Research Program
My work is driven by a core question: How do we design institutional systems for justice and effective governance, and through what fundamental relational processes are these systems socially enacted, sustained, or transformed within organizations?
To address this, my research program is structured around two interdependent streams that form a unified scholarly agenda. This framework bridges the design of institutional systems with the analysis of the social processes through which they are realized. The first stream, ISSEJ (Institutional Systems for Social Enactment & Justice), examines how macro-level systems are architected to govern professional life and how their intended justice is shaped by everyday social enactment. The second stream, ANERIS (Analyses of Networks, Emergent Relationships & Interaction Structures), develops and applies precise methodological tools to dissect the fundamental relational mechanics—networks, emergent relationships, and interaction structures—that constitute the very fabric of organizational behavior. Together, they create an integrated inquiry into the dynamic link between system intention and behavioral realization: ISSEJ generates macro-level questions about institutional design and justice, while ANERIS supplies the micro-level science to understand how those systems are lived out, sustained, or transformed. This continuous dialogue advances a holistic understanding of how to build institutions that are both principled in design and effective in practice.
Research Streams
ISSEJ: Institutional Systems for Social Enactment & Justice
The Macro, Institutional & Social-Behavioral Pillar
The ISSEJ stream constitutes the macro-institutional pillar of this research agenda. It analyzes how broad institutional systems—such as organizational policies, governance frameworks, and strategic human resource paradigms—are designed to govern professional life. The program’s focus is twofold. First, it examines “justice,” analyzing the principles and mechanisms that ensure the fair, equitable, and legitimate application of rules and distribution of resources within these systems. Second, it focuses on “social enactment”—the critical processes whereby formal rules and informal norms are interpreted, practiced, and often adapted by individuals and groups during implementation. A central question is how these everyday enactments sustain, reinforce, or inadvertently undermine the systemic justice that institutions are designed to achieve. The ultimate aim is to derive principles for designing institutional architectures that are just in intent and robust to the realities of their social enactment.
Level of Analysis Macro, Institutional, Strategic Core Focus The design and intended outcomes of systems (HR policies, governance, pay structures). Key Themes Justice, Fairness, Transparency, Governance, Policy Design, Social Enactment. Ultimate Goal To derive principles for institutional architectures that are just in intent and robust in practice.
ANERIS: Analyses of Networks, Emergent Relationships & Interaction Structures
The Micro, Analytical & Methodological Pillar
The ANERIS stream constitutes the micro-analytical pillar, dedicated to developing and applying precise methodological tools to examine the fundamental social processes that constitute organizational life. This work focuses on three interrelated domains. It investigates the stable architecture of networks—the patterned social connections that channel influence, information, and support. It also studies emergent relationships, focusing on how critical dyadic connections, such as those between new leaders and followers or between newcomers and their colleagues, dynamically form and evolve during role transitions. Finally, it dissects interaction structures—the recurring micro-level mechanisms and social patterns through which employees coordinate tasks, negotiate roles, and enact routines. The overarching objective is to uncover the essential cognitive, affective, and behavioral sequences that explain how individuals within organizational settings perceive, influence, and adapt to one another over time.
Level of Analysis Micro, Relational, Behavioral Core Focus The relational fabric and processes that constitute organizational life. Key Themes Social Networks, Dyadic Relationships (e.g., leader-follower), Interaction Patterns, Methodological Innovation. Ultimate Goal To uncover the essential cognitive, affective, and behavioral sequences that explain social dynamics.
Research Grants
Competitive
- Principal Investigator. (2024-2026). Hong Kong Research Grants Council, Early Career Scheme (RGC-ECS), HKD454,368.
- Principal Investigator. (2024-2027). National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC-Young Scientists Fund-Type C), RMB300,000.
Publications
- Rees, L., Lam, C. F., Du, Q., Yu, A., Wong, M.-N., &Xie, H. (in press) Exploring the duality of voice habit: Testing and extending theory and measurement. Journal of Applied Psychology. doi:
10.1037/apl0001326 - Zhang, L., Bamberger, P., Wong, M.-N., & Tang, N. (in press) Helping trajectories during role transitions: How they vary and why it matters. Journal of Management. doi: 10.1177/01492063251377402
- Wong, M.-N., Kenny, D. A., & Knight, A. P. (2024) SRM_R: A web-based shiny app for social relations analyses. Organizational Research Methods. 27(1), 114–139. doi: 10.1177/10944281221134104
- Wong, M.-N., Cheng, B. H., Lam, L. W.-Y., & Bamberger, P. A. (2023). Pay transparency as a moving target: A multi-step model of pay compression, i-deals and collectivist shared values. Academy of Management Journal, 66(2), 489–520. doi: 10.5465/amj.2020.1831
- Li, F., Chen, T., Bai, Y., Liden, R. C., Wong, M.-N., & Qiao, Y. (2023). Serving while being energized (strained)? A dual-path model linking servant leadership to leader psychological strain and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology. 108(4), 660–675. doi: 10.1037/apl0001041
Practitioner Articles
- Lam, L. W., Cheng, B. H., Bamberger, P., & Wong, M.-N. (August, 2022) Research: The unintended consequences of pay transparency. Harvard Business Review. [Link]
Computer Programs and Documentation
- Kenny, D. A. & Wong, M.-N. (2016). SRM_R: An interactive tool for estimating the Social Relations Model from directed dyadic data with round-robin-like designs [Computer software].