Open Access

Despite various efforts to decrease gender differences in organizations and the underrepresentation of females in management positions, progress is little. However, efforts can only be effective if the source of the problem is identified and understood. Thus, a considerable number of studies has been carried out in an attempt to understand which aspects facilitate the underrepresentation of females in management (e. g., Joshi, Son,& Roh, 2015; Niederle & Vesterlund, 2007; Eagly & Karau, 2002). Research has shown that the reason for the gender disparity in leading positions is twofold. First, individual differences in characteristics and behavior are compelling predictors of gender imbalance in organizations (Bass & Bass, 2009; Joshi & Roh, 2009; Judge, Bono, Ilies, & Gerhardt, 2002; Mumford et al., 2000). Second, current research on gender inequality emphasized that some work contexts seem to be more vulnerable to this phenomenon (Joshi & Roh, 2009; Gardiner & Tiggemann, 1999). Although the topic is ubiquitous and has been widely discussed in various disciplines, research has often been conducted within the confines of laboratory settings, and field research neglected to systematically include the work context as an explanatory variable. In order to shed new light on this issue, the work presented here investigated gender differences in career-relevant psychological aspects and behaviors, depending on the position and the female/male dominance of work environment. In a literature review, three constructs emerged that have not been systematically explored in the workplace as potential indicators of gender differences in managers and non-managers. Therefore, cognitive reflection, confidence in one’s own skills, and deceptive behavior were investigated in three field studies, looking directly at females and males in leading and non-leading positions in female- and male-dominated fields. Study 1a and 1b focused on the examination of the constructs within the private sector. Female and male managers and non-managers in multiple companies in Germany from the male-dominated manufacturing and the female-dominated service sector were surveyed. Results indicated a strong influence of business sectors on gender differences in self-image and work-related behavior. In order to cope with gender-incongruent work environments, males and females followed different strategies. In the female-dominated service sector, males coped with the incongruency by engaging in impression management by being overconfident as well as using self-enhancement by deceiving. In contrast to males, females only engaged in self-enhancement by deceiving in the male-dominated manufacturing sector. Both strategies were used to appear in a more positive light and to cope with the gender-incongruent workplace. Study 2 examined the three constructs in the government sector, more specifically, in female and male politicians from Germany’s national and its sixteen state parliaments and civil servants. In contrast to the private sector, males and females did neither use self-enhancement nor impression management strategies. This finding was surprising as the underrepresentation of females is an issue in both, business and politics. Overall, the findings of the present work on cognitive reflection, confidence and deception shed new light on gender differences as overconfidence and deception functioned as impression management and self-enhancement strategies for males and females to manage the demands of female- and male-dominated industries. In contrast, this does not apply for politics where those strategies were not used. Moreover, the results suggest that the investigation of female- and male-dominated environments is crucial to explain the behavior of females and males and truly provides a better understanding of gender differences at work.

Being a next generation member in an enterprising family is accompanied by a central question: What is my role within the enterprising family and why? Taking a unified systems perspective, this dissertation thesis focuses on the next generation in enterprising families and their entrepreneurial roles within the orchestration of three elements: the individual, the family and the business. Taking into account that those three elements constantly influence each other and change over time, this dissertation thesis introduces a more holistic understanding of the next generation in enterprising families. Using a multiple-role approach conceding that the next generation can have more roles within the enterprising family next to being the successor, this dissertation thesis encompasses three studies on overall 413 next generation members focusing on their entrepreneurial roles within the family business and new venture context. This dissertation thesis uses different methodological (quantitative and qualitative) and theoretical approaches (family, social cognition and organizational behavior science) to address the limited knowledge about the different roles of the next generation within the enterprising family. Study 1 focuses on the family business versus new venture context and aims at understanding how the intentions and actions of entrepreneurial roles of the next generation emerge and develop over time. Study 2 investigates the entrepreneurial roles of the next generation within the family business and how it shapes their strategic decision making within this context. Study 3 researches the role of the next generation as a founder of an own venture, and how the enterprising family shapes the venture creation process. By that, this dissertation thesis contributes to: (1) obtaining a better understanding of the family side in entrepreneurship, which becomes especially well-observable from the (to date) under-researched perspective of the next generation in enterprising families, (2) creating a common understanding that the next generation can have entrepreneurial roles within the enterprising family beyond being the successor in the family business, which offers the opportunity to understand how entrepreneurial behavior develops within life stages and life cycles of a family and how entrepreneurship is transferred through generations, (3) emphasizing the relevance of the next generation within the family as well as the business side in investigating the potential entrepreneurial capacity of enterprising families and their business initiatives contributing to theory building on enterprising families, and (4) providing further research aspirations concerning the next generation and their roles in enterprising families, including ideas for future research on how to assess the entrepreneurial roles of the next generation within the enterprising family.

To further strengthen European integration much can be done and is actually needed. The present work provides a wide range of empirical results and corresponding policy recommendations from the perspective of economics. The collection of articles here provides a clear illustration that there is a lot of potential to amend the architecture of the European Union and the euro area, respectively. It is well understood that the process of European integration is a continuous process which requires adjustments from time to time. This thesis provides results which indicate that very specific measures, such as facilitating a catch-up in terms of institutional quality by central and eastern European countries, would be beneficial for the process of European integration. This is in line with the general claim that institutional harmonization has to be enhanced. It is shown that within the more narrow framework of the euro area measures to enhance the functioning of the single currency are needed as well. In sum, this implies a strong need for policy measures in response to the recent developments of European integration. Moreover, it is demonstrated that common rules have to be equally binding for all countries. In fact, a number of necessary policy measures are already being implemented, for example the implementation of Basel III. With respect to implementation, results of this thesis imply that such measures have to be implemented carefully. Policy makers have to take into account country-specific characteristics when implementing one-fits-all policy measures. Nonetheless, the uniform European rules are not questioned here. In addition to the results and corresponding policy recommendations, the bulk of the research done here also contributes methodologically to economics. The increasing availability of micro-data is used to address macroeconomic questions and derive corresponding macroeconomic results and implications. Future research in economics will most likely make more and more use of such data.

The goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to analyze decision-making processes in different mindsets, specifically their impact on economic risk-taking behavior, and to find out whether they can support better performance and outcomes. This is a major concern of motivation research in general: understanding the reasoning mechanisms that determine actions and using that knowledge to promote healthy and rational behavior. In the present work, this goal related to a specific set of behaviors, that is, decisions under risk and in an economic context. A key strategy to improve outcomes in this field is to increase rational choices. More than that, however, this work also focuses on decision processes that forego rational or irrational behavior, to better understand the nature of mindset effects. Thus, it is not only relevant how individuals decide, but also how they arrive at that decision. To that end, risk-taking situations were examined with repeated measurements, different levels of difficulty, and different incentives. To explain mindset effects and their overall implications for risk taking, achievement motivation, learning processes, and different strategies of goal pursuit are discussed. All in all, the goal of this work is to provide new insights into risk-taking behavior and decision processes in economic contexts, as they are influenced by different states of mind. In addition, possible measures to help increase rationality in risky situations are outlined to provide some practical applications for the findings of this work. For some, the suggestion of the “improvement” of decisions through manipulations of individuals’ states of mind may have an Orwellian ring to it. On the contrary, however, the present research will hopefully increase knowledge about naturally occurring, everyday mindsets and their impact on human perception and behavior, in order to enable or train people to make a targeted use of their mindsets and reach their desired goals.

People face economic decisions on a daily basis. Quite often, these decisions involve high stakes and some degree of personal risk, as choices produce real consequences that set the course for future actions. Although decades of decision research in the intersection of psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience have much advanced our knowledge about the psychological underpinnings of economic decisions, several academic disputes remain unsettled. Indeed, surprisingly little is known about the role of motivation and volition in guiding economic decisions. Certainly, people’s motives, goals, and their expectations of attractive rewards are important drivers of decision making. Yet, motivation and volition cannot be reduced to goals and incentives. The cognitive mechanisms underlying economic decisions are rather complex, and motivation and volition may impact decisions at the level of these cognitive processes. This dissertation considers the role of motivation and volition in economic decisions by examining the impact of experimentally induced motivational and volitional states of mind on economic choices and decision processes. Using different methods and decision making paradigms, four experiments provide novel evidence that informs the ongoing debates in motivation research, decision science, and psychophysiology. In short, Experiments 1a and 1b explore the possibility of interactive effects between motivation, volition, and financial incentives in determining economic performance. Moving on to the level of decision processes, Experiment 2 examines the impact of motivation and volition on decision processes under risk. Decision times, eye movements, and pupil dilations provide process measures of cognitive effort, pre-decisional information search, and affective arousal, respectively. Finally, Experiment 3 investigates how particular decision attributes relate to affective and motivational processes in decisions under risk. The findings of the present dissertation can be summarized in terms of four main conclusions. First, incentives are effective for improving economic performance when the payment of attractive monetary rewards is contingent on performance. Yet, higher incentives do not further improve performance. Second, the experimental manipulation of motivational and volitional mindsets does not directly affect choices, but notably impacts decision processes. Third, the influence of motivation and volition on economic decisions appears to depend on the appropriate incentivization of the task at hand. Fourth, risky choice attributes that entail no gain at all, i.e., zero-outcomes, elicit high levels of affective arousal and motivational avoidance tendencies that guide selective attention and decision making in the lottery choice paradigm. The implications of these findings are discussed for theory development in motivation research and decision science, as well as in terms of their practical implications for decision making in managerial contexts and other high-stakes decision environments.