2025-2026 Webcast Lecture Series
Virtual Reality Tools for Organizational Research
Dr. Anand van Zelderen
Friday, November 14 | 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM EDT
Abstract
Advances in immersive technologies are transforming how scholars can study organizational behavior. This workshop introduces synthetic field studies—a next-generation research approach that uses virtual reality (VR) to simulate lifelike organizational environments while maintaining experimental control. Building on evidence that VR video vignettes heighten participants’ attention and emotional engagement, thereby amplifying the validity of observed employee reactions, we demonstrate how researchers can design, implement, and analyze such virtual organizations as dynamic experimental contexts. The workshop further explores how generative Al (GenAl) can extend these simulations by populating them with Al-powered actors capable of enacting realistic behaviors, dialogues, and decisions. Together, these tools allow researchers to replicate complex social dynamics, test organizational interventions at scale, and bridge the long-standing gap between laboratory precision and field realism. Participants will gain hands-on insights, design principles, and ethical considerations for deploying synthetic field studies in their own organizational research.
Dr. Anand van Zelderen
Biography
Anand van Zelderen is an Assistant Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Business at SKEMA Business School. His research examines the socio-emotional costs that surface when employees interact with autonomous Al agents. A pioneer in experimental management research, he is among the first to develop synthetic field studies, an approach that integrates Al and Virtual Reality to create lifelike organizational simulations that capture real behaviors while preserving experimental control. To democratize access to these tools, he founded the Openverse Open Science Initiative, an interdisciplinary collaboration of more than 70 scholars around the world. Through his research and education, Anand aims to shape a human-centric future of work where emerging technologies are integrated ethically, inclusively, and sustainably into organizations and society.
