Meet Dr. Robert Giacalone

Dr. Robert (Bob) Giacalone has joined the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University as the Fields Chair in Ethics and Corporate Responsibility. With a doctorate in psychology and extensive experience consulting in corporate ethics, he will spark more conversation on business ethics at McCoy College and in the surrounding community and to use these conversations to help enhance ethics in organizations. 

Dr. Giacalone joins McCoy College with years of consulting experience for many companies across several industries. Notably, he has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense on exit interviewing and survey processes for Army and Navy personnel, as well as the Defense Personnel and Security Research Center (PERSEREC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Dominion Energy, Battelle, The Human Resources Research Organization, Noland Company, and the Federal Reserve Bank.

His approach to ethics is ultimately finding the best methods for making the world a better place and making that happen one step at a time.  

“The question for me is, ‘How do we change lives?’,” said Dr. Giacalone. “Ethical environments can change lives, and with these changed lives, the world becomes better. People go to work and are happier because of their ethical workplaces, and they take the quality of those workplaces with them into all facets of their professional, personal, and social lives. If we can develop those ethical environments, we positively change the world incrementally, one employee and one organization at a time.”

Dr. Giacalone’s research has spanned different aspects of ethics. His research in image / impression management has focused on how employees and organizations can manipulate stakeholders to believe they are behaving ethically, even when they are not. More recently, he has focused on the link between unethical behavior and well-being, where he has demonstrated how unethical behavior impacts the mental and physical health of those who engage in, observe, or are victimized by unethical behavior at work. As he puts it, “Unethical behavior makes people sick.”

He has edited / authored 11 books and over 150 articles on ethics and values, organizational behavior, and human resource management. Over 30 of these articles are currently on the prestigious Financial Times list. His articles have appeared in journals such as the Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Relations, Business and Society Review, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of Social Psychology. 

“Dr. Giacalone’s prolific scholarship has been cited more than 14,500 times, placing him among the top five researchers at Texas State and underscoring his expertise and gravitas,” said Dr. Alexis Stokes, Associate Dean for Faculty and Research at the McCoy College of Business. “His behavioral approach to ethics aligns with the McCoy College’s strategic interest in the human and behavioral dimensions of business and has significant real-world relevance. For example, Dr. Giacalone’s extensive scholarship in workplace spirituality connects with contemporary concerns over the ‘Great Resignation.’ Perhaps more importantly, Dr. Giacalone is a generous scholar and mentor, and we expect his leadership will elevate the work of all our faculty. We are thrilled he is here.”

Dr. Giacalone is looking forward to highlighting ethics in a way that students, colleagues, and the community are thinking about responsible business practice and the framework of environmental, social, and corporate governance in organization strategy. He aims is to be responsive to the community’s needs for guidance in ethics in the most sustainable ways possible.

Dr. Sanjay Ramchander, Dean of the McCoy College of Business, said that Dr. Giacalone brings new knowledge and perspective to the college.

“Thanks to the generosity and support of Mr. Jerry Fields, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Robert Giacalone as the Fields Chair in Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the McCoy College of Business,” said Dr. Ramchander. “Dr. Giacalone carries a nationally recognized, outstanding research record in business ethics. He brings a high level of expertise and leadership in the discipline, a strong commitment for collaboration and engagement, and a sincere student-centered orientation. Business ethics and corporate social responsibility are key strategic pillars in the college’s drive to realizing new levels of distinction in its education, research, and outreach programs. We look forward to Dr. Giacalone’s contributions in achieving this goal.”

In October, Dr. Giacalone will speak on a panel for the online McCoy Conversations event: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. This series is a bi-annual lunchtime webinar open to the public and free to attend. Additionally, Dr. Giacalone will lead the McCoy College ethics committee to motivate colleagues to consider ethics in all areas in the college, including curriculum, communications, and all organizational efforts. 

“My goal is to bring my expertise here to go through a diagnostic process about what the needs are in the McCoy College and use the diagnostic information, superimpose my expertise on it, and come up with new programming,” said Dr. Giacalone. “That programming could be at any level — it could be at the undergraduate or graduate level, it could be executive education, it might be badges or micro-credentialing. Ultimately, from my standpoint, I think we are moving towards programming will help students both understand the topic better and to use their practical knowledge they learn to get jobs in the area.” ✯

For more information, email Twister Marquiss, manager of marketing and communications for the McCoy College of Business, at twister@txstate.edu.

About the McCoy College of Business

Established in 1970, Texas State’s business school officially became the McCoy College of Business in 2004 following a donation of $20 million by Emmett and Miriam McCoy. The college, which offers classes in both San Marcos and Round Rock, is accredited by AACSB in both business and accounting, and has graduated nearly 42,000 alumni.