People are full of surprises. But for as unpredictable as they may seem at times, science can help us better understand their behaviors, emotions and motivations. Gabriela Cuconato, a fifth-year PhD student in organizational behavior at Weatherhead School of Management, is trying to shed light on human behavior in the workplace.
As she sees it, most people spend the majority of their adult lives working and are in close communication and contact with colleagues countless hours over the years.
“Figuring out how people can have a better work experience, enjoy their time, and develop positive relationships—however that looks to them—is the part of my work that I enjoy the most,” said Cuconato, who is originally from Brazil.
Specifically, she seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the role honesty plays in interactions amongst colleagues.
“My dissertation work focuses on honesty at work, particularly seeking to understand when, how, and why people are honest and dishonest with relational others at work,” she said. “Beyond the ethical and moral implications of honesty, there is a clear relational side to it that impacts people’s choices and their relationships.”
In addition to gaining insights into the intricacies of relationships, Cuconato also is driven to build them amongst her peers across disciplines. She co-founded the Tea and Chocolate Club at Case Western Reserve as a relaxing space for graduate and professional students to come together, regardless of their area of study or interests.
She’s also vice president of the Graduate Student Council, a position that allows her to be a voice for graduate and professional students at CWRU.
Learn more about Cuconato’s research, involvement on campus and plans for the academic year.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
1. Why did you choose organizational behavior?
I was always curious to understand why and how people act as they do and how that influences others around them, their teams, and their workplaces. My first experience with research was actually focused on understanding how socially innovative organizations used marketing strategies differently from usual businesses, focusing on a case study of a Chilean organization.
During my master’s and now during my PhD, I focus more on relationships between people at work, either with an emphasis on teamwork (and how team members work together, even with non-human members, e.g., artificial intelligence), or how people understand and behave within relationships, or as a consequence of other’s behaviors around them.
2. What do you hope to learn or to come from your research?
People, in general, have very strong feelings about honesty, partially because nobody likes to feel like they are being lied to! However, through my dissertation research, I hope to demonstrate that honesty and dishonesty are not black-and-white or right-and-wrong behaviors in themselves. Rather, motivation and intentions matter, and we all choose our behaviors considering multiple reasons.
Based on that, I also hope to learn how personal preferences and situational aspects of our relationships combine in driving such behaviors over multiple interactions, since we usually have ongoing relationships with who we work with.
3. What inspired you to get involved with the Tea and Chocolate Club?
I started my program in 2020, being remote from Brazil (with a few challenges to get here) my entire first year. When I got to campus, most people were still working remotely, and several classes were still meeting virtually. So, I didn’t have a very high sense of belonging or community, and although my husband came with me, my entire family is back in Brazil.
So, inspired by TC Eley, an enthusiast of both teas and chocolates who started the PhD at Weatherhead School of Management with me, we started a student organization with the purpose of bringing people together. The club is not topic-related, which makes it easier for us to welcome graduate and professional students from all schools and colleges, get to know each other, and enjoy great teas and chocolates (I mean seriously good!).
4. What have you enjoyed most about it?
There are so many topic-related and culture-specific organizations for graduate students. While they are very interesting and valuable for those within that topic and culture, the Tea and Chocolate Club is one of the few places I found that actually allows you to meet people with different interests and from different schools and cultures, and just enjoy your time in graduate school.
Graduate student life is not always easy, and most of us have demanding responsibilities within and outside school. With the club, I’ve been glad to get to know students from all schools on campus and appreciate not only the diversity in how we think and see the world differently, but also really appreciate my time as a graduate student at CWRU. That’s all beyond getting to learn more about teas and chocolates from all over the world.
5. As a member of the Graduate Student Council, what has been important to you to address?
Although there is a lot that is done by the Graduate Student Council (GSC), the most important issue for me until now has been to clarify the goals and directions of the GSC. We are here to support and represent all graduate and professional students on campus, and our efforts (work, time, and budgetary) should reflect that. So, in the past couple of years, we’ve been intentional in how and why we do what we do and how much we spend on it.
The highlights for me are an increase in the overall budget for student organization and professional development funding, which is our way to support and enhance the experience and development of graduate and professional students.
6. Do you have any goals that you’d like to accomplish for graduate students this year?
I’ve been involved with the Graduate Student Council for a few years, but if there is one thing I would like to accomplish this year, it is for every graduate and professional student to know about the Graduate Student Council, what we do, why we are here, and how they can contact us. We are here to represent students, but if even one student doesn’t know about us, this cannot be achieved!
7. What are your personal scholarly goals for this year?
I hope to make substantial progress on my dissertation this year so that I can focus on the job market (and graduating) next year! But I am also very excited and grateful to be working with amazing fellow PhD students and faculty in my program on projects about sense of home, management education, and relational coordination, and I hope to keep working on these projects as well.