Overview
Background
Nik is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology (CBOP) in UQ's School of Psychology. He lived, worked, and studied psychology in Germany and Spain and completed his PhD in the UK before working at The University of Queensland (Australia).
Nik conducts fundamental and applied research to uncover psychological drivers that make groups and organisations fairer, more motivating, more effective, and healthier. His expertise lies in social identity and team work processes in social and organisational contexts including leadership and followership, motivation and creativity, and health and well-being. He uses diverse methods to understand people and organisations including experimental and intervention studies, field and survey research, archival methods, psychometric scale development, and systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
His work has been supported by several bodies including the Australian Research Council (e.g., he was awarded an ARC DECRA fellowship in 2018), the Australian Government, and several industry research-partnerships (with public and private organisations). In 2017, he won the APS Workplace Excellence Award for Leadership Development (together with Alex Haslam and Kim Peters) for his work with industry partners on the 5R leadership development program that seeks to help leaders to develop their leadership ability and enhance team functioning and well-being (https://tinyurl.com/adfu7xbu). He consults to organisations around social and organisational challenges and he is an (IECL-certified) orgnisational coach.
Nik is a co-founding member of the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) network of global leadership scholars, and serves on the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Social Psychology, and the flagship journal for leadership research, The Leadership Quarterly. He is Editor (with Michelle Ryan and Floor Rink) of the 'Organisational Psychology: Revisiting the Classic studies' published in 2023 as part of SAGE's classic studies in psychology series (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/organisational-psychology/book269849).
Availability
- Associate Professor Nik Steffens is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Exeter
Works
Search Professor Nik Steffens’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
A latent profile analysis of the nature of social group memberships and their contribution to retirement outcomes
La Rue, Crystal J., Steffens, Niklas K., Werth, Belén Álvarez, Bentley, Sarah V. and Haslam, Catherine (2023). A latent profile analysis of the nature of social group memberships and their contribution to retirement outcomes. British Journal of Social Psychology, 63 (2), 591-613. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12694
2023
Journal Article
Reduced loneliness mediates the effects of multiple group identifications on well‐being
van Dick, Rolf, Frenzel, Svenja B., Erkens, Valerie A., Häusser, Jan A., Haslam, S. Alexander, Mojzisch, Andreas, Steffens, Niklas K. and Junker, Nina M. (2023). Reduced loneliness mediates the effects of multiple group identifications on well‐being. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62 (4), 1693-1714. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12651
2023
Book Chapter
The social identity approach to political leadership
Mols, Frank, Haslam, S. Alexander, Platow, Michael J., Reicher, Stephen D. and Steffens, Niklas K. (2023). The social identity approach to political leadership. The Oxford handbook of political psychology. (pp. 804-842) edited by Leonie Huddy, David O. Sears, Jack S. Levy and Jennifer Jerit. New York, NY United States: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197541302.013.21
2023
Journal Article
Enlarging the model of the human at the heart of human-centered AI: a social self-determination model of AI system impact
Bingley, William J., Haslam, S. Alexander, Steffens, Niklas K., Gillespie, Nicole, Worthy, Peter, Curtis, Caitlin, Lockey, Steven, Bialkowski, Alina, Ko, Ryan K.L. and Wiles, Janet (2023). Enlarging the model of the human at the heart of human-centered AI: a social self-determination model of AI system impact. New Ideas in Psychology, 70 101025, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2023.101025
2023
Book Chapter
A picture is worth a thousand words: social identity mapping as a way of visualizing and assessing social group connections
Bentley, Sarah V., Haslam, S. Alexander, Greenaway, Katherine H., Cruwys, Tegan and Steffens, Nik (2023). A picture is worth a thousand words: social identity mapping as a way of visualizing and assessing social group connections. Handbook of research methods for studying identity in and around organizations. (pp. 87-102) edited by Ingo Winkler, Stefanie Reissner and Rosalía Cascón-Pereira. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781802207972.00018
2023
Journal Article
GROUPS 4 RETIREMENT: A new intervention that supports well‐being in the lead‐up to retirement by targeting social identity management
La Rue, Crystal J., Haslam, Catherine, Bentley, Sarah V., Lam, Ben C. P., Steffens, Niklas K., Branscombe, Nyla R., Haslam, S. Alexander and Cruwys, Tegan (2023). GROUPS 4 RETIREMENT: A new intervention that supports well‐being in the lead‐up to retirement by targeting social identity management. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 97 (1), 1-26. doi: 10.1111/joop.12458
2023
Book Chapter
Charisma nach dem Ableben und das Verschmelzen von Führungsperson und Gruppe
van Dick, Rolf, Steffens, Niklas K. and Fink, Louisa (2023). Charisma nach dem Ableben und das Verschmelzen von Führungsperson und Gruppe. Handbuch Mitarbeiterführung: Wirtschaftspsychologisches Praxiswissen für Fach- und Führungskräfte. (pp. 1-9) edited by Jörg Felfe and Rolf van Dick. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-55213-7_46-1
2023
Journal Article
A longitudinal examination of the role of social identity in supporting health and well-being in retirement
Haslam, Catherine, Lam, Ben C. P., Ghafoori, Eraj, Steffens, Niklas K., Haslam, S. Alexander, Bentley, Sarah V., Cruwys, Tegan and La Rue, Crystal J. (2023). A longitudinal examination of the role of social identity in supporting health and well-being in retirement. Psychology and Aging, 38 (7), 615-626. doi: 10.1037/pag0000757
2023
Journal Article
Developing engaged and ‘teamful’ leaders: A randomized controlled trial of the 5R identity leadership program
Haslam, S. Alexander, Reutas, Jordan, Bentley, Sarah V., McMillan, Blake, Lindfield, Madison, Luong, Mischel, Peters, Kim and Steffens, Niklas K. (2023). Developing engaged and ‘teamful’ leaders: A randomized controlled trial of the 5R identity leadership program. PLoS One, 18 (5) e0286263, 1-21. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286263
2023
Journal Article
Examining the role of Donald Trump and his supporters in the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol: a dual-agency model of identity leadership and engaged followership
Haslam, S. Alexander, Reicher, Stephen D., Selvanathan, Hema Preya, Gaffney, Amber M., Steffens, Niklas K., Packer, Dominic, Van Bavel, Jay J., Ntontis, Evangelos, Neville, Fergus, Vestergren, Sara, Jurstakova, Klara and Platow, Michael J. (2023). Examining the role of Donald Trump and his supporters in the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol: a dual-agency model of identity leadership and engaged followership. Leadership Quarterly, 34 (2) 101622, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2022.101622
2023
Journal Article
Engaged followership and toxic science: Exploring the effect of prototypicality on willingness to follow harmful experimental instructions
Birney, Megan E., Reicher, Stephen D., Haslam, S. Alexander, Steffens, Niklas K. and Neville, Fergus G. (2023). Engaged followership and toxic science: Exploring the effect of prototypicality on willingness to follow harmful experimental instructions. British Journal of Social Psychology, 62 (2), 866-882. doi: 10.1111/bjso.12603
2023
Journal Article
Where is the human in human-centered AI? Insights from developer priorities and user experiences
Bingley, William J., Curtis, Caitlin, Lockey, Steven, Bialkowski, Alina, Gillespie, Nicole, Haslam, S. Alexander, Ko, Ryan K.L., Steffens, Niklas, Wiles, Janet and Worthy, Peter (2023). Where is the human in human-centered AI? Insights from developer priorities and user experiences. Computers in Human Behavior, 141 107617, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107617
2023
Journal Article
Unlocking the power of ‘us’: longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being
Fransen, Katrien, Boen, Filip, Haslam, S. Alexander, McLaren, Colin D., Mertens, Niels, Steffens, Niklas K. and Bruner, Mark W. (2023). Unlocking the power of ‘us’: longitudinal evidence that identity leadership predicts team functioning and athlete well-being. Journal of Sports Sciences, 40 (24), 2768-2783. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2023.2193005
2023
Book
Organisational Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies
Niklas K. Steffens, Floor Rink and Michelle K. Ryan eds. (2023). Organisational Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA United States: SAGE Publications.
2023
Book Chapter
Erfolgreich führen durch das Schaffen einer gemeinsamen Identität in Teams und Organisationen
van Dick, Rolf, Cordes, Berrit L., Kerschreiter, Rudolf and Steffens, Niklas K. (2023). Erfolgreich führen durch das Schaffen einer gemeinsamen Identität in Teams und Organisationen. Handbuch Mitarbeiterführung: Wirtschaftspsychologisches Praxiswissen für Fach- und Führungskräfte. (pp. 87-99) edited by Jörg Felfe and Rolf van Dick. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-68185-5_47
2023
Book Chapter
Charisma nach dem Ableben und das Verschmelzen von Führungsperson und Gruppe
van Dick, Rolf, Steffens, Niklas K. and Fink, Louisa (2023). Charisma nach dem Ableben und das Verschmelzen von Führungsperson und Gruppe. Handbuch Mitarbeiterführung: Wirtschaftspsychologisches Praxiswissen für Fach- und Führungskräfte. (pp. 77-85) edited by Jörg Felfe and Rolf van Dick. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-68185-5_46
2023
Book Chapter
Erfolgreich führen durch das Schaffen einer gemeinsamen Identität in Teams und Organisationen
van Dick, Rolf, Cordes, Berrit L., Kerschreiter, Rudolf and Steffens, Niklas K. (2023). Erfolgreich führen durch das Schaffen einer gemeinsamen Identität in Teams und Organisationen. Springer reference psychologie. (pp. 1-13) edited by Jörg Felfe and Rolf van Dick. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-55213-7_47-1
2022
Journal Article
Developing high-reliability organisations: a social identity model
Haslam, S. Alexander, Jetten, Jolanda, Maskor, Mazlan, McMillan, Blake, Bentley, Sarah V., Steffens, Niklas K. and Johnston, Susan (2022). Developing high-reliability organisations: a social identity model. Safety Science, 153 105814, 105814. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105814
2022
Journal Article
Double jeopardy: How lower levels of support during COVID-19 exacerbated the relationship between loneliness and distress
Bentley, Sarah V., Young, Tarli, Álvarez, Belén, Jetten, Jolanda, Haslam, Catherine, Cruwys, Tegan, Casara, Bruno Gabriel Salvador, Crimston, Charlie R., Dare, Michael, Ionescu, Octavia, Krug, Henning, Selvanathan, Hema Preya, Tanjitpiyanond, Porntida, Steffens, Niklas K., Wang, Zhechen and Wibisono, Susilo (2022). Double jeopardy: How lower levels of support during COVID-19 exacerbated the relationship between loneliness and distress. Frontiers in Public Health, 10 976443, 1-13. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.976443
2022
Journal Article
A meta-analysis of retirement adjustment predictors
La Rue, Crystal J., Haslam, Catherine and Steffens, Niklas K. (2022). A meta-analysis of retirement adjustment predictors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 136 103723, 103723. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103723
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Nik Steffens is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Social Identity in Leadership Coaching
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
-
Master Philosophy
Leadership in Group Exercise
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
-
Master Philosophy
The Impact of Leadership on Exercisers Experience of, and Participation in, Group Exercise Contexts
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
-
Doctor Philosophy
From Privilege to Autocracy: The Hidden Costs of Inequality in Resource Distribution on Leadership Behaviors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
-
Doctor Philosophy
Social identity processes affecting retirement from sport
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Catherine Haslam, Professor Alex Haslam
-
Doctor Philosophy
Identity leadership in action: An ethnographic approach to identify leadership behaviours in a professional football team
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam, Professor Cliff Mallett
-
Doctor Philosophy
Identity leadership in action: An ethnographic approach to identify leadership behaviours in a professional football team
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam, Professor Cliff Mallett
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluating the efficacy of 5R as a leadership intervention and training program
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding what it means to be 'us': Collective identity content and clarity.
Principal Advisor
-
2023
Master Philosophy
What Does it Mean to Follow? Exploring Theories, Definitions, and Measures of Followership
Principal Advisor
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
How leaders fall: Exploring the process of leadership destabilization
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
From Intent to Impact: Spotlighting the Understudied Role of Employee Inclusivity
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Stacey Parker, Professor Tyler Okimoto
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Social Connectedness and Retirement Adjustment: The Contribution of Social Participation and Social Group Memberships
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Catherine Haslam
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
An Examination of Players' Shared Leadership in the Australian Men's Professional Football League
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Steven Rynne, Professor Cliff Mallett
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Who Aspires to Have More? The Impacts of Social Class and Economic Inequality on People's Desire for Wealth and Status
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jolanda Jetten
-
2017
Master Philosophy
A Social Identity Perspective on the Management of Confidential Information in Organisational Contexts
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alex Haslam
Media
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