March L To

Dr. March L. To is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Business and Law at RMIT University, Australia.

• Academic Profile 
  • A/Prof. To’s dedication to organisational psychology stems from his passion for creating an inclusive and positive workplace. His research delves into critical areas, including workplace emotions, employee well-being and creativity; positive leadership and motivation; and team diversity and cooperation. 
  • He has published in top-tier international journals, including the Journal of Applied Psychology (ABS: 4*; ABDC: A*), the Journal of Organizational Behavior (ABS: 4; ABDC: A*), and the Leadership Quarterly (ABS: 4; ABDC: A*), as well as in the prestigious Financial Times Top 50 Journals. A/Prof. To has been invited to contribute to renowned handbooks like the Oxford Handbook and Cambridge Handbook. He currently serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Applied Psychology and the Journal of Organizational Behavior, actively contributing to discourse in his field.
  • A/Prof. To’s work attracts attention in various media outlets, with high-attention scores (top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric). This underscores the practical implications of his research for both industry and the broader community. The strategies derived from his work have been actively incorporated into leadership training programs across industries and government agencies. His research has received funding from competitive government grants, industry grants, and joint-university grants.
  • A/Prof. To has earned numerous awards, both nationally and internationally. These honours include: the Best Reviewer Award at the Journal of Organizational Behavior (A*), Best Paper Award at the Journal of Organizational Behavior (A*), multiple Outstanding Reviewer Awards at the Academy of Management (USA), and Excellence in Teaching Award from the UWA Business School.

• Editorial Services
  • Contributing (Consulting) Editor, Journal of Applied Psychology (ABS 4*; FT Top 50; ABDC A*).
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Organizational Behavior (ABS 4; ABDC A*)

• Competitive Government Grants
  • Jiang, J., To, M. L., & Kang, H. (2024-2027), “Expanding the STEM Talent Pipeline for Australian Defence Workforce.” Australian Government Department of Defence, $156,568.50
  • To, M. L., & Fisher, C. D. (completed in 2020), “Creative pleasure or pressure? Everyday creativity, mood shift, and instrumental climate at work,”, Hong Kong University Grant Committee, $506,546. Score = 4.5/5 - “Demonstrates very high international standards … funded as a matter of priority.”
  • To, M. L., Fisher, C. D., & Ashkanasy M. N. (completed in 2017), “Capitalizing on affect to foster team creativity,” Hong Kong University Grant Committee, $561,999. Score = 5/5 - “Outstanding and internationally excellent … accorded the highest priority for funding.”

• Industry Engagement
  • A/Prof. To’s research has been applied to leadership training programs in diverse sectors, including industries (e.g., Woodside), government agencies, and higher education institutes (e.g., RMIT; University of Western Australia, Murdoch University), yielding impacts. He has successfully translated his research expertise into a practical skill-mapping tool tailored for team leaders. This tool facilitates effective team coordination, knowledge exchange, accountability building, and diversity management within teams
  • Please watch a 3-minute video abstract: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6954291557126598656

• Engagements with Prominent Organisations/Institutes
  • Woodside Energy (Global Energy Leader): a training workshop for Woodside, with the involvement of 7 top executives from the USA and Australia; applying the skill-mapping technique for team building and goal setting.
  • Leadership Training Programs for Local Government: leadership training programs for a local government, with involvement of 40 team leaders; facilitating skill/knowledge exchange and promoting inclusivity among employees of different age groups.
  • Joint-University Collaborations: joint-university projects with Monash University, aiming to study emotional recovery and employee wellbeing. 
  • Lendlease (Global Real Estate and Investment Group): a longitudinal project with Lendlease, exploring employees’ proactivity and its emotional impacts.
  • Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises (HKGCSE): a Total Wellbeing Scheme for employees in collaboration, aiming to deepen the understanding of how to promote employee wellbeing in both business and social enterprises.