School of Labor and Employment Relations

Xiao Chen

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Xiao Chen
Teaching Professor in Human Resource Management
xiaochen@psu.edu
Keller 507A

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management (Minor: Social Psychology & Quantitative Methods for Applied Behavioral Sciences), Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Canada
M.A. in Asian Studies: China & Certificate of Graduate Studies in Survey & Data Science (formerly, Survey Methodology), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
B. Phil. (Honors) in Philosophy (area: Music Aesthetics), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

Professional Bio

Dr. Xiao Chen is a Teaching Professor in Human Resource Management at Penn State’s School of Labor and Employment Relations. He earned his Ph.D. in Management from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He also holds Master of Arts in Asian Studies: China and Graduate Certificate in Survey and Data Science (formerly, Survey Methodology) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Bachelor of Philosophy (Honors) in Philosophy from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.

An award-winning educator, Dr. Chen was the sole recipient of the "Innovative Teaching Award" from the Academy of Management’s Human Resources Division in 2013. His teaching embraces an evidence-based, experiential approach to management education, bridging behavioral science, analytics, and technology to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. At Penn State, he offers graduate courses in Human Resource Management, Research Methods ("People Analytics"), Talent Development and Change Management, and Human Resource and Employment Relations in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. His recent teaching-related scholarship includes the Ivey Business School case Maritime Bus: Goal-Setting and Surviving a Pandemic Crisis (Pauley & Chen, 2023) and the book chapter Creativity and Disruptive Technology (Evans & Chen, 2023) in The Future of Responsible Management Education (Palgrave Macmillan, Humanism in Business Series).

Dr. Chen’s research explores subconscious processes and goal-priming effects in organizational behavior and human resource management (OB/HRM), as well as cross-cultural and sustainability-related management issues. His work has been published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Applied Psychology: An International Review, Royal Society Open Science, and Frontiers in Psychology.

Beyond academia, Dr. Chen has delivered OB/HRM workshops for leading organizations such as IBM China, Volkswagen China, Sinopec, China Construction Bank, and China Southern Airlines. His consulting and executive education engagements focus on leadership development, goal setting, and evidence-based management practices in cross-cultural contexts. More recently, his applied field research has involved collaborations with Net Zero Atlantic, the Charlottetown Airport Authority, and Maritime Bus, examining behavioral and organizational drivers of sustainability, innovation, and change.

A classically trained pianist, Dr. Chen often draws on his performance experience across Asia, Europe, and North America to inspire creativity, discipline, and engagement in management education.

Research interests

  • Goal setting and priming in organizational behavior and human resource management
  • Psychology of sustainability and behavioral interventions in pro-environmental behavior
  • Contextualization of organizational management concepts and models
Xiao Chen