Nicholas Hays
he/hisEmail: hays@broad.msu.edu
Associate Professor
Department: Management
Phone: (517) 432-3510
Main Street Capital Corporation Endowed Faculty in Business Fellow
Department: Management
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Biography
Nicholas Hays received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from UCLA, and his B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. His research examines the psychology of hierarchy, specifically how power and status hierarchies--the most prevalent forms of social hierarchy--affect individuals' experiences and group processes. His research has been published in management and psychology journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Prior to MSU, Dr. Hays was a Visiting Assistant Professor at NYU's Stern School of Business.
Before his academic career, Dr. Hays worked in management consulting for Booz & Company in New York and Bridge Strategy Group in Chicago. -
Education
Ph.D. Management 2012, University of California, Los Angeles
BA Psychology 2000, University of Pennsylvania
BS Economics 2000, University of Pennsylvania
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Publications
ArticleMitchell R. L., Matusik, J. G., Hays, N. A. (in press). The self-reinforcing nature of social hierarchies: Unpacking the dynamic relationship between power and status. Organization Science.Article
Ruvio, A. A., Hays, N. A., Mandel, N., & Krems, J. A. (in press). Selfish sharing: The effect of social comparison on sharing behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
ArticleZhong, Y., Li, H., Shen, X., Hays, N. A., & Li, J. (in press). Survival of the flattest: Teams with low (but not high) status differentiation turn failure into success by adding high-status members. Organization Science.ArticleHays, N. A., Lee, A. J., Blader, S. L., & Galinsky, A. D. (2026). The social relations-approach theory of social hierarchy: Understanding the distinct psychological experiences of status and power. Psychological Review, 133(4), 957-993.ArticleHays, N. A., Li, H., Yang, X., Oh, K., Yu, A., Chen, Y.-R., Hollenbeck, J. R., & Jamieson, B. (2022). A tale of two hierarchies: Interactive effects of power differentiation and status differentiation on team performance. Organization Science, 33(6), 2085-2540.
ArticleMatusik, J. G., Mitchell, R. L., Hays, N. A., Fath, S., Hollenbeck, J. R. (2022). The highs and lows of hierarchy in multiteam systems. Academy of Management Journal, 65(5), 1571-1592.ArticleLee, H. W., Hays, N. A., & Johnson, R. E. (2021). To thine own (empowered) self be true: Aligning social hierarchy motivation and leader behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(7), 1033-1048.ArticleMitchell, R. L., Bae, K., Case, C. R., Hays, N. A. (2020). Drivers of hierarchy striving. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33, 189-195.ArticleYu, A., Hays, N. A., & Zhao, E. (2019). Development of a bipartite measure of social hierarchy: The perceived power and perceived status scales. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 152, 84-104.ArticleHays, N. A., & Blader, S. L. (2017). To give or not to give? Effects of status and legitimacy on generosity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112(1), 17-38.ArticleBendersky, C., & Hays, N. A. (2017). The effects of status conflicts in groups where members disagree about status hierarchies. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8(2), 124-132.ArticleHays, N. A., & Bendersky, C. (2015). Not at all inequality is created equal: Effects of status versus power hierarchies on competition for upward mobility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 867-882.ArticleHays, N. A., & Goldstein, N. J. (2015). Power and legitimacy influence conformity. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 60, 17-26.ArticleHays, N. A. (2013). Fear and loving in social hierarchy: Sex differences in preferences for power and status. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49(6), 1130-1136.ArticleBendersky, C., & Hays, N. A. (2012). Status conflict in groups. Organization Science, 23(2), 323-340.ArticleGoldstein, N. J., & Hays, N. A. (2011). Illusory Power Transference: The Vicarious Experience of Power. Administrative Science Quarterly, 56(4), 593-621.
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Courses
- HCM 820: Negotiations
- MGT 460: Management Capstone
- MGT 474: Negotiations
- MGT 475: Negotiations and conflict management
- MGT 832: Negotiations and conflict management
- MGT 840: Organizational Leadership
- PIM 852: Negotiations
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Awards
- Elected Fellow
Society for Experimental Social Psychology, 2022-present
- Withrow Emerging Scholar Award - 2023
Broad College of Business
- Best Symposium - 2017
From the Academy of Management, Organizational Behavior Division - Best Empirical Conference Paper - 2013
From the International Association of Conflict Management - Best Theoretical Conference Paper - 2008
From the International Association of Conflict Management
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