Key details
Dr Nicoletta Dimitrova
Senior Lecturer in Human Resources and Organisational Behaviour
Dr Nicoletta G. Dimitrova joined the University of Greenwich in September 2017. Before that she was a postdoctoral research fellow at Ghent University, Belgium and a postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She received her PhD in Organisation Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in The Netherlands.
Dr. Dimitrova is intrigued by what makes people, teams, and organizations overcome difficulties, learn from challenges, and become better at dealing with the unexpected. Our world is becoming more uncertain, faster, and more complex. Accordingly, the likelihood that people will make errors also increases. Being able to handle the challenges surrounding us and persist when the going gets tough becomes vital for survival and success. In her research, Dr. Dimitrova investigates the individual, dyadic, team, and organizational effects of different error handling strategies on cognition, perception, motivation, satisfaction, trust, wellbeing, and performance. She researches those by using a variety of methods (experimental, survey, and qualitative) among diverse populations (employees, managers, students).
Responsibilities within the university
Teaching responsibilities:
- Course leader for Organisational Behaviour 1: Managing Organisations and Individuals (Business with Human Resource Management, BA)
- Course leader for Organisational Behaviour (International Human Resource Management, MA)
- Teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses on business psychology & methods
- Undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation supervision
Awards
2015 FWO Travel Grant
2014 Faculty of Social Sciences Best Dissertation Prize, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2014 Best PhD Proposal Prize (Co-author) at the Strategic Management Society Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark (Y. Engel, N. G. Dimitrova, & T. Elfring)
2012 Research Stipend Graduate School of Social Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2012 SPSP Travel Award
2011 Best Student Presentation Award, Fresh Perspectives, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2011 Research Stipends (2) Graduate School of Social Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2010 Academy of Management MOC division "Diamond in the Rough Award" for best Student Proposal
2010 Research Stipends (2) Promovendifonds, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
2007-2009 HSP Huygens Scholarship (Merit Based)
2003-2006 Internship Stipend, Jacobs University
2004 & 2005 DAAD Scholarships for extracurricular involvement
Recognition
Current and previous professional memberships:
Academy of Management
European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology
Kurt Lewin Institute
Dutch Association for Work and Organizational Psychology
Ad-Hoc Reviewer:
AOM Annual Meetings, EAWOP Annual Meetings, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Managerial Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Work & Stress
Research / Scholarly interests
Research/Scholarly Interests:
- Individual and organisational error handling
- Dealing with challenges
- Organisational resilience
- Coping with uncertainty
- Work-life balance
- Female leadership
- Job mobility
Recent publications
Articles:
Dimitrova, N., Van Hooft, E. A. J., Van Dyck, C., & Groenewegen, P. (in press). Behind the wheel: What drives the effects of error handling? The Journal of Social Psychology. doi 10.1080/00224545.2016.1270891
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A. J., & Groenewegen, P. (2015). Don't fuss, focus: On-task thoughts as a mediator of the effect of error approach instructions on performance. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 64 (3), 599-624. doi: 10.1111/apps.12029
Engel, Y., Dimitrova, N. G., Khapova, S. N., & Elfring, T. (2014). Uncertain but able: Entrepreneurial self-efficacy and novices use of expert decision-logic under uncertainty. Journal of Business Venturing: Insights, 1-2, 12-17. doi: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2014.09.002
Leroy, H., Anseel, F., Dimitrova, N. G., & Sels, L. (2013). Mindfulness, authentic functioning, and work engagement: A growth modeling approach. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 82 (3), 238-247. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2013.01.012
Book Chapters:
Van Dyck, C., Dimitrova, N. G., De Korne, D.F. & Hiddema, F. (2013). Walk the talk: Leaders' enacted priority of safety, incident reporting, and error management. In T. Simons, H. Leroy & G.T. Savage (Eds.), Advances in Health Care Management Series: Vol.14. Leading in health care organizations: Improving safety, satisfaction and financial performance (pp. 95-117). Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A. J., & Groenewegen, P. (2012). Gewoon aan de taak blijven denken: Foutenbenadering beïnvloedt taakprestatie middels taakgerichte gedachten. In Jaarboek Sociale Psychologie 2012 (pp. 57-61). Groningen: ASPO PERS.
Presentations
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Hooft, E. A. J., Van Dyck, C., & Groenewegen, P. (2016, August). Trust EM: Leader error handling, follower trust, and the mediating role of warmth and competence. Paper presented at the Academy of Management conference, Anaheim, California, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G., & Sleebos, E. (2015, May). Beyond bad prevention and good management: The new Error-Handling Orientation Framework. Presentation at the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology conference, Oslo, Norway.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2014, August). Error prevention, error management, or both? Paper presented at the Academy of Management conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Hooft, E. A. J., Van Dyck, C., & Groenewegen, P. (2013, August). A leader you can trust: The effects of leader error approach on trust. Paper presented at the Academy of Management conference, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G. (2013, May). In the eye of the beholder: The benefits of being perceived as a leader with an error mastery strategy. Presentation at the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology conference, Münster, Germany.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2012, December). Gewoon aan de taak blijven denken: Foutenbenadering beïnvloedt taakprestatie middels taakgerichte gedachtes. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Associatie van Sociaal-Psychologisch Onderzoekers, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2012, November). A "field" study of trust: The effect of football coaches' perceived error approach on players' trust. Presentation at the Werkgemeenschap van Onderzoekers op het terrein van de Arbeids- en Organisatiepsychologie (WAOP) conference, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2012, August). Don't fuss, focus: On-task thoughts as a mediator of the effect of error approach instructions on performance. Paper presented at the Academy of Management conference, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G., Kuk, G., & Shao, J. (2012, August). Does using "warm" and "competent" words make you more influential on twitter? PDW presentation at the Academy of Management conference, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G., Kuk, G., & Shao, J. (2012, August). Decoding and evaluating user‐contributed data in social chatters. Paper presentation at the Open and User Innovation Workshop (Organized by Harvard Business School and MIT), Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G. (2012, January). On competent and warm leaders: The effects of error approach on leader perception and trust. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, California, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G. Wanted: A warm, competent, trusted by followers, error management oriented leader. (2011, November). Presentation at the Werkgemeenschap van Onderzoekers op het terrein van de Arbeids- en Organisatiepsychologie (WAOP) conference, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2011, September). Don't fuss, focus: Error approach, cognitive resource allocation and the mediating role of on-task thoughts on performance. Presentation at the Fresh Perspectives PhD conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2011, August). The enemy within: The detrimental effects of self-focused attention on learning and performance. Paper presented at the Academy of Management conference, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
Dimitrova, N. G. (2011, July). On competent and warm leaders: The effect of error approach on leader perception and trust. Poster presentation at the European Association of Social Psychology conference, Stockholm, Sweden.
Dimitrova N. G. (2011, May). To be or not to be an error management leader: The effect of error approach on leader perception. Presentation at the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology conference, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2010, November). When the going gets tough: The effect of error approach on cognitive resource allocation. Presentation at the Werkgemeenschap van Onderzoekers op het terrein van de Arbeids- en Organisatiepsychologie (WAOP) conference, Brussels, Belgium.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2010, September). Dare to err: The effects of error approach on cognitive resource allocation during goal-directed action. Poster presented at the Fresh Perspectives PhD conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dimitrova, N. G., Van Dyck, C., Van Hooft, E. A J., & Groenewegen, P. (2010, August). Dare to err: The effect of error approach on cognitive resource allocation. Paper presented at the Academy of Management conference, Montreal, Canada.