University at Buffalo School of Management

22 Buffalo Business Autumn 2016 can also emphasize moral values at work by displaying posters or slogans with such values. "When an employee is undermined, it hinders their ability to achieve success, maintain positive relationships and build their reputation," says lead author KiYoung Lee, assistant professor of organization and human resources. "This kind of interper- sonal aggression costs organizations about $6 billion each year in health problems, employee turnover and productivity loss." The researchers surveyed 182 employ- ees at 25 branches of two Korean banks. They conducted two rounds of surveys to measure whether those who had been vic- tims of undermining would later become perpetrators. The first survey measured employees' levels of undermining victim- ization, moral identity and interpersonal justice and included control variables. The second survey, conducted one month later, measured employees' levels of moral disen- gagement, resource depletion and engage- ment in social undermining. The study found that as victims feel they've been treated disrespectfully and un- fairly, they feel entitled to be selfish toward co-workers. "The fact that victims become selfish is troublesome because it makes it easier to rationalize doing harm to others," says Lee. "We use this to justify our actions, for in- stance, by calling undermining 'part of the game.'" Lee collaborated on the project with Eugene Kim, assistant professor of orga- nizational behavior, Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller College of Business; Devasheesh Bhave, assistant professor of organizational behavior and human re- sources, Singapore Management Univer- sity; and Michelle Duffy, Board of Over- seers Professor of Work and Organizations, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. x Study finds three key factors to crowdfunding success For entrepreneurs using crowdfunding to bring new products to market, high-quality photos and video, pre- vious crowdfunding suc- cess and positive com- ments from backers are the keys to a successful campaign, according to new research from the School of Management. The study found that by receiving these signals, potential inves- tors, also known as back- ers in crowdfunding, gain valuable informa- tion that motivates them to participate and increases the likelihood of a project achieving its funding goal. "These sources are important because backers of crowdfunded projects have less access to information than typical private equity investors," says co-author Yong Li, associate professor of strategy and entrepre- neurship. "Private equity investors follow a stringent due diligence process to assess the quality of a startup, while crowdfunding backers rely more on the information on the campaign's webpage." Researchers also found that these sig- nals interact to impact crowdfunding suc- cess. For example, video and photos will be more important when the project founder has no prior crowdfunding success, and positive backer comments certify the credi- bility of video and photos. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo allow entrepreneurs to fund their projects through a large number of relatively small contributions via the in- ternet, bypassing the usual private equity investors like angels and venture capitalists. Kickstarter is currently the largest and most dominant crowdfunding plat- form. Globally, crowdfunding campaigns raised nearly $2.7 billion in 2012 and $35 billion in 2015, showing promise as a viable option of financing entrepreneurship, according to the study. The researchers analyzed a sample of more than 170,000 Kickstarter projects from the site's inception in 2009 through Dec. 27, 2015. To review backer com- ments, they used a computer-based algo- rithm to measure the strength of positive sentiments and examine the impact on crowdfunding success. Li collaborated on the project with School of Management colleagues Su- pradeep Dutta, assistant professor of op- erations management and strategy, and Christopher Courtney, Western New York Prosperity Fellow and doctoral student. x Lemoine honored by Buffalo schools Jim Lemoine, assistant professor of organization and human resources, was named the 2016 Buffalo Public School Wellness Team Higher Education Partner of the Year by the Buffalo Public School District. The award recognizes Lemoine's work to help improve student health, wellness and academic success, and his impact on team leadership, development and vision- ing in the district. As part of a partnership between the district and the School of Management's Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness, Lemoine provided a series of team building and strategic planning train- ing sessions for health and wellness teams within Buffalo schools. x Insights Li Dutta

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