd.1999.2823
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  Subjects screened a set of jobs, retaining those for which they wished to apply and rejecting those that were no longer under consideration. In Experiment 1, subjects who indicated the jobs for which they would apply/not apply screened out fewer jobs than those with instructions to reject/not reject or those with instructions simply to screen (control). There were no differences between the reject and control conditions. Experiment 2 used a design similar to that of Experiment 1, but subjects were made accountable for their screening judgments. The reject-apply discrepancy remained, but the accountability manipulation made the subjects more stringent in their screening compared to those who were not accountable for their judgments. In Experiment 3, subjects were told to consider either the regret resulting from retaining a bad option (regret bad) or the regret from rejecting a good option (regret good). Subjects in the regret bad condition rejected more jobs than did subjects in the regret good condition, but not more than subjects in the control condition. As predicted by image theory, the normal screening process appears to be to screen out the bad options rather than screen in the good options. This is demonstrated by screening in the control condition being similar to screening under the reject instructions (Experiment 1) and under regret bad instructions (Experiment 3), since these conditions were shown to focus attention on the bad options. © 1999 Academic Press.
• Gilliland, S. W., Benson, L., & Schepers, D. H. (1998). A Rejection Threshold in Justice Evaluations: Effects on Judgment and Decision-Making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 76(Issue 2). doi:10.1006/obhd.1998.2801
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  This research examined the process through which justice evaluations are formed. Using image theory's screening process we hypothesized that a rejection threshold exists with regard to violations of just treatment (e.g., laying off an employee without notice). If the number of violations exceeds the decision-maker's threshold, a negative justice evaluation results. Nonviolations (e.g., providing laid-off employees with a generous severance package) were hypothesized to only influence justice evaluations when violations do not exceed the threshold. Three studies compared the impact of justice violations and nonviolations on fairness evaluations. We also examined differences in fairness evaluations operationalized as judgments vs decisions. Results indicated that when makingjudgmentsabout fairness, both violations and nonviolations are equally important. However, when one has todecideon a course of action based on considerations of fairness, nonviolations are only considered if fewer than three violations have been encountered. These results identify important distinctions between judgment and decisions and have implication for research examining outcomes of justice evaluations. © 1998 Academic Press.
• Gilliland, S., Benson, L., & Schepers, D. (1998). A rejection threshold in justice evaluations: Effects on judgment and decision-making. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN DECISION PROCESSES, 76(2), 113-131.
• Ordonez, L., & Benson, L. (1997). Decisions under time pressure: How time constraint affects risky decision making. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN DECISION PROCESSES, 71(2), 121-140.
• Ordóñez, L., & Benson, L. (1997). Decisions under time pressure: How time constraint affects risky decision making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 71(Issue 2). doi:10.1006/obhd.1997.2717
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  Subjects rated the attractiveness of and judged maximum buying prices for gambles which had some probability of winning a dollar amount, otherwise winning nothing. Change-of-process theory (Mellers, Chang, Birnbaum, & Ordóñez, 1992; Mellers, Ordóñez, & Birnbaum, 1992) asserts that decision makers multiply probability and amount information when stating buying prices but add this information when reporting attractiveness ratings. When subjects were placed under time constraint, however, some subjects' ratings were consistent with a multiplicative combination process. This result only occurred when these subjects performed the rating task under time constraint and had performed the buying price task in the previous set of trials. These subjects were less likely to engage in cognitive tasks, as measured by the Need for Cognition Scale (Cacioppo, Petty, & Kao, 1984). Apparently, the extra cognitive demands of the time constraint caused these subjects to use the same strategy employed in the previous task. When the time constraint was removed, these subjects appeared to switch back to an additive strategy. These changes in information processing produced predictable patterns of preference reversals. © 1997 Academic Press.
• Benson, L., & Beach, L. (1996). The effects of time constraints on the prechoice screening of decision options. ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN DECISION PROCESSES, 67(2), 222-228.
• Benson, L., & Beach, L. R. (1996). The effects of time constraints on the prechoice screening of decision options. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 67(Issue 2). doi:10.1006/obhd.1996.0075
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  The purpose of this research was to see if the effects of time constraints on screening are similar to those that have been reported for choice: switching to simpler decision strategies and/or speeding up strategy execution. The first of two studies found that under time constraints, subjects did not switch strategies but that some subjects increased the speed of execution of their existing strategy while others became more inconsistent in executing their existing strategy. The second study found that instructions that stressed the importance of the task led more subjects to speed up and reduced the number who were inconsistent. Again, there was no evidence of use of a simpler version of the strategy. The results show that, like choice, screening under time constraints can lead to speeding up of execution, particularly if the screening decision is important. However, switching to a simpler strategy, which occurs in choice, does not appear to occur in screening. Instead, subjects appear to become less exacting in the execution of their existing screening strategy, which results in inconsistencies in acceptance and rejection of options. © 1996 Academic Press, Inc.
• Benson, L. (1992). Post-decision consolidation following the debriefing of subjects about experimental manipulations affecting their prior decisions. Psychological Research Bulletin, 32(3), 1-13..
• Benson, L. (1993). Contributions of cross-cultural research to educational practice.. American Psychologist, 41(10), 1049-1057..
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  With the Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition

Proceedings Publications

• Benson, L., Groth, M., Beach, L., Hoadley, E., & Benbasat, . (1998, 1998). The relationship between time constraint and time pressure. In ASSOCIATION FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAS CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 243-245.

Others

• Janakiraman, N., Benson, L., Lee, A., & Soman, D. (2008). "How Long You Received Service Determines How Long You Thought You Were in Line: Role of Fairness and Prior Expectations". ADVANCES IN CONSUMER RESEARCH, VOL 35.