Frank Belschak’s research focuses on leadership and its influence on employee attitudes, motivation and behaviour. He has investigated particularly the influence of ‘dark side’ characteristics such as Machiavellianism or narcissism in leader – employee interactions. His more recent research covers the consequences of a ‘toxic mix’ of Machiavellian leaders and Machiavellian employees or the search for effective leadership styles for managing Machiavellian employees – that is, leader behaviours that are able to reduce Machiavellian employees’ tendency to engage in unethical behaviours and rather increase their pro-organisational behaviours. Belschak also studies proactive behaviour at work as an important on-the-job behaviour that has the potential to drive improvement and change in organisations. For instance, he investigates how to stimulate employees to make suggestions for improvements or to report and reduce inefficiencies in the procedures and routines in their organisation.

As professor, Belschak will continue his research activities in the areas of management and organisational behaviour with a special focus on leadership and change. He will also act as the director of the Bachelor’s in Business Administration and as such will focus on the successful implementation of this new programme. Being a dedicated lecturer, he will also teach courses in the areas of leadership, change and organisational behaviour in different programmes, in particular within the Master’s and Executive programme in Business Administration.

Belschak has been affiliated with the UvA’s Amsterdam Business School (ABS) since 2006. In 2009, he was appointed associate professor at the ABS, a position in which he has acquired extensive education and management experience. In addition to being director of the Bachelor’s programme in Business Administration, he is also director of the minor programmes of the Bachelor’s in Business Administration and recently was the chairman of the curriculum committee charged with designing a new Bachelor’s programme in Business Administration.

Belschak obtained his PhD in organisational psychology from the University of Cologne, Germany in 2001 and remained affiliated to this university as assistant professor until 2003. From 2002 to 2005 he worked as a researcher and assistant professor at the School of Economics of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) before joining the UvA in 2006.

Belschak has published extensively in leading academic journals in the fields of management and organisational behaviour, including the Journal of Management and the Journal of Applied Psychology. He has also published in leading marketing journals such as the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.