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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Conference Paper Inclusive Leadership in the Age of AI: A Dataset and Comparative Study of LLMs vs. Real-Life Leaders in Workplace Action Planning Singh, V., Schulte im Walde, S., Keplinger, K. Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2025, 19732-19753, Association for Computational Linguistics, Suzhou, China, Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing, November 2025 (Published)
Generative Large Language Models have emerged as useful tools, reshaping professional workflows. However, their efficacy in inherently complex and human-centric tasks such as leadership and strategic planning remains under-explored. In this interdisciplinary study, we present a novel dataset and compare LLMs and human leaders in the context of work-place action planning, specifically focusing on translating the abstract idea of inclusion into actionable SMART goals. We developed the Leader Success Bot, a script-based chat-bot co-designed with domain experts, to guide more than 250 real-life leaders in generating inclusive workplace action plans. We systematically prompted seven state-of-the-art chat-based LLMs to perform the same task using the socio-demographic data of real-life leaders and instructions co-developed with domain experts. Our publicly released dataset enables direct comparison between human and LLM-generated workplace action plans, offering in-sights into their respective strengths, biases, and limitations. Our findings highlight critical gaps and opportunities for LLMs in leadership applications, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and NLP applications.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Inclusive avatars in the Metaverse: learning from the lived experiences of people with disabilities Angerbauer, K., Van Wagoner, H. P., Keplinger, K., Halach, T., Vogelsang, J., Hube, N., Smith, A., Sedlmair, M. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 34:101935, September 2025 (Published)
Immersive platforms like the Metaverse have gained attention in information systems (IS) research, yet the diverse needs of people with disabilities (PWD) remain underexplored. This research examines the experiences of PWD using inclusive avatars that represent disabilities. Through an exploratory mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative interviews with an experience sampling study, we develop a framework informed by Affective Events Theory and voices of PWD to better understand how social interactions in the Metaverse impact PWD’s emotions and outcomes. Findings suggest that when PWD use inclusive avatars, inclusive and exclusionary social interactions shape their emotional responses, which in turn influence engagement, avatar connection and satisfaction, and perceptions of inclusion in the Metaverse. Although adopting inclusive avatars can be challenging, especially in the face of exclusionary interactions, the benefits can outweigh the costs. The role of disability identity is critical; PWD who identify strongly with their disability experience less negative emotional impact from exclusion. This research contributes to IS literature by conceptualizing the Metaverse as a relational, emotion-driven environment shaped by social interactions as well as a platform for authentic self-representation. Practical implications include supporting avatar-based disability representation, involving PWD in co-designing virtual reality technologies, and providing training to foster inclusive interactions in the Metaverse. These strategies can help organizations build more inclusive and engaging digital workplaces for an often underrepresented workforce segment.
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Neuromechanics of Movement Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Building bridges: allyship as a catalyst for gender diversity and inclusion in experimental biology communities M. Janneke Schwaner, , Keplinger, K. 2025 (Published)
Diversity drives innovation and creativity, directly contributing to scientific excellence. However, achieving equity in academia, including in experimental biology fields such as biomechanics and comparative physiology, remains a significant challenge, with women and other historically marginalized groups underrepresented, especially in more senior roles. When considering gender, the disparity is often linked to difficulties in balancing family responsibilities with demanding careers, along with lower ‘academic visibility’, as evidenced by fewer professional awards for women scientists. Many successful women who balance career and family keep their family lives private, making these aspects invisible to early career scholars, and thus depriving them of role models. To help close the gender gap, in this Perspective, we propose 10 actionable strategies for scholars at all career stages to promote gender diversity and inclusion through active allyship. Although we focus on gender diversity, these strategies can be broadly applied to harness the benefits of other diversity dimensions (e.g. age or ethnicity). We argue that embracing allyship benefits individual scientists, their research groups, the quality of their research, the broader research community and society at large by enhancing collective scientific output and inspiring the next generation of scientists.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Chatting Towards Inclusivity: A Digital Approach to Inclusion Action Plans and Leader Development Singh, V., Rivin, J. M., van Wagoner, H. P., Keplinger, K., Barbuto, J. 2025 (Published)
Inclusion is a cornerstone of success for organizations and society, yet inclusion is not guaranteed. Building on inclusive leadership research and relational models theory, we argue that inclusion cannot manifest without systematic effort and planning by leaders. Unfortunately, few resources exist to help leaders plan and enact specific inclusion behaviors. To address this, we introduce the “Leader Success Bot,” an innovative conversational chatbot designed to help leaders develop daily inclusion action plans. Through our immersive longitudinal design and mixed methods data, we advance the taxonomy of inclusive leader behaviors and test the impact of inclusion planning on leaders and followers. We demonstrate how equality matching is an overlooked relational model that is a pivotal relational dynamic for inclusion. Across two studies, our quantitative and qualitative findings show that equitable exchanges by leaders can foster a deeper sense of belonging and community. As leaders interact with the chatbot, both leaders and followers are more likely to accomplish their goals. Additionally, followers' inclusion climate and psychological safety benefited, leading to a decrease in turnover intentions. Our findings underscore the potential of chatbots to support inclusive leadership training and development by providing leaders with a structured, scalable platform for continuous reflection and growth. This research advances theoretical understanding of relational inclusion dynamics and offers practical insights and a scalable tool for HR managers seeking to build more inclusive, psychologically safe cultures.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Navigating AI Convergence in Human–Artificial Intelligence Teams: A Signaling Theory Approach Smith, A., Van Wagoner, P., Keplinger, K., Celebi, C. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 10.1002/job.2856:10.1002/job.2856, December 2024 (Published)
Teams that combine human intelligence with artificial intelligence (AI) have become indispensable for solving complex tasks in various decision-making contexts in modern organizations. However, the factors that contribute to AI convergence, where human team members align their decisions with those of their AI counterparts, still remain unclear. This study integrates signaling theory with self-determination theory to investigate how specific signals—such as signal fit, optional AI advice, and signal set congruence—affect employees' AI convergence in human–AI teams. Based on four experimental studies conducted in facial recognition and hiring contexts with approximately 1100 participants, the findings highlight the significant positive impact of congruent signals from both human and AI team members on AI convergence. Moreover, providing an option for employees to solicit AI advice also enhances AI convergence; when AI signals are chosen by employees rather than forced upon them, participants are more likely to accept AI advice. This research advances knowledge on human–AI teaming by (1) expanding signaling theory into the human–AI team context; (2) developing a deeper understanding of AI convergence and its drivers in human–AI teams; (3) providing actionable insights for designing teams and tasks to optimize decision-making in high-stakes, uncertain environments; and (4) introducing facial recognition as an innovative context for human–AI teaming.
Navigating AI Convergence in Human–Artificial Intelligence Teams Navigating AI Convergence in Human–Artificial Intelligence Teams DOI URL BibTeX
Robotic Materials Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Accelerating the pace of innovation in robotics by fostering diversity and inclusive leadership Macari, D., Fratzl, A., Keplinger, K., Keplinger, C. Science Robotics, 9, December 2024 (Published)
Diverse and inclusive teams are not merely a moral imperative but also a catalyst for scientific excellence in robotics. Drawing from literature, a comprehensive citation analysis, and expert interviews, we derive seven main benefits of diversity and inclusion and propose a leadership guide for roboticists to reap these benefits.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article From challenges to opportunities: navigating the human response to automated agents in the workplace Ðula, I., Berberena, T., Keplinger, K., Wirzberger, M. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11:1454, November 2024 (Published)
Workers are increasingly embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimise various aspects of their operations in the workplace. While AI offers new opportunities, it also presents unintended challenges that they must carefully navigate. This paper aims to develop a deeper understanding of workers’ experiences with interactions with automated agents (AA) in the workplace and provide actionable recommendations for organisational leaders to achieve positive outcomes. We propose and test a simulation model that quantifies and predicts workers’ experiences with AA, shedding light on the interplay of diverse variables, such as workload, effort and trust. Our findings suggest that lower-efficiency AA might outperform higher-efficiency ones due to the constraining influence of trust on adoption rates. Additionally, we find that lower initial trust in AA could lead to increased usage in certain scenarios and that stronger emotional and social responses to the use of AA may foster greater trust but result in decreased AA utilisation. This interdisciplinary research blends a systems dynamics approach with management theories and psychological concepts, aiming to bridge existing gaps and foster the sustainable and effective implementation of AA in the workplace. Ultimately, our research endeavour contributes to advancing the field of human-AI interaction in the workplace.
navigating the human response to automated agents in the workplace navigating the human response to automated agents in the workplace DOI URL BibTeX
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Conference Paper Is it Part of Me? Exploring Experiences of Inclusive Avatar Use For Visible and Invisible Disabilities in Social VR Angerbauer, K., Van Wagoner, P., Halach, T., Vogelsang, J., Hube, N., Smith, A., Keplinger, K., Sedlmair, M. In Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 1-15, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, ASSETS '24, October 2024 (Published)
Social Virtual Reality (VR) platforms have surged in popularity in recent years, including among people with disabilities (PWD). Previous research has documented accessibility challenges, harassment, and negative experiences for PWD using disability signifiers in VR, primarily focusing on those with visible disabilities who encounter negative experiences. Yet, little is known about the experiences of people with invisible disabilities in social VR environments, and whether positive experiences are also common. To address these gaps, we designed inclusive avatars (avatars with disability signifiers) and investigated the lived experiences of 26 individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities immersing themselves in social interactions in VRChat for a week. We utilized a mixed methods experience sampling design and multilevel regression to explore the relationships between social interactions of PWD in VR and various psychological outcomes. Our results indicate that PWD, both visible and invisible, experienced positive and negative social interactions in VR. These interactions, in turn, significantly influenced users’ overall experience with inclusive avatars, affecting aspects such as emotional responses, engagement levels, satisfaction with the avatar’s design, and perceptions of inclusion in VR. Qualitative interviews of 18 participants allowed for a more nuanced exploration of the experiences of PWD by giving voice to users who are rarely studied in depth. Findings provided unique insights into both the positive and negative experiences of PWD, as well as identified key design factors influencing user experience in social VR.
Inclusive Avatar Use For Visible and Invisible Disabilities in Social VR Inclusive Avatar Use for Social VR DOI URL BibTeX
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Conference Paper Gig work in organizations: Trends and perspectives from Human Resource Management professionals Singh, V., Keplinger, K., Tursunbayeva, A., Di Lauro, S. In Proceedings of the 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, https://doi.org/10.5465/AMPROC.2024.14769symposium, Chicago, USA, 84th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, August 2024 (Published)
The gig economy has expanded beyond platform-based work and is also transforming standard organizations that are accustomed to stable employment arrangements and long-term-oriented HRM practices. The shift towards gig workers and blended teams disrupts standard HR practices due to the short-term, transactional nature of gig work. This research investigates the implications of gig work on HRM practices in standard organizations. Specifically, we 1) examine the trends and perspectives of HR professionals on the use of gig work in standard organizations, 2) investigate whether HR professionals apply standard HRM practices for gig workers, and 3) conduct a longitudinal analysis of HRM perspectives applicable to gig workers before and post-COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve these research objectives, we employ natural language processing techniques to analyze more than 500 YouTube videos of HR professionals offering their opinions about gig work. The findings suggest that despite the widely conceived notion that gig workers are ‘self-managed’, various HRM practices are utilized in the context of gig work.
Gig work and HRM DOI URL BibTeX
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Hooked on artificial agents: a systems thinking perspective Ðula, I., Berberena, T., Keplinger, K., Wirzberger, M. Frontiers in Behavioral Economics, 2:1223281, September 2023 (Published)
Following recent technological developments in the artificial intelligence space, artificial agents are increasingly taking over organizational tasks typically reserved for humans. Studies have shown that humans respond differently to this, with some being appreciative of their advice (algorithm appreciation), others being averse toward them (algorithm aversion), and others still fully relinquishing control to artificial agents without adequate oversight (automation bias). Using systems thinking, we analyze the existing literature on these phenomena and develop a conceptual model that provides an underlying structural explanation for their emergence. In doing so, we create a powerful visual tool that can be used to ground discussions about the impact artificial agents have on organizations and humans within them.
Hooked on artificial agents DOI URL BibTeX
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Conference Paper Constructing and deconstructing bias: modeling privilege and mentorship in agent-based simulations Smith, A., Heuschkel, S., Keplinger, K., Wu, C. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, 10.32470/CCN.2023.1257-0, Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, Oxford, UK, Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, August 2023 (Published)
Bias exists in how we pick leaders, who we perceive as being influential, and who we interact with, not only in society, but in organizational contexts. Drawing from leadership emergence and social influence theories, we investigate potential interventions that support diverse leaders. Using agent-based simulations, we model a collective search process on a fitness landscape. Agents combine individual and social learning, and are represented as a feature vector blending relevant (e.g., individual learning characteristics) and irrelevant (e.g., race or gender) features. Agents use rational principles of learning to estimate feature weights on the basis of performance predictions, which are used to dynamically define social influence in their network. We show how biases arise based on historic privilege, but can be drastically reduced through the use of an intervention (e.g. mentorship). This work provides important insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying bias construction and deconstruction, while pointing towards real-world interventions to be tested in future empirical work.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Conference Paper Unlearning the bias: An agent-based simulation for increasing diversere presentation through leadership emergence Smith, A., Heuschkel, S., Keplinger, K., Wu, C. In Proceedings of the 45th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5mq9v0rm, Sydney, Australia, Proceedings of the 45th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, July 2023 (Published)
Despite increased interest in creating more diverse and inclusive organizational environments, bias exists in how we choose leaders, who we interact with, and who we consider influential. Drawing from leadership emergence theory, we investigate potential interventions that support diverse leaders. Using agent-based simulations, we model a collective search process on a fitness landscape. Agents combine individual and social learning, and are represented as a feature vector blending relevant (e.g., individual learning characteristics) and irrelevant (e.g., race or gender) features. Agents use rational principles of learning to estimate feature weights on the basis of performance predictions, which are used to dynamically define social influence in their network. We show how biases arise based on historic privilege, but can be drastically reduced through the use of an intervention (e.g. mentorship). This framework allows us to test interventions best suited for unlearning bias in favor of performance-relevant traits.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article The Organizational Psychology of Gig Work: An Integrative Conceptual Review Cropanzano, R., Keplinger, K., Lambert, B. K., Caza, B., Ashford, S. J. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(3):492-519, March 2023 (Published) Psychology of Gig Work Psychology of Gig Work DOI BibTeX
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Book Chapter Stigmatization of Women in the Workplace: Sources of Stigma and its Consequences at the Individual, Organizational and Societal Level Keplinger, K., Smith, A. In Diversity in Action, 23-28, Emerald Publishing Limited, Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK, September 2022 (Published)
Gender balance has been a declared goal in business and society for decades as gender diversity leads to more equality and better decision-making, enhances financial performance of organizations, and fosters creativity and innovation. Although there is a steady upward trend in the number of women actively participating in the workplace, there is still a dearth of women in top leadership positions. This motivates a closer look at the reasons why this happens. Stigmatization – a social process of disapproval based on stereotypes or particular distinguishing characteristics of individuals (e.g. gender) – has been recognized as one of the primary explanations for the barriers to career advancement of women. This chapter aims to address workplace inequality by analysing different sources of stigma women face in the workplace. Previous research has mostly focused on visible sources of stigma, such as gender or race/ethnicity. We propose to go beyond visible sources of stigma and expand the focus to other physical (e.g. physical appearance, age, childbearing age), emotional (e.g. mental health) and societal (e.g. flexibility) sources of stigma. We are especially interested in the consequences of stigma for women in the workplace. Stigmatization of women is a multi-level process, so this chapter focuses on the antecedents (sources of stigma) and outcomes (consequences of stigma) for women at the individual level, organizational level and the societal level. The proposed chapter will make contributions to the areas of management, diversity and gender studies.
Stigmatization of Women DOI URL BibTeX
Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article When Managers Become Robin Hoods: A Mixed Method Investigation Cropanzano, R., Skarlicki, D. P., Nadisic, T., Fortin, M., Van Wagoner, P., Keplinger, K. Business Ethics Quarterly, 32(2):209-242 , Cambridge University Press, 2022 (Published)
When subordinates have suffered an unfairness, managers sometimes try to compensate them by allocating something extra that belongs to the organization. These reactions, which we label as managerial Robin Hood behaviors, are undertaken without the consent of senior leadership. In four studies, we present and test a theory of managerial Robin Hoodism. In study 1, we found that managers themselves reported engaging in Robin Hoodism for various reasons, including a moral concern with restoring justice. Study 2 results suggested that managerial Robin Hoodism is more likely to occur when the justice violations involve distributive and interpersonal justice rather than procedural justice violations. In studies 3 and 4, when moral identity (trait or primed) was low, both distributive and interpersonal justice violations showed similar relationships to managerial Robin Hoodism. However, when moral identity was high, interpersonal justice violations showed a strong relationship to managerial Robin Hoodism regardless of the level of distributive justice.
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Organizational Leadership and Diversity Article Religious Leaders and Entrepreneurs: Synthesizing Values-driven Leadership Approaches to Managing Organizations Keplinger, K., Hanson, S. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2021(1):15569, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, 2021 (Published)
One of the concerns in modern organizations is ethics, where few institutions are unaffected by scandals or abuse of power. Thus, we look for inspiration in difficult times to offer leaders and managers strategies to mitigate or prevent ethical challenges. This symposium brings together various values-driven leadership approaches to managing organizations and offers both historical and modern leadership lessons. All of the papers stem from organizations rooted in religious values that perform entrepreneurial actions to survive, yet the organizations exist in diverse contexts. Two of the papers investigate leadership and power in Benedictine organizations that have a long-standing history in values-driven leadership and offer ideas how to implement the elements of authentic, ethical, and servant leadership over time. The other two papers study the influence of religious values on entrepreneurial actions in general and in the family business context in particular. We weave the four papers together to better understand how leaders and entrepreneurs incorporate their (religious) values into their leadership styles and adapt their management approaches to engage their stakeholders. Finally, we discuss practical implications of our findings in this symposium.
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