General information

Our mission

The Department of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior (HRM & OB) aims to deliver high-quality research and teaching focused on building, motivating, and managing a workforce that helps organizations succeed in both local and global contexts.

Our research program

Our research is part of a program built around six core themes: (1) effective teamwork, (2) diversity and corporate conduct, (3) organizational innovation, (3) employee well-being, (4) labor economics, and (5) leadership. For example, we study:

· How teams are formed, function, and cope with change

· Individual differences in employees’  performance and long-term career trajectories

· What (organizational) factors influence ethical behavior at work

· People’s development of new business ideas and their ability to implement them

· The impact of labor market patterns on HR practices

· How people manage their work-life balance

· How leaders can best manage each of the above issues

We conduct this research in a wide range of sectors—including manufacturing, healthcare, education, consultancy and finance—and use a mix of methods, including field and lab experiments, longitudinal studies, archival data, case research, and simulations. We publish our work in leading management journals (e.g., the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Management, Organization Science) and top psychological journals (e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology, Psychological Science, Psychological Bulletin).

Our Education

Our teaching approach is both research-driven and practically oriented. We bring our research into the classroom through our MSc Human Resource Management, where students learn to analyze and solve real-world challenges in managing people and work. Courses include Strategic HRM, HR Analytics, Dutch and International Labor Law, Leadership, Advanced Organizational Behavior, and more. Within the MSc Human Resource Management, we bridge theory and practice through our award-winning Student Employability Project, as well as extensive use of business cases, simulations, and guest lectures from leading HR practitioners. Our graduates are highly employable, building careers across sectors in various HR, management, and consultancy roles.

We also teach HRM & OB topics in various bachelor’s and master’s programs at the Faculty of Economics and Business, and contribute to the Research Master's program for students aiming to pursue a PhD. Additionally, our staff members provide HRM & OB education within the Faculty of Science and Engineering and across multiple degree programs at the University of Groningen Business School.

Our academic climate

We are committed to fostering a collaborative and supportive academic environment. Our department represents many different nationalities and values an international outlook. We promote scholarly teamwork while also providing space for individual growth. In our teaching, we aim to create a learning environment where students engage with current research insights and develop their research skills. This helps prepare them for leadership roles in HRM and OB, both in practice and academia.