Postdoc study: resistance to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

The department of Organisation and Personnel Management at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher for a project funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO):  resistance to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

Joining us at RSM on this project, you help to investigate the role of employee resistance in shaping the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of DEI initiatives in the workplace, with a particular focus on covert forms of resistance, such as subtle non-compliance and sabotage. As our postdoc researcher in this area, you contribute to two key areas: (1) exploring how these indirect, often hidden acts of resistance can undermine the success of DEI initiatives; and (2) designing and testing interventions aimed at reducing or mitigating the emergence and negative impact of these kinds of resistance.

In global surveys, the majority of firms indicate that diversity is an important value or priority. Many organisations employ DEI initiatives that aim to enhance the representation and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups such as women and ethnic minorities. These initiatives, however, often struggle to achieve their intended goals and, in some cases, may even backfire, leading to unintended negative outcomes. This research will build upon these earlier perspectives and contribute to a deeper understanding of the (in)effectiveness of these initiatives as well as examine interventions.

Being our postdoc researcher, you become part of a team that includes Dr Seval Gündemir (PI), Prof. Inga J. Hoever, Dr Rouven Kanitz, and PhD student Tianqi Peng, MSc.

For this job, your main tasks are:

• Contributing to the development of the theoretical framework primary to the
  empirical research.
• Conducting quantitative studies, including offline and online experiments.
• Performing quantitative analyses.
• Contributing to the supervision of the PhD researcher within the team.
• Presenting research findings at national and international conferences and
  workshops.
• Publishing research findings in top scientific journals.
• Communicating research findings to relevant stakeholders outside of academia,
  including in regional, national, international, and virtual platforms and fora.

Requirements:

• A PhD degree in organisational psychology, management science or a related
  discipline;
• Demonstrated experience with conducting and publishing high-quality research;
• Interest in the research topic;
• Experience with quantitative research; it is an added bonus when you also have
  experience with qualitative research;
• Excellent writing skills and a genuine interest in writing academic papers;
• Outstanding organisational skills, a collaborative attitude, and a high level of
  conscientiousness and flexibility;
• Willingness and ability to learn and grow in all areas of the research;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; it is an added bonus
  when you also have these skills in Dutch; and
• Availability to start no later than 1 September 2025.

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 01-SEP-2025 This position is for 0.8 fte - 0.8 fte. The salary is dependent on your experience and knowledge and ranges from a minimum of € 4,537 to a maximum of € 6,209 gross per month Scale 11 on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU.

The contract is offered for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the contract may be extended for an additional two years, allowing for a total duration of up to three years.

Everything else we offer you; you can find below!

-        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40-hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

-        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

-        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

-        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

-        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

-        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the expat ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission: Creating positive societal impact. EUR is home to 4,100 academics and professionals and almost 33,000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognisable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers.

www.rsm.nl

RSM is an equal opportunity employer and explicitly encourages applications from candidates of all genders, ethnicities, and nationalities.

The department of Organisation and Personnel Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM).

If you have questions about this vacancy, please contact Dr Seval Gündemir at gundemir@rsm.nl.

Are you interested in applying for this postdoc position? Please use the 'Apply here' button to send us your application.

We look forward to receiving your application by 9 March 2025.

Online interviews with shortlisted candidates will take place on Tuesday, 18 March or on Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

Your application should include the following documents bundled in a single .pdf (not zipped), in the following order:

• a concise statement of motivation (500 words max.);
• a concise statement regarding how your training/schooling and skills match the position
  in light of the abovementioned requirements (300 words max);
• a full academic curriculum vitae, including a list of publications;
• one first-authored (published or working) paper that represents your work; and
• contact information of two academic references (no letters of recommendation at this point).