معرفی
Nik Steffens is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Business and Organisational Psychology (CBOP) at The University of Queensland's School of Psychology. He is also an Affiliate of the Centre for Research in Social Psychology (CRiSP), Social Identity and Groups Network (SIGN), and the ARC Research Hub to Advance Timber for Australia's Future Built Environment. His academic journey includes studying and working in Germany, the UK, and Spain before completing his PhD at the University of Exeter and joining UQ in 2012.
Nik's research focuses on social identity and team work processes in organizational contexts, examining leadership and followership, motivation and creativity, and health and well-being. He employs diverse methodologies including experimental and intervention studies, field and survey research, archival methods, psychometric scale development, and systematic reviews. His work particularly emphasizes how shared social identity creates effective leadership, team functioning, and organizational health.
His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward applying social identity theory across multiple domains - from leadership development and organizational behavior to sports psychology and health interventions. The research shows increasing focus on practical applications of identity leadership concepts, with particular attention to measurement development (like the Visual Identity Leadership Scale) and evidence-based interventions for leadership development, retirement transitions, and addressing social issues like loneliness.
- ARC DECRA fellowship (2018)
- APS Workplace Excellence Award for Leadership Development (2017, with Alex Haslam and Kim Peters)
Nik has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with current projects focusing on social identity in leadership coaching, inequality effects on leadership behaviors, and identity leadership implementation. His research has secured significant funding including ARC Discovery Projects (2023-2026), the ARC Research Hub (2023-2028), and multiple industry partnerships. He serves on editorial boards for The Leadership Quarterly and European Journal of Social Psychology, and co-founded the Global Identity Leadership Development (GILD) network.
As Director of CBOP, Nik leads research initiatives applying social identity principles to organizational challenges. His work with industry partners has resulted in practical leadership development programs like the 5R framework, which has been implemented with organizations including the UK House of Commons. He also consults as an IECL-certified organizational coach, bridging academic research with real-world organizational practice.
