Niro Sivanathan
Professor of Organisational Behaviour; Chair, PhD Programme
BA MSc (Queen's) PhD (Northwestern)
Niro Sivanathan is a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. His research draws on social psychological and evolutionary theories to examine how our judgments, decisions and behaviours are shaped by the psychological experience of status and power within social hierarchies. In addition he also explores how our motivation to maintain the self-integrity influences decision-making.
His research has been presented at leading international conferences and published in the top international journals in the fields of Science, Management and Psychology, such as: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Human Behaviour, Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Applied Psychology, Psychological Science, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. This research has also been translated to practitioner audiences at the Harvard Business Review and a TED Talk. His research has also garnered international press coverage at CNN, Financial Times, Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Sunday Times and Forbes.
He teaches Negotiations, Influence, and Decision-making to a wide audience and is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including being selected as one of the World's top 40 Best B-School Professors under 40 by Poets and Quants in 2016, and at LBS, the Excellence in Teaching Award, and voted the Best MBA teacher by the graduating class. He has provided advisory and executive education services for organizations such as Credit Suisse, Kearney, YPO, Merck, Central Bank of Turkey, Salesforce and LVHM.
Professor Sivanathan earned his PhD in Management & Organisations from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He also holds an MSc in Management and a BA in Psychology (Honours) from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada.
- Personal website
- nsivanathan@london.edu
- +44 (0)20 7000 8942
- Niro Sivanathan CV
MBA
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Negotiations and Bargaining
- Entrepreneurial Negotiations (EN)
- Crisis Leadership & Human Behaviour (CLHB)
Executives
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Influence and Persuasion
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Negotiations and Bargaining
- Private Equity Negotiations (PEN)
MiM
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Leadership and Organisations
PhD
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Fundamentals of Business Research (Philosophy of Science)
Research Awards
- Best Teacher Award for EMBA Dubai, London Business School 2023
- Best Teacher Award for Sloan (Runner-up), London Business School 2022
- Excellence in Teaching Award, London Business School 2016
- Best Teacher Award for MBA, London Business School 2014
- Best Teacher Award for MiM (Runner-up), London Business School 2010
- Excellence in Teaching “4.5 Club”, Johnson School of Management 2008
- Doctoral Teaching Award, Kellogg School of Management 2007
- Best Paper Proceedings, Academy of Management Meetings 2007
- Doctoral Fellowship, Social Science Humanities Research 2004-2007
- Best Paper Finalist & Proceedings, Academy of Management Meetings 2006
- Graduate Travel Scholarship, Australian Research Council & Economic Decision Network 2006
- Best Paper Proceedings, Academy of Management Meetings 2005
- Visiting Graduate Scholar Grant, International Foundation for Experimental Economics 2004
- Excellence in Ethics Dissertation Proposal Competition Award, University of Notre Dame Institute for Ethical Business Worldwide
- International Positive Psychology Fellow Travel Grant, Gallup Organization 2003
- Queen’s School of Business Scholarship, Queen’s University 2002
- R. Samuel McLaughlin Fellowship, Queen’s University 2001-2002
- Geoffrey Wood Award, Queen’s University 2001-2002
- Queen’s Graduate Award, Queen’s University 2001-2002
- Dean’s Honor List for Graduating Class, Queen’s University 2001
- Social Hierarchies
- Social Status & Power
- Psychology of self in judgment and decision making
- Negotiations & Influence
2024
Perilous and unaccountable: the positive relationship between dominance and moral hazard behaviors
Brady G L; Kakkar H; Sivanathan N
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2024 Online first
2023
More than meets the eye: the unintended consequence of leader dominance orientation on subordinate ethicality
Brady G L; Sivanathan N
Organization Science 2023 Online first
2022
The Impact of Leader Dominance on Employees’ Zero-Sum Mindset and Helping Behavior
H Kakkar; N Sivanathan
Journal of Applied Psychology 2022 Vol 107:10 p 1706-1724
2020
Culture and Patterns of Reciprocity: The Role of Exchange Type, Regulatory Focus, and Emotions
Deng Y; Wang C S; Aime F; Wang L; Sivanathan N; Yun Chung K
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2020 Vol 47:1 p 20-41
Fall from grace: The role of dominance and prestige in the punishment of high-status actors
Kakkar H; Sivanathan N; Gobel M
Academy of Management Journal 2020 Vol 63:2 p 530-553
The impact of dynamic status changes within competitive rank-ordered hierarchies
Kakkar H; Sivanathan N; Pettit N C
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2019 Vol 116:46 p 23011-23020
Stop doubling down on your failing strategy: how to spot (and escape) one before it's too late
Vermeulen F; Sivanathan N
Harvard Business Review 2017 Vol 95:6 p 110-117
The role of social status and testosterone in human conspicuous consumption
Wu Y; Eisenegger C; Sivanathan N; Crockett M J; Clark L
Scientific Reports 2017 Vol 7:1
The unintended consequences of argument dilution in direct-to-consumer drug advertisements
Sivanathan N; Kakkar H
Nature: human behaviour 2017 9th October 2017
When the appeal of a dominant leader is greater than a prestige leader
Kakkar H; Sivanathan N
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2017 Vol 114:26 p 6734-6739
Why we prefer dominant leaders in uncertain times
Kakkar H; Sivanathan N
Harvard Business Review Digital Articles 2017
2014
Low-status aversion: The effect of self-threat on willingness to buy and sell
Pan C; Pettit NC; Sivanathan N; Blader SL
Journal of Social Applied Psychology 2014 November Vol 44:11 p 708-716
2013
From glue to gasoline: How competition turns perspective takers unethical
Pierce J R; Kilduff G J; Galinsky A D; Sivanathan N
Psychological Science 2013 Vol 24:10 p 1986-1994
Rising stars and sinking ships: Consequences of status momentum
Pettit N C; Sivanathan N; Gladstone E; Carson Marr J
Psychological Science 2013 Vol 24:8 p 1579-1584
The remarkable robustness of the first-offer effect: Across culture, power, and issues
Gunia B C; Swaab R I; Sivanathan N; Galinsky A D
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2013 Vol 39:12 p 1547-1558
2012
Power and overconfident decision-making
Fast N J; Sivanathan N; Mayer N D; Galinsky A D
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 2012 March Vol 117:2 p 249-260
The eyes and ears of status: How status colors perceptual judgement
Pettit N C; Sivanathan N
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2012 Vol 38:5 p 570-582
2011
Retribution and emotional regulation: The effects of time delay in angry
Wang C; Sivanathan N; Narayanan J; Bauer M; Bodenhausen G; Murnighan J
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 2011 Vol 116:1 p 46-54
Something to lose and nothing to gain: The role of stress in the interactive effect of power and stability risk taking
Jordan J; Sivanathan N; Galinsky A D
Administrative Science Quarterly 2011 Vol 56:4 p 530-558
The plastic trap: Self-threat drives credit usage and status consumption
Pettit N C; Sivanathan N
Social Psychological and Personality Science 2011 Vol 2:2 p 146-153
2010
A clean self can render harsh moral judgment
Zhong C B; Strejcek B; Sivanathan N
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 2010 Vol 46:5 p 859-862
Protecting the self through consumption: Status goods as affirmational commodities
Sivanathan N; Pettit N C
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 2010 Vol 46:3 p 564-570
2009
Illusory control: A generative force behind power’s far-reaching effects
Fast N J; Gruenfeld D H; Sivanathan N; Galinsky A D
Psychological Science 2009 Vol 20:4 p 502-508
Vicarious entrapment: Your sunk costs, my escalation of commitment
Gunia B C; Sivanathan N; Galinsky A D
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 2009 Vol 45:6 p 1238-1244
2008
Getting off on the wrong foot: the timing of breach and the restoration of trust
Lount R B; Zhong C; Sivanathan N; Murnighan J K
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2008 Vol 34:12 p 1601-1612
Harnessing power to capture leadership
Galinsky A D; Jordan J; Sivanathan N
In Hoyt C L; Goethals G R; Forsyth D R (eds), Leadership at the crossraods: Psychology and leadership (Vol 1), 2008
Power gained, power lost
Sivanathan N; Pillutla M M; Murnighan J K
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 2008 Vol 105:2 p 135-146
The promise and peril of self-affirmation in de-escalating commitment
Sivanathan N; Molden D; Galinsky A; Ku G
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 2008 Vol 107:1 p 1-14
2007
Predicting workplace aggression: A meta-analytic approach
Hershcovis S; Turner N; Barling J; Arnold K A; Dupre K; Inness M; Leblanc M; Sivanathan N
Journal of Applied Psychology 2007:92 p 228-238
Review of Trust under pressure; Emprical investigations of trust and trust and trust building in uncertain circumstances
Sytch M; Sivanathan N
Personnel Review 2007:36 p 6-6
2005
Transformational leadership, employee safety behaviors and workplace injuries
Sivanathan N; Turne N; Barling J; Stride C B; Axtell C M; Davies S
Academy of Management Best Papers Proceedings 2005
2004
Poor leadership
Kelloway E K; Sivanathan N; Francis L; Barling J
In Barling J, Kelloway E K & Frone M R, eds.,Handbook of Work Stress, Sage Publications, 2004, pp. 89-112.
Transformational leadership and well-being
Sivanathan N; Arnold K; Turner N; Barling J
In Linley A; Joseph S, eds, Positive Psychology in Practice, Wiley, 2004, pp. 241-255
2002
Emotional intelligence, moral reasoning and transformational leadership
Sivanathan N; Fekken G C
Leadership and Organization Development Journal 2002:23 p 198-204
Teaching portfolio
Our teaching offering is updated annually. Faculty and programme material are subject to change.
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Masters Degrees electives
Optional courses providing a deep dive into specialist areas.
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Crisis Leadership and Human Behaviour
There are many books, articles & courses on managing crises. Most focus on the structures, processes that companies can instil within their corporate framework to mitigate the risk & aftermath of a potential crisis. We believe these are important aspects organizations should take into account. However, we also believe it is critical to understand how crises change the dynamic of human decision-making & communication, & the resulting behaviour of individuals who face crises. It is the human factor, on which we focus in this course, that is the single greatest variable & often hardest to manage and control during a crisis. Integrating evidence-based knowledge from marketing, organizational behaviour, & public-policy, this course will focus on three inter-related critical areas of crisis management: decision-making, communication & learning. The course will be interactive, immersing students in a crisis simulation involving actors, real time decisions, & communication to the media. -
Entrepreneurial Negotiations
This course provides training in both the theory and practice of negotiation with an emphasis on an entrepreneurial context. In this course you will acquire the conceptual skills necessary to become a sophisticated analyst and deal architect of various negotiation situations, including those faced by an entrepreneur throughout the entire business cycle of the entrepreneurial journey from capital raise to exits/IPO of the business, and all other negotiations in-between. This includes a deep understanding of the underlying structure of the negotiation, deal terms specific to the entrepreneurial space, as well as the psychology behind negotiation-based judgment and decision-making. The course is grounded in the theory and practice of negotiations, complemented by examples and speakers from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The goal of his course it to brick-by-brick instil the comfort and confidence needed when called upon to negotiate for your business. PROGRAMMES WITH THIS ELECTIVE
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Negotiation & Bargaining
Negotiation & Bargaining PROGRAMMES WITH THIS ELECTIVE
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Crisis Leadership and Human Behaviour
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Executive Education
Short programmes offering academic excellence, global focus and exceptional diversity of perspective.
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Decision Making For Executives
- Leading Teams for Emerging Leaders
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Senior Executive Programme
"Thinking strategically, developing leadership skills and managing globally are the keys to achieving and maintaining competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving marketplace". - Women in Leadership
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Decision Making For Executives