Welcome to the online version of

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist.

Editor: Morrie Mullins, [email protected]

SIOP Publications Manager: Jen Baker, [email protected]
Editorial Board:
Alexander Alonso Ashley Hoffman Katina Sawyer
William Becker Marianna Horn Steven Toaddy
Nikki Blacksmith Seth Kaplan Richard Tonowski
Jeff Cucina Loren Naidoo M. K. Ward
Steve Discont Tiffany Poeppelman Lynda Zugec
Allison Gabriel Mark Poteet
Milt Hakel Craig Russell
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP) is an official publication of the Society for Industri-
al and Organizational Psychology, Inc. and is pub­lished quarterly by the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, Inc., 440 East Poe Road, Suite 101, Bowling Green, OH 43402-1355.
Opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the official posi­tion of
the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the American Psychological Association,
or the Association for Psychological Sciences, unless so stated.
Mission Statement: The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP) is an official publication of the
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc., Division 14 of the American Psychologi-
cal Association and an Organizational Affiliate of the American Psychological Society. The purpose
of TIP is to provide news, reports, and noncommercial information related to the fundamental
practice, science, and teaching issues in industrial and organizational psychology.

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Copyright © 2016 by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology

PREDICTS
PERFORMANCE
THE SCIENCE OF PERSONALITY
 TIP Table of Contents April 2016 Volume 53, Issue 4

President’s Column 6
Steve W. J. Kozlowski

The Editor’s Out-Box: SIOP Will Not Mow Your Lawn 9
Morrie Mullins

Editorial Columns

The Bridge: Connecting Science and Practice 17

Mark L. Poteet, Lynda Zugec, and J. Craig Wallace

The I-Opener: We Feel a Change Comin’ On: I-O’s Rôle in the Future of Work 24
Olivia Reinecke and Steven Toaddy

The Academics’ Forum: How Advising Doctoral Students Can 30
Be the Greatest Research Gift of All
Allison S. Gabriel

Max. Classroom Capacity 34
Loren Naidoo

LGBT Issues in Research and Practice: LGB Issues in the Workplace 101 39
Steve Discont, Craig Russell, Daniel Gandara, and Katina Sawyer

TIP-TOPics: Beyond Borders: The Importance of Global Experiences in 46
Graduate Student Education
Grace Ewles, Thomas Sasso, and Jessica Sorenson

Organizational Neuroscience: A Brief Primer on Neurotechnology 51
in I-O Psychology: A TIP Interview with Stephanie Korszen
M.K. Ward, Xiaoyuan (Susan) Zhu, and William Becker

Spotlight on Humanitarian Work Psychology: #thispsychmajor 58
Ashley Hoffman

Practitioner Forum: Toward a Business Acumen Competency Model 63
for I-O Practitioners
Matthew Minton

2 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

International Practice Forum: A Look Down Under: 68
Organisational Psychology in Australia
Lynda Zugec, with Peter Zarris and Tim Bednall

On the Legal Front: Government-Mandated Pay Reporting Is on the Horizon 74

Richard Tonowski

SIOP in Washington: SIOP Government Relations Introduces 80

the Policing Reform Initiative to Congressional Staff
Seth Kaplan and Laura Uttley

The Modern App: Past, Present, & Future of Technology 83

and Social Media in the Workplace
Nikki Blacksmith and Tiffany Poeppelman

Practitioners’ Ponderings: Learning and Development 92

Richard M. Vosburgh

Foundation Spotlight: Announcing the Schmidt-Hunter Meta-Analysis Award 98

Milt Hakel

History Corner: Data Analysis “Back in the Day”: 101

The Early Career Experiences of Nine I-O Psychologists
Jeffrey M. Cucina and Nathan A. Bowling

Feature Articles
Areas in Need of More Science/Research: Results From the 113
2015 Practitioner Needs Survey
Ben Porr, Ted Axton, Meredith Ferro, and Soner Dumani

Mindfulness-Based Interventions:  A Brief Review of Their 121

A Look in the Mirror: The Mastery-Oriented I-O Psychologist 129

Jonathan M. Cottrell, Eleni V. Lobene, Nicholas R. Martin, and Anthony S. Boyce

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 3

 Reports

Anaheim Conference Highlights 139

Scott Tonidandel and Eden King

SIOP Must-See Sessions and Events for Graduate Students 142
The SIOP Education and Training Committee

Science Funding Speed Mentoring at the 2016 SIOP Conference! 144
SIOP Scientific Affairs Committee

Team Up at SIOP16 to Make a Local or Global Impact 145
Zack Horn

United Nations Policy Brief from the SIOP-UN Team: Decent Work for All: 147
Leveraging Big Data for a Human-Centered Approach to Sustainable Development
Alexander Gloss, Lori Foster, Deborah Rupp, John C. Scott, Lise Saari, Mathian Osicki,
Kristin Charles, Drew Mallory, and Dan Maday

Mile-High Psychology at the Denver APA Convention: August 4-7 152
APA Program Committee

APA Council Representative Report 154
Deirdre Knapp, Lori Foster, Gary Latham, and Georgia Chao

Report of the Executive Director Selection Advisory Committee 156
Tammy Allen, Milt Hakel, Bill Macey (co-chair), Fred Oswald (co-chair), Ann Marie
Ryan, Neal Schmitt, and Nancy Tippins

Professional Practice Committee Updates 158
Mark L. Poteet

IOTAs 160
Alyssa LaCava

SIOP Members in the News 162
Clif Boutelle

Conferences & Meetings 166
Marianna Horn

SIOP Information back cover

4 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 The big news since my last update of SIOP’s activities (see my
penultimate column in the January TIP) is that SIOP Executive
Director (ED) Dave Nershi announced his plans to retire effec-
tive 1 May 2017. Dave has been SIOP’s ED since 2005 and he
has been extraordinarily effective in supporting your elected
leadership, managing the Society, and delivering a wide range
of services to SIOP members. His service as ED has been in-
strumental to SIOP’s flourishing as a professional association.
Finding a new ED to succeed Dave is critical to SIOP’s future
evolution. Dave’s retirement announcement was not antici-
pated, so as you can imagine, it demanded my full attention
because SIOP did not have an ED succession plan in place.

Dave notified SIOP’s senior elected leadership—President-Elect

Jim Outtz, Past-President Jose Cortina, Financial Officer and
Secretary Scott Tannenbaum, President-Elect Designate Fred
Oswald, and me, in early January, approximately 4 weeks prior
to the winter Executive Board (EB) meeting scheduled at the
end of January. I felt it was very important that SIOP’s senior
leaders should act with dispatch to craft an ED search process.
First, although it may seem like May 2017 is far in the future,
it is actually a very tight timeframe to recruit, assess, select,
and train a new ED. Second, I wanted to ensure that the search
process we designed would be briefed at the EB meeting so
it could be discussed and would have support and consensus
across the EB membership. Below I describe the structure and
process of the SIOP ED search.

First, as SIOP’s senior elected leaders, we formed an ED Search

Steering Committee (SC). The functional role of the SC is to
Steve W. J. Kozlowski guide and advise the overall search process and, in particu-
Michigan State lar, to provide linkage to the SIOP EB because it is the voting
University members of the SIOP EB who will ultimately determine who
the next ED is to be. The SC consists of SIOP’s elected senior
leadership: Steve Kozlowski, President; Jose Cortina, Past-Pres-
ident; Scott Tannenbaum, Financial Officer/Secretary; Fred
Oswald, President-Elect Designate; and the President Elect.
Jose’s formal governance role as past president will conclude
in April leaving the SC composed of a balance of four science-
and practice-oriented elected leaders.

6 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

Second, the most important initial priori- Neal Schmitt; and Nancy Tippins. I trust
ty for the SC was to design and compose that you will agree that SIOP is very fortu-
the Selection Advisory Committee (SAC) nate to have this stellar group of seasoned
that would have operational responsibility I-O psychologists working on our behalf to
for recruiting, assessing, and prioritizing find a new executive director for SIOP.
potential ED candidates. In other words,
the SAC will do all the heavy lifting with Functionally, the SAC will develop and
respect to identifying a qualified pool of execute the process for recruiting, assess-
candidates for the ED position. Thus, in ing, and identifying a pool of qualified ED
composing the SAC, we wanted to ensure candidates. In consultation, the SAC and
that its members: SC will prioritize the pool of qualified ED
candidates. The SC will present the results
(a) possessed SIOP executive leadership of that process to the EB with appropriate
experience (i.e., SIOP past presidents); input from SAC members. The ultimate
(b) had relevant professional expertise decision for who to hire as SIOP’s next ED
in assessment, selection, and leadership; will be made by the voting members of
(c) represented a balance across science SIOP’s EB. We hope to conclude the pro-
and practice orientations; and cess by late 2016 so the ED designate will
(d) comprised a diverse set of I-O psy- have an opportunity to shadow Dave and
chologists. come up to speed on the role. Elsewhere
in this issue of TIP, Bill Macey has provid-
Bill Macey led the ED search process that ed an overview of SAC’s initial planning for
selected Dave Nershi a decade ago. He the search. The SAC will provide regular
graciously agreed to lend his experience updates to SIOP membership as the ED
and expertise to lead the SAC. In consulta- search process takes shape and unfolds.
tion with Bill, we composed the member-
ship of the SAC to ensure that it possessed In other governance news, your president
SIOP leadership experience, relevant elect, Jim Outtz, was appointed to the APA
professional expertise, balanced science– CEO Search Committee, where he would
practice orientations, and diversity. The have joined SIOP Fellow Rodney Lowman.
structure and process of the ED search, This is an influential opportunity for Rod-
and the membership of the SAC were ney to share SIOP’s expertise, to enhance
briefed at the winter EB meeting. the visibility of industrial and organization-
al psychology within APA, and, hopefully,
As noted, the SAC will design and have op- help to select an effective CEO for APA.
erational control over all phases of the ED
search process. Its members are Bill Macey The early registration numbers for the
who serves as co-chair, with operational re- SIOP Conference in sunny southern Cali-
sponsibility for SAC; Fred Oswald, who also fornia were released recently (mid-Febu-
serves as co-chair, with liaison to the SC; rary, as I compose this column) and they
Tammy Allen; Milt Hakel; Ann Marie Ryan; broke the 3,000 barrier. According to
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 7
 Dave Nershi, that’s only happened once With April comes renewal. In my last
before (Chicago, 2011). I hope that you column I congratulated newly elected SIOP
are among the early registrants (or even a officers who will take their seats on the EB
late registrant!) and that I will see you at following the SIOP conference, and they
the conference. The quality of the meeting will be joined by many new committee
space is exceptional, the program is fan- chairs and committee members. In other
tastic, and an outstanding conference will renewal news, Morrie Mullins, who has
be had. In that regard, I want to acknowl- served as TIP editor for the last 3 years
edge the exceptional effort, energy, and will be stepping down. Morrie has done a
creativity exhibited by everyone associate fantastic job with TIP, and I know that the
with the SIOP Conference—our premier role was a real developmental experience.
event of the year! Many thanks are due Thanks, Morrie! Following a structured
to Evan Sinar, Conferences and Programs search, I am pleased to announce that Tara
Officer; SIOP Conference Chair Eden King, Behrend will be TIP editor commencing in
and Chair-in-Training Daisy Chang; SIOP July 2016. Congratulations, Tara!
Program Chair Scott Tonidandel and
Chair-in-Training Zack Horn; the Program Finally, also on a renewal theme, this is my
Committee and the legion of reviewers for last TIP column as your president. It has
their herculean efforts to assemble the been a privilege to serve as the president
conference program; and to Dave Ner- of SIOP. I owe so many thanks to so many
shi and everyone in the AO! I would also of you for all the help and support that
like to acknowledge Presidential Theme you have provided to me and for making
Track Chair Zack Horn and his committee this leadership experience one of the most
members Tara Behrend, Stu Carr, Gloria rewarding ones that I have occupied across
Gonzalez-Morales, Ryan Johnson, and Em- my career. Following an outstanding Con-
ily Stehura for the creative set of presenta- ference, I will be handing over my position
tions and activities they have organized to and I know the new president will be the
showcase my theme of having an impact beneficiary of the same deep support.
and making a difference. Many thanks to all of you for making SIOP
a very special professional society—small,
yet mighty!

8 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 SIOP Will Not Mow Your Lawn
Three years ago, when I became editor of TIP, I had no idea
what I had gotten myself into.

I mean that in the best possible way. Which is not to say, I

suppose, that I didn’t have some delusions early on.

It was probably late March 2013, so I wasn’t fully “official” yet,

and I was out mowing the lawn for the first time that season.
I had my earbuds in, my Zune blasting away, and my brain
musing about what would be different, now that I was an editor.
Because editors are, I have always believed, Important People.

I was on the cusp of becoming an Important Person! Wasn’t it

the case that Important People didn’t mow their own lawns?
Being an editor had to have some perks, right? Why, now that I
was Important, I might never have to mow my own lawn again!

I didn’t take the thought seriously, of course. No one should be

even a little surprised that 3 years and one new lawnmower later,
I’m still cutting my own grass. SIOP has done a lot for me over
the past 3 years, but lawn maintenance never made it to the list.

What I’d like to do, then, is share with you what SIOP has done
for me, and offer some advice to future editors as to what they
might expect. I don’t think this is advice the incoming editor,
Tara Behrend, actually needs, but she and all of her successors
are welcome to republish this advice in perpetuity—coming, as
Morrie Mullins it does, from an Important Person like myself.
Xavier University
SIOP will introduce you to people you might have never had
the chance to work with, otherwise. Ten, maybe 15 years ago, I
remember standing at a poster session with a graduate student
when a familiar-looking man approached, stared at the poster
for a few minutes, and handed my student a card. “Could
you send me a copy?” As he turned to walk away, my student
gasped and held the card out to me, thrilled to have just had
Wally Borman request her paper. Wally must’ve heard the
gasp, because he turned, chuckled, and said, “You can collect
those and trade them with your friends, too.” #butNoGum
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 9
 The thing many of us don’t appreciate, it into something thematic. It was a
when we attend our first few SIOPs, is challenge, but SIOP will do that for you.
that all those “big-name” people we keep
reading papers by are really just people, at Did I make mistakes? Absolutely. Some of
the end of the day. I have had interesting, them were pretty visible, too. Which takes
collegial interactions with people whose me to…
work I have admired for years as a result of
this editorship. SIOP will do that for you. SIOP will give you the opportunity to
identify your strengths and “areas for
SIOP will help you find your inner leader. improvement.” My first title for this
My biggest trepidation, when accepting section was, “opportunity to screw up.”
the editorship, was that I wouldn’t be But really, life gives you that opportunity.
able to effectively lead TIP through SIOP gave me something more specific.
what seemed like it might be a bumpy
transition. (Spoiler alert: It was!) I For example, how many of you remember
inherited an editorial board that included our first issue? What it looked like,
people who knew the editor’s job better compared to this one? Here: from the
than I did, in many cases, busy people who wayback machine…
wrote for TIP because they care about the
Society and our field.

At one point, I had someone tell me that

managing an editorial board is like herding
cats.

Nothing could be further from what I

experienced. I mean, to start with, I’ve
never met a cat with an IQ north of 130.

More relevant, though, is that every one

of TIP’s columnists knew the expectations
coming in: a column every 3 months; topic,
more or less, of their choosing. These
are all professionals, so I had to find a
leadership style that best supported them,
in this little sliver of their lives. This meant
reminder emails, timely follow-up on
questions, and respecting their authorial
voices. It also meant finding ways to take
their passion for what we do and shaping

10 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

Ah, the blue and the silver. One big wall better for reading on mobile devices, but I
of text on the page. Why blue and silver? also understand that it’s not for everyone.)
Because at SIOP 2013, I was asked what
color scheme I wanted for TIP, and I I learned a lot about myself and my
looked down at my tie. communication style, through working
with various SIOP members over the past
“Blue and silver.” 3 years. I have also goofed a few times,
but I’d like to think that I learned from
Turns out, I’m somewhat aesthetically those mistakes and that digital TIP has
impaired. The redesign of TIP’s aesthetics gotten better as we’ve received feedback.
to their current form was courtesy of Jen SIOP let me learn, and grow. It will do that
Baker and the amazing, wonderful people for you, too.
who work in the SIOP AO. Just about
anything that looks good in TIP is because SIOP will help you refine your “personal
of Jen; anything that looks questionable brand.” I’d like to thank Tiffany
was probably me. (I’ll take either the Poeppelman and Nikki Blacksmith for
credit or the blame for the two-column their 2014 paper on personal branding.
format, by the by. I still think that it’s Being aware of my personal brand and its
associated digital footprint was never far
from my mind, and I’m happy to say that I
have seen a change over the past 3 years.

I mean, before I became editor of TIP,

when I ego-searched my name on Google,
the Wookieepedia entry about me was the
first thing that came up.1 Now it’s down to
fourth. Well, and third.

Hey. It’s progress, right? SIOP did that for

me.

SIOP will expand your view of our field.

I knew that I-Os were doing a lot of
interesting things, but I truly had no idea
how interesting, or how far-reaching,
some of the initiatives our members were
engaged in actually could be. Lori Foster,
Alexander Gloss, John Scott, Deborah
Rupp, Ashley Hoffman, and many others
have profoundly affected me. It is not

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 11

 hyperbole to say that learning about you used to play around with, of all the
humanitarian work psychology and what decisions you made about where you
the SIOP UN team is doing has changed would focus your attention, and of how
the way I see myself and our profession. much you’ve had a chance to do by virtue
I-Os do so many things that do so much of getting involved, and will make you
good that I am uncharacteristically short wonder what comes next.
on words.
SIOP will make you work but will remind
Which is ironic, given how long this you of that old saw about how people
column is getting. So, let me leave you who really love their jobs never have to
with a few final observations about what work a day in their lives, which has almost
SIOP will do for you, o’ future editor, or always been the case for me over the past
person who might be considering applying 3 years.
for the editorship, or family member who
will read anything I write. (Hi, Wife!) SIOP will show you that it is not just
a collection of members: It is an
SIOP will make you laugh, and make you organization with phenomenal leadership
think.2 and a dedicated, talented, hard-working
staff. It is all of us, working to build
SIOP will give you the ear of Important science for a smarter workplace.
People (not just editors!), and will also put
you in their line of sight. SIOP will do all those things for you and
dozens more that I won’t even try to fit
SIOP will force you to decide what is into this column.
important to you, and will give you
the chance to learn and act on what is But SIOP will not mow your lawn.
important to several thousand of your
colleagues. ***

SIOP will build you up, support you, stress And now, the content!
you out, and trust that you will show
good judgment. SIOP will respect you We start with President Steve Kozlowski’s
(provided, of course, that you respect final presidential column, in which he
SIOP), take you out of your comfort discusses a number of important topics,
zone, and help you recognize that your the most important being the upcoming
“comfort zone” was way, way smaller than retirement of SIOP Executive Director
it needed to be. SIOP will sometimes Dave Nershi. It’s a good thing SIOP has
inspire you, sometimes frustrate you, and so many amazing individuals skilled in
often do both at the same time.3 SIOP selection, because finding someone to fill
will remind you of all the reasons you got Dave’s shoes is a daunting task indeed!
into I-O in the first place, of all the ideas Thank you to Steve, for his leadership over
12 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
the past year, and Dave, for his leadership of work and highlights several important
for much longer. HWP-related initiatives. The Practitioner
Forum this issue comes courtesy of
Our editorial columns begin with a new Matthew Minton, who describes the need
offering from Mark Poteet, Lynda Zugec, for and development of a business acumen
and J. Craig Wallace. This new column has competency model by SIOP’s Professional
been in the works for several months and Practice Committee. Then, in the
aims to continue great work done over the International Practice Forum, Lynda Zugec
past few years building bridges—this time, is joined by Peter Zarris and Tim Bednall,
the perpetual bridge between science and who describe the state of organizational
practice. I urge all of our readers to not psychology in Australia.
only check out this exciting new column
but to think about how you can contribute Richard Tonowski returns to the Legal
to it in future issues! Front, letting us know about upcoming
issues related to pay reporting, and staying
In The I-Opener, Steven Toaddy welcomes inside the beltway, Seth Kaplan and
guest co-author Olivia Reinecke and Laura Uttley describe the work of SIOP’s
together they offer fascinating thoughts Government Relations initiatives.
on the future of I-O. Allie Gabriel, in The
Academics’ Forum, gives her insights on The Modern App’s Nikki Blacksmith and
the many benefits of advising doctoral Tiffany Poeppelman offering this issue
students, and in Max. Classroom Capacity focuses on the past, present, and future
Loren Naidoo shares lessons about online of social media and technology in the
teaching. workplace. It is also Nikki’s last turn as
a TIP columnist, though Tiffany will be
Steve Discont, Craig Russell, Daniel remaining on with a new coauthor (stay
Gandara, and Katina Sawyer offer up a great tuned for more on that!). Nikki has been
look into LGB issues at work, with more to great to work with, and I wish her nothing
come in future issues. Our TIP-TOPics team but the best as she pursues the next phase
(Grace Ewles, Thomas Sasso, and Jessica of her career.
Sorenson) encourage us to think globally,
and in Organizational Neuroscience we go Richard Vosburgh offers more Practitioner
from the globally big to the microscopically Ponderings, this time taking on the topic
small, as M.K. Ward, new TIP team member of learning and development. Milt Hakel
Susan Zhu, and Bill Becker offer a primer on returns to the Foundation Spotlight to
neurotechnology in the form of an interview announce the Schmidt-Hunter Meta-
with Stephanie Korszen. Analysis Award, and in the History Corner,
Jeff Cucina and Nathan Bowling make us
In the Spotlight on Humanitarian Work all really happy that we don’t still have to
Psychology, Ashley Hoffman reminds us use punchcards and schedule mainframe
that #thispsychmajor does an awful lot time to run our analyses. A lot of us have
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 13
 no idea how good we have it. sessions and events for graduate students”
#AbacusTech (back in my day, we had to figure it out for
#TheseHashtagsMightHaveBeenCool ourselves—now, get off my lawn!), and
the Scientific Affairs Committee gets the
This issue also brings three Feature word out about the science funding speed
articles. The first, from Ben Porr, Ted mentoring event. Then Zack Horn invites
Axton, Meredith Ferro, and Soner us all to the 2016 SIOP Theme Track, with
Dumani, continues the important its focus on using I-O to make a difference
reporting of the 2015 Practitioner Needs on a much broader scale. This ties very
Survey, this time focusing on areas in nicely to the latest offering from the SIOP-
need of more science and research. Then UN team, this time courtesy of Alexander
we have a great piece on mindfulness- Gloss, Lori Foster, Deborah Rupp, John C.
based interventions and their application Scott, Lise Saari, Mathian Osicki, Kristin
to graduate student strain, courtesy of Charles, Drew Mallory, and Dan Maday.
Enrique Cabrera-Caban, Rebecca Garden,
Arianna White, and Katelyn Reynoldson. If The APA Program Committee gives us
you’re no longer a graduate student, don’t an update on the upcoming Denver
let the context dissuade you from reading convention, and we have an APA Council
this article—there’s great information Representative Report from Deirdre
here for anyone interested in mindfulness! Knapp, Lori Foster, Gary Latham, and
Then we’ve got a really interesting and Georgia Chao. We then get more
timely paper from Jonathan Cottrell, Eleni information on the SIOP Executive
Lobene, Nicholas Martin, and Anthony Director search process from the Selection
Boyce, in which they offer an exploration Advisory Committee (Tammy Allen,
of the personalities of I-O psychologists Milt Hakel, Bill Macey, Fred Oswald,
relative to other professions. There’s a Ann Marie Ryan, Neal Schmitt, and
lot of interesting work that could build off Nancy Tippins), and an update from the
what is already an interesting paper, and Professional Practice Committee courtesy
a better understanding of who we are (as of Mark Poteet.
the recent series of competency papers
helps demonstrate) can only make us Wrapping up, we have IOTAs courtesy of
more effective as a field. Alyssa LaCava (also in her final issue!),
SIOP Members in the News from Clif
We then have a number of important Boutelle (definitely not his final issue!),
reports! First, we’ve got several related and upcoming Conferences and Meetings
to the Anaheim conference. Scott courtesy of Marianna Horn.
Tonidandel and Eden King offer up
some conference highlights, then two And that, as they say, is that.
committees take the stage. SIOP’s E&T
committee shares a set of “must-see I have to thank a few people, as I sign off.

14 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

First, Jen Baker. Jen makes so much happen leadership. I’ve seen some of what she’s
within SIOP and has been instrumental to planning and know that we’re all in for
everything good that has happened with great things.
TIP. I could not have done this without
her. Thank you, Jen. I also have to thank See you at SIOP!
Alex Alonso, who has been unflagging in
his support and advocacy, both for TIP and
its editor. He consistently helped me keep
everything in perspective and helped make
this job a damned lot of fun.

Dave Nershi has been an exceptional

leader to SIOP and has taught me a lot
just through his example. He will certainly
be missed when he retires, and we’re Notes
all better off for his having been at the
helm of SIOP. Everyone else in the AO, 1
I have been informed that having my
the reality is, I ought to just list your own Wookieepedia entry does not, in
names because every one of you has been fact, qualify me for Fellow status and
gracious, helpful, and supportive. But that I need to stop trying to “Jedi mind
the other reality is, I can hear the Oscar trick” members of the SIOP EB.
music starting to play me off. So thank 2
A friend who reviewed the column for
you to the whole AO, to TIP’s Editorial me pointed out that I was only one
Board for your commitment to providing element away from the centerpiece of
great, member-relevant content, to all Jim Valvano’s famous ESPY acceptance
of the Committee Chairs and members speech for the first Arthur Ashe Courage
who have contributed, to everyone who and Humanitarian Award, wherein he
has submitted a feature article, and to said, “If you laugh, you think and you cry,
everyone who has offered support and that’s a full day.” The reference wasn’t
feedback on how to make TIP better— intentional (and SIOP has not, in fact,
thank you.4 made me cry), but once I had it pointed
out to me, my inner academician felt
Finally, I hope you will all join me in obligated to include a reference note all
welcoming TIP’s new editor, Tara Behrend! the same.
Tara is fantastic, has a fresh vision and 3
It’s a lot like life that way.
exciting ideas, and I’m looking forward 4
And my wife, of course. Always.
to TIP’s continued evolution under her

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 15

16
 This is the first offering of a new TIP column. The column is
contextualized within the current SIOP landscape. Then, the re-
sults of a brief survey conducted to lay the groundwork for the
new column are shared, followed by a description of the vision
for the column going forward.

Given that the scientist–practitioner model underpins I-O

psychology, the practice of I-O psychology should be based
on evidence-based science and practical issues should inform
scientific pursuits. However, over the past several years, there
has been discussion, research, debate, and activity centered
on identifying and/or addressing perceptions of “gaps” be-
tween practice and research with the I-O field (e.g., Madigan
& Giberson, 2010; Silzer & Cober, 2010; Silzer & Parson, 2012).

In 2008 and 2015, SIOP’s Professional Practice Committee

Mark L. Poteet (PPC) conducted the Practitioner Needs Survey seeking to bet�-
Organizational Research ter identify perceptions regarding science-practice gaps (Porr,
& Solutions, Inc. Axton, Ferro, & Dumani, 2016, and Silzer, Cober, Erickson,
& Robinson, 2008). The results of these surveys influenced
the development of several initiatives currently in place or in
development that are focused on providing greater oppor-
tunities for science–practice collaboration. Examples include
SHRM-SIOP Science of HR Series, EBSCO Research Access,
Practitioner Reviewer Database, and the Careers Study.

“The Bridge”
Lynda Zugec
The Workforce Consultants What was evident within the findings is the need for more “bridg-
es” to connect science and practice. Indeed, examples of SIOP
looking to create bridges between different groups abound. For
example, SIOP has sought to develop ways to connect the larger
community of I-O psychology academics and practitioners with
those outside of the community. The “Building Bridges” initiative
is one example. Within that effort, resources were developed
that connect individuals online, suggest practices for making I-O
J. Craig Wallace connections, and provide materials to educate others about I-O.
Oklahoma State University
Taking further steps to bridge the science and practice gap is
also on the top of the agenda for the SIOP leadership. For exam-

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 17

 ple, in his address at the 2015 Annual Con- We provide a summary of responses to
ference, incoming President Steve Kozlows- these questions below in the hopes that it
ki outlined as one of his goals to promote will spur some ideas and thought around
translational science and evidence-based future contributions to this column as well
practice, noting opportunities to “better as larger efforts one may take to bridge
fuse science findings and evidence-based science and practice. Respondents defined
practice” (Below, 2015; Kozlowski, 2015). effective science–practice collaboration in
multiple ways, including:
In response to the aforementioned
initiatives and results, TIP is pleased to • Using research to guide consulting
announce a new column focused on pro- practices
viding an additional forum for connecting • Academics and practitioners learning
scientific knowledge and research with the from one another
effective practice of I-O psychology. This • Academics and practitioners working
column, entitled “The Bridge: Connecting together to identify, plan, and conduct
Science and Practice,” was formed with research projects relevant and trans-
input from multiple committee mem- ferable to organizational settings and
bers and TIP editorial staff over the past practitioners ensuring that their work
several months. Within this new column, is line with research findings
we intend to (a) extend the “connections” • Academics and practitioners work-
work already being advanced by SIOP, (b) ing together on research projects to
enhance the integration of I-O science and address applied problems and inform
practice, and (c) directly address the call managers about research-based best
from SIOP President Kozlowski. practices
• A reciprocal relationship where practi-
Background Survey Data and the tioners and scientists share information
Development of the New Column and inform one another about research
needs and/or findings; for example,
To help develop this column, members • Sharing of best practices, research,
of the PPC surveyed a small convenience trends, and data
sample of colleagues, both academic and • Journals with combined research
practitioner, to gather their views on sev- rigor and applied focus
eral aspects of the science–practice model. • Having outlets for sharing research
Respondents were asked to define and and practice-based findings across
provide an example of effective science– with different practitioners and
practice collaboration, to identify SIOP academics
efforts that were focused on bridging sci- • A feedback loop whereby practi-
ence and practice and how those could be tioners provide input to academics
improved, and to define what makes one a on workplace issues or research
scientist–practitioner in I-O psychology. needs that they are able to address

18 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 in a more thorough and robust • Working with university faculty and
manner, and academics commu- students to help design and conduct
nicate research findings via top I-O processes and tools
journals and popular press • Working directly with an organiza-
• Joint research in applied settings and tion to conduct research and share
articles written in easy to consume findings on current organizational
language problems
• Having up-to-date knowledge of • Developing research ideas from gath-
research findings and their implica- ering leaders’ work experiences
tions and how those can be applied • Academic and practitioner working
to less-than-ideal settings to achieve together to conduct research and
valued outcomes share data
• Balance of scientific rigor and data-in- • Academic using a different subject
formed approaches with practical population to study hypotheses and
application to real world business research findings that had been ob-
issues when working with clients served in research conducted within
an organization
Consistent across the definitions of effec- • Using best-practice, evidence-based
tive collaboration were the themes of two- approaches to developing I-O tools
way communication between academics and systems within a university setting
and practitioners, sharing of information • Organizations using I-O tools that
(e.g., research findings; research needs), were based on research conducted or
working together to conduct research and facilitated by consulting firms
resolve applied issues, and opportunities • Academics and practitioners working
in using research to guide practice and together on SIOP committees
practice to help guide research. • Organizations providing data that can
be used for research and publications
Although a complete list of effective as well as developing interventions
science–practice collaboration examples • Leveraging existing research to guide
go beyond the scope of this article, it was development of I-O tools and products
noted that the provided examples mirrored • Having dedicated resources to
these definitions well. We describe briefly provide thought leadership and best
a few examples below in order that they practice guidance for product or proj-
may help stir readers’ ideas and thoughts ect development
about contributions to future articles: • Using internships that provide both
formal education and practical ex-
• Developing and implementing an perience and help practitioners find
organization intervention while also new talent
collecting data to address an import- • Seeking assistance from an academic
ant research question with expertise in a specific, relevant
area
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 19
 SIOP-related programs or efforts that were ucating researchers on ways in which
identified as focused on further bridging to “sell” research ideas to businesses,
science and practice included conference and providing more practical training
workshops and presentations, annual to future I-Os
grants that encourage partnership, new • Enhancing opportunities to share
registries, having academics and prac- information and encourage commu-
titioners work on the same committees nications between practitioners and
(e.g., review committee), helping to facil- academics (e.g., registries that provide
itate more practitioner journal reviewers, information about researching being
branding initiatives, publications such as done and available datasets; practi-
TIP and the IOP Perspectives on Science tioners sharing key research topics
and Practice, webinars and white papers, with academics; forums that connect
and local I-O groups. A few respondents individuals with common interests)
indicated they were not aware of existing
programs or efforts, which potentially In terms of defining the roles of “scientist,”
points to an opportunity to communicate “practitioner,” and, most salient, “scien-
more about the efforts being made, pos- tist–practitioner,” results were in general
sibly by highlighting some of these efforts not surprising. Respondents were consis-
within this column. tent in identifying that a scientist is closely
tied to rigorous research activities and uti-
Indeed, when asked for ways in which to lizes the scientific method to understand
improve efforts to enhance science–prac- human behavior in the workplace. Also
tice collaboration, suggestions focused on notable is a common understanding that a
elements of visibility, resources, education, scientist’s work is published in journals as
and communication, such as: a method to share with the larger audi-
ence. With regard to practitioners, even
• Providing resources such as confer- though there was recognition that the
ence session and workshops, dedicat- roles practitioners take on are quite varied,
ed journals, outlets for practitioner-fo- the underlying understanding is that a
cused findings, and research funding practitioner applies I-O psychology to the
that encourage effective practice–sci- workplace in some way. There was also
ence collaboration recognition among some respondents that
• Increasing the visibility and advertis- practitioners require a more expansive
ing of the work being done within the knowledge of the other functions within
popular press and SIOP (e.g., more an organization and likely interact in a
visibility on white papers; brochures or world where they may not be fully appre-
short papers on I-O topics to be shared ciated or understood.
with businesses)
• Educating business professionals/prac- Interestingly, there was a bit of disparity
titioners on the value of research, ed- in respondents’ definitions of a scientist–

20 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

practitioner. Some described this role from something with research” and also “doing
the perspective of practitioners who study something in practice.” It is in the “some-
and use the scientific method, psycholog- thing” that we are interested. It is the
ical principles of human behavior in the “something” that we want to encourage.
workplace, research and scientific findings, It is the “something” that we hope will
and evidence-based practices to provide shape the content of future contributions
services or products that help resolve to this column.
business challenges or achieve business
goals. Others defined the role more in About “The Bridge” Column
terms of performing both research and
practice roles, such as balancing both The column will feature a variety of
sides to deliver sound I-O work, contribut- different types of articles, depending on
ing to research while practicing delivery the specific authors’ preferences and the
and execution, helping to meet workplace focal topics. For example, we envision as
challenges while using empirical research possible types of articles:
to study the effectiveness of applica- • A question-and-answer written di-
tions, and conducting scientifically driven alogue between an academic and a
research to create products and services. practitioner highlighting, for example,
Some noted the practical challenges in what is happening in academia that
staying involved in both science and prac- could be put into practice and what
tice arenas, such as limited time and dif- is happening in practice that could be
ferent reward systems. A few respondents further investigated with more re-
articulated the role from the perspective search
of a scientist who understands the prac- • A case study highlighting the effec-
tical significance of research, studies tive practice of science, for example,
important applied issues and workplace a recent practice-based issue pro-
practices, and examines whether research vided by a practitioner, highlighting
findings work in organizational settings. evidence-based solutions that were
utilized, the impact or implications of
Overall, it is encouraging that there are those solutions, and potential rec-
slightly different views on what makes for ommendations or requests for more
a scientist–practitioner, as this provides research
more degrees of freedom for I-O psychol- • A review of a key topic/area of interest
ogists to live the science–practice model to I-O psychology (e.g., employee en-
and more room for what is considered gagement), presented from both the
good science–practice collaboration. practitioner and academic perspec-
Although no one definition emerged, the tives, highlighting areas where science
common theme that appears to determine and practice converge and diverge and
a “scientist–practitioner” can be loose- pointing to possible areas for further
ly construed as someone who is “doing research or practice

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 21

 • A description of a difficult challenge toward ensuring a high level of science–
faced by a practitioner with a request practice collaboration!
for assistance, followed by a summary
of scientific, evidence-based solutions How the Column Will Work
that could be used for the challenge,
provided by an academic or research- The TIP Editorial Board will have oversight
er and review responsibility for the new col-
• A summary of the latest, cutting-edge umn. Members of the PPC will work with
research findings, followed by a de- the Scientific Affairs Committee (SAC) to
scription of how those findings can be identify content areas and format, secure
implemented in practice generated by authors and column participants, and
both academics and practitioners assist with and review members’ contribu-
• A list of emerging trends, issues, and tions to the column. The column will run
challenges being experienced by for one annual publication cycle (e.g., four
practitioners (e.g., top five requests issues) after which it will be evaluated and
of clients), accompanied with specific improvements/changes made should it be
research questions or agendas that continued.
could be pursued to address such
trends and issues How You Can Contribute

There are several potential benefits This new column will not be written solely
to the new column. In general, it can by PPC, SAC, or TIP members – rather,
help facilitate additional learning and the role of these committees is focused
knowledge transfer to encourage sound, on support and guidance for external
evidence-based practice. It can provide authors. The academic and practitioner
academics with an opportunity to discuss members of SIOP will be providers of
the potential and/or realized practical input for the column, reflecting a true
implications of their research, as well as grassroots, collaborative effort to further
learn about cutting-edge practice issues or connect science with practice. PPC and
questions that could inform new research SAC members will actively recruit column
programs or studies. For practitioners, it contributors, but we invite interested
provides opportunities to learn about the potential contributors to contact us
latest research findings that could prompt directly with ideas for columns following
new techniques, solutions, or services the article types listed above. If you are
that would benefit the external client interested in contributing, please contact
community. It also provides practitioners either Lynda (lynda.zugec@theworkforce-
with an opportunity to highlight key prac- consultants.com) or Craig (craig.wallace@
tice issues, challenges, trends, and so on okstate.edu).
that may benefit from additional research.
Overall, this column can be one more step

22 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 References doing? The Industrial-Organizational Psychol-
ogist, 45(1), 35-40.
Below, S. (2015). The city of I-O love: SIOP’s Silzer, R., & Cober, R. (2010). Practice perspec-
30th annual conference boasts third highest tives: The science–practice gap in I-O psychol-
attendance ever! Retrieved from http://www. ogy: A fish bowl exercise. The Industrial-Orga-
siop.org/article_view.aspx?article=1385#st- nizational Psychologist, 48(1). Retrieved from
hash.ga1NyKdy.dpuf. http://www.siop.org/tip/july10/14silzer.aspx.
Kozlowski, S. W. J. (2015). President’s message. Silzer, R., Cober, R., Erickson, A., & Robinson,
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, G. (2008, October). Practitioner needs survey:
53(1), 6-10. Retrieved from http://www.siop. Final survey report. Society for Industrial
org/tip/july15/531.pdf. Organizational Psychology.
Madigan, J., & Giberson, C. (2010). Good Silzer, R., & Parson, C. (2012). Industrial-organi-
science–good practice. The Industrial-Orga- zational psychology journals and the science–
nizational Psychologist, 48(1). Retrieved from practice gap. The Industrial-Organizational
http://www.siop.org/tip/july10/15madigan. Psychologist, 49(4). Retrieved from http://
aspx. www.siop.org/tip/apr12/15silzer.aspx.
Porr, B., Axton, T., Ferro, M., & Dumani, S. SIOP. (n.d.). Maximizing human potential with-
(2016, April). Areas in need of more science/ in organizations: Learning the science behind
research: Results from the 2015 Practitioner talent management [Brochure]. Retrieved
Needs Survey. The Industrial-Organizational from http://www.siop.org/visibilitybrochure/
Psychologist, 53(4). complete.pdf
Rupp, D. E., & Beal, D. (2007). Checking in with
the scientist–practitioner model: How are we

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The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 23

 We Feel a Change Comin’ On:
I-O’s Rôle in the Future of Work
We in I-O are fairly sporting when it comes to discussing the
ambiguities and contradictions and inconsistencies associated
with the nuances of human behavior in the workplace—cheers
to us. We seem to falter, though, when it comes to talking
about the future: the future of work, of organizations, of SIOP,
of our own jobs. Our narratives become jumbled; we start
talking past each other, focusing on different criteria, making
different assumptions. Our background in science doesn’t
prepare us to have meaningful conversations about specula-
tion, prophecy, conjecture. This may be a point to our credit
on most days, but it will not serve us if and when the world
changes and we are caught off guard and unprepared.

Hence the focus for this edition of the I-Opener: Where is the
world of work going and where will we fit in it? The discussion
below is imperfect: It represents a single narrative among
many possible narratives, a few perspectives among a myriad,
many questionable assumptions. We simplified and filtered
the prophecies; we asked leading and targeted questions; we,
to some extent, knew what we were going to write before we
began interviewing experts.
Olivia Reinecke But this serves our purpose adequately. We want to start
Louisiana Tech University SIOP’s membership down this path of thought—and the more
varied the conclusions at which members arrive, the better.
We want to reveal the changes that are being anticipated.
Instead of simply wondering at the forward march of technol-
ogy, let’s start thinking (and talking) about what this means for
us, not in the narrow sense of job security and personal leisure
time but in terms of how I-O psychology will adapt to continue
to serve humanity in the coming decades.1

What: The (Possible) Brave New World

Steven Toaddy
A continual influx of new technology has become rather com-
Louisiana Tech University
monplace these days, and most of us are comfortable with
and even dependent upon the rôle technology has assumed
in our lives, but what about its rôle in our work? How and to

24 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

what extent is technology improving the risk to all humans, it will occur “in large
human work experience? How and at what enough numbers and soon enough that
point will technology become dangerous? it’s going to be a huge problem if we’re not
Dangerous to whom or to what? Questions prepared. And we’re not prepared.”
such as these are at the forefront of our
field’s development, and the answers will Humans Need Not Apply certainly sends a
transform I-O psychology as we know it. powerful message, but it left us with more
questions than answers. Just how unpre-
Upon reading the preceding paragraph, pared are we? If automation really is a
one is likely to consider one of a few cat- threat to human work, what exactly are we
egories of technologies: telework, collab- up against? More deeply, is “human work”
orative cloud services, and automation. something that we should defend or is it
“Telework” captures a variety of (in this a necessary evil that we have tolerated to
case electronic) technologies that allow this point? Automation has already demon-
humans to better coördinate with each strated its power to significantly alter how
other in their work activities—and has sib- (or if) humans work—look to Google’s
lings in the cloud in the form of electronic self-driving car4 and IBM’s Watson5—so this
workflow-management suites, collabora- is not just some fanciful far-future discus-
tive-document services, shared calendars. sion. As I-O psychologists, we need start
These technologies have their benefits and considering how it might transform our
pitfalls and are—especially telework—the field, both ideologically and in practice.
subject of scrutiny by our field.2 Important,
but not the focus of this column at pres- In an attempt to cut through the overabun-
ent; let’s look at automation instead. dance of automation information available
online, we reached out to Marshall Brain.
Sigh. This, uh, this is not an easy topic Best known as the founder of How Stuff
to tackle. The narrative that has grown Works and more recently for his Robotic
around it has elements of Luddism and Nation essay series, Brain is well versed in
postscarcity economics and (perhaps not the development of artificial intelligence,
unfounded) fear tied up in it. Again, we’re what he calls the “second intelligent spe-
capturing the path of a single flake in a cies.” Echoing Humans Need Not Apply,
blizzard; a Google search will get the inter- Brain explained that, although humans
ested reader into more discussion on this are currently the only “math-wielding,
topic than can be reasonably taken in. Our language-using, space-traveling intelligenc-
first taste was a short YouTube documen- es,” we won’t be alone for much longer.
tary by C.G.P. Grey (2014) entitled Humans The second intelligent species is well on
Need Not Apply.3 As its title suggests, the its way and is no longer merely a figment
documentary asserts that automation of a mad scientist’s futuristic imagination.
poses a very real threat to the need for hu- IBM’s Watson is an example of this type of
man work. According to Grey (2014), while species, and it is just a primitive form. So
automation may not pose an immediate what’s the big deal? This second intelligent

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 25

 species has (and will continue to develop) that those who are unemployed, especial-
the capacity to compete with the human ly long-term, experience lower levels of
species, especially in the context of work; mental health (i.e., higher levels of anxiety,
and in Brain’s view, “humans, generally depression, distress, and psychosomatic
speaking, are not up to the challenge.” symptoms and lower levels of subjective
well-being and self-esteem). Even worse,
After this conversation, we were no longer these negative effects have remained
interested in debating whether the pre- stable for the last 30 years, suggesting
dictions offered by Grey (2014) and Brain that society has yet to adapt to high rates
were plausible. For the sake of the arti- of unemployment (Paul & Moser, 20096).
cle’s overarching purpose—a pursuit of In Blustein’s words, “Work is essential for
answers—we made a deliberate decision mental health. Work is essential for the
to assume that the “threat” automation welfare of our communities.”
poses to human employment is real. This
assumption will be implicit through the If we take into account Blustein’s perspec-
remainder of this article. tive (and the extensive research upon
which it is founded) and if we make the as-
Why: The (Debatable) Broader sumption that we are in this game for the
Purpose of I-O Psychology good7 of humanity, it becomes clear that
we must be mindful of how we integrate
So, automation is coming. Now what? We
technology into our work. Blustein em-
learned from Grey (2014) and Brain that
phasized the need “to develop an active,
automation could be bad news for the em-
engaged, compassionate approach to the
ployed population, but would it really be
discussion of the future of work in peo-
so awful if no one had to work? According
ples’ lives.” Reacting to new technology as
to Dr. David L. Blustein, who specializes in
it comes (i.e., purchasing the next big thing
the psychology of working and vocational
because it’s more efficient and cool) with
psychology, yes!
no consideration for its impact on hu-
Blustein was quick to point out that, so man work—and subsequently on human
far, technology has largely enhanced our well-being—will hurt us in the end. As we
work lives; our Skype interview, for exam- continue to explore this topic, the need for
ple, wouldn’t have been possible without our species to take a proactive approach
technology. But when technology replaces regarding automation in the workplace
the need for human work, the human becomes more and more apparent.
species is in trouble. Why? Simply put,
Ah, but this is all the pedestrian discussion
humans need work. As Blustein explained,
that you’ve likely heard before: Beware
work satisfies our “fundamental need to
technology, oh no the robots are com-
contribute, collaborate, and create.” What
ing, hide your kids, hide your jobs. But of
happens when we can’t satisfy this need?
course we are not pedestrian; we are SIOP.
Recent meta-analytic findings indicate
We have a job to do. So given that we sel-
26 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
dom pull the strings regarding the integra- tion tools will look very different. Rather
tion of technology into the world of work, than revolving around assessment alone,
the policies that our governments may Boyce envisions selection as a more inte-
put into place to protect work8 and the grated process, pulling in big data from
social-media campaigns intended to take applicants’ social media activity and other
down the artificial intelligences are not for online behavior (with the aid of—you
us. Instead, let’s start with our assumption guessed it—our digital progeny).
about the onward march of automation
and simulate where that will take us in I-O With these big data, organizations may
in the next, oh, quarter century or so. become less concerned about exactly
what is being measured and why and may
How: The (Possible) Road Ahead become more concerned with predictive
power. If computer scientists can create
With much gratitude to Brain and Blustein, algorithms that predict performance with-
we turned our eye inward. What will we out causing adverse impact but also with-
be doing in the early-middle 21st century? out theory or explanation behind them
It’s possible that our major I-side tools (i.e., a “black box” selection instrument),
such as WA, selection, and training may I-Os may fall behind. Boyce thinks I-Os can
become obsolete. First, bots9 will be able work backwards though, figuring out what
to perform these tasks better and faster these black boxes are measuring and how
than I-Os. Second, when the second intel- we can apply these constructs to onboard-
ligent species is doing most of the work, ing, professional development, and other
there won’t be a need for anyone to select postselection areas. While our “I-side”
and train them. They will build and train tool belts may become less relevant in
themselves, not as a species but as individ- the next 5 to 10 years, Boyce thinks our
uals, as they already do.10 In the short run, “O-side” skills will remain vital to organiza-
we will be providing services in a different tional success. People will still be making
context; in the long run, we may be serving decisions and leading teams, and maybe
a humanity with a great deal of time on its we have a thing or two to teach bots
hands. So how, precisely, will I-O operate? about running successful organizations11.
We interviewed Dr. Anthony S. Boyce In the more distant future, where perhaps
(consultant and leader of Research human work is no longer needed, Boyce
and Innovation for the Assessment and suggests that I-O psychology could be lev-
Leadership-Development practice at Aon eraged to aid humans in finding the leisure
Hewitt) with precisely these questions in activities that will be most fulfilling (Brain
mind. We framed our discussion around and Blustein spoke to this as well); rather
two points in time: within the next fiv5e to than advising on job satisfaction and work
10 years, and 15 to 20 years in the future. engagement, I-O psychologists could use
Boyce thinks we’ll still be hiring humans in their expertise to promote life satisfaction
the next 5 to 10 years but that our selec- and engagement with leisure activities.12
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 27
 Who: Our (Debatable) Responsibility 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-
S557XQU
Boyce weaves a compelling narrative for 4
http://www.google.com/selfdrivingcar/
the future of our field. We don’t know 5
http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/
how accurate it is (though some of us will ibmwatson/
find out, I suppose), but it certainly paves
6
Paul, K. I., & Moser, K. (2009).
the way for what is next for each of us Unemployment impairs mental health:
Meta-analyses. Journal of Vocational
individually. We’re not asking you to fight
Behavior, 74(3), 264-282. doi:10.1016/j.
anything or anyone13. We are asking you to jvb.2009.01.001; there’s a rich theoretically
do exactly 3 things: and empirically grounded conversation going
on regarding boundary conditions on the
• Develop your own model in your head impact of unemployment on well-being—
of where the world of work is going SES, time, market sector, and so on—and
in the next 5, 10, 20 years (Internet is we encourage the interested reader to
probably your best resource here). refer to this work for an introduction to this
• Simulate how you think I-O is going to conversation.
fit into that model (SIOP is probably 7
Whatever the hell “good” means.
your best resource here; work with
8
That feels odd to type. It’s like writing “save
others, discuss, collaborate). the smallpox” or “end conservation.”
9
The human factors/ergonomics people
• Adjust your skillset to proactively
have much more to say about this, but as
accommodate the changing respon-
you envision the future, try not to think of
sibilities that you’ll experience in the automation in terms of bipedal ambulatory
future (attend and generate content robots. Think of automated factories and
for SIOP’s annual conference, take invisible algorithms. Autopilots don’t look
classes, practice). like they did in the movie Airplane and
neither will the drivers of autonomous
There is a wave coming. We can probably vehicles. Of course, there are bipedal
dig in, let it wash over us and move on ambulatory robots, but they are somewhat
without us, and leave us obsolete. We can beside the point here. (shrug)
10
Here we’re referring to machine learning.
let it catch us unawares and dash us on
Have fun with that search string.
the rocks. Instead, let’s make sure we’re 11
Stop it. No, of course bots will not be sitting
ready to ride it. in boardrooms in business attire. Bots are
cool. They’re going to be in casual clothing.
Notes 12
In short, things may get much more huggy
1
This may not be the responsibility of I-O feely and O-side people, such as the sec-
psychology. We know. Calm down. ond author, will finally win our shadow war
2
And others, see http://www.siop.org/tip/ against our I-side oppressors.
july14/pdfs/opener.pdf for a discussion of
13
What he said: http://news.discovery.com/
telework. tech/i-for-one-welcome-our-new-computer-
overlords.htm

28 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 How Advising Doctoral Students Can Be the
Greatest Research Gift of All
When I was considering academic positions over 3 years ago
(which, by the way, how has it already been 3 years?!), there
were so many factors to consider. What was the reputation
and atmosphere of the school and department? Was the loca-
tion going to be nice? Was Mike going to be able to find work?
Would I be teaching the types of classes that I wanted to be
teaching? Were the tenure requirements reasonable or insane?
There were so many things to account for, and so many ways to
justify the answers to the aforementioned questions if things
didn’t quite fit with the expectations I had at the time. However,
one aspect of my job search was a big non-negotiable: I wanted
to work somewhere that had a PhD program.

I am fortunate to continue to have a very positive working rela-

tionship not just with my doctoral advisor (Hi Jim Diefendorff!)
but with my undergraduate honor’s thesis advisor as well (Hi Ali-
cia Grandey!), and it is safe to say that both relationships shaped
my graduate school experience in an incredibly positive way. At
the time of my job search, I couldn’t imagine not trying to foster
that type of experience for someone else. In essence, working
somewhere with a doctoral program was my way of trying to
“pay it forward” and give back to someone else the hours (and
hours) of guidance and social support that I had received from
Allison S. Gabriel
my mentors. Having now had the opportunity to work with two
University of Arizona
doctoral students at very different phases of their careers—one
as a fourth year student and one as a first year student—I’m not
sure I’m the best person to speak on “all the lessons learned” be-
cause I still have many, many lessons to go. But, I have seen the
incredible value of working with doctoral students, and I hope
that they can see the value as well.1

Importantly, over the last 3 years I have received a great deal of

(sometimes conflicting) advice on how to best manage working
with doctoral students. Because I am still figuring this “stuff”
out, I figured that other people out in TIP land might be trying
to figure it out as well. When it came to working with doctoral
students, I was generally given two streams of advice: (1) fit my

30 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

doctoral student into a project (or projects) did a couple of important things for me.
I was already working on, or (2) let your First, it helped keep me accountable to
doctoral student read within your research my doctoral students. If I was having them
area and come up with an idea on his or read 3–4 articles over a given week, I sure
her own. Initially, it seemed as though had to be reading them as well, and a
these approaches were an “either/or” type weekly meeting time kept me on a similar
of situation, and when I thought of them timeframe to make sure we could actually
that way, things seemed to stagnate. In have a productive discussion. Moreover,
fact, I felt as if I was reading in circles (and if I owed my doctoral students something
they might have felt the same way) or that for a project (e.g., a template of a similar
I was forcing students to be reading or survey I had created in the past, contacting
working on something that they weren’t someone else in the field for study mate-
intrinsically motivated to pursue. Although rials/advice), knowing that we would have
there are certainly things that graduate stu- a weekly update was incredibly helpful
dents work on that are less than glamorous to keep me chugging along on my end.
and need to be done, I am a firm believer Importantly, once I began meeting weekly
that students need to see how their work— with my students, the projects began to
whether it is reading, coding, or creating flow more fluidly and stay on track. Also,
surveys—fits into the larger research pic- it became a time to chat about ideas that
ture, and this tends to serve as my reality were a hybrid of my own interests and
check as well. After all, if I just have a stu- theirs, and several of the projects I am
dent doing busy work, who is that benefit- currently working on with my past and cur-
ing? What kind of lesson is that teaching? rent students are a function of this type of
More often than not, the answer was that idea sharing in meetings.
it was benefiting no one, and it created an
experience that was less than fruitful and a Nevertheless, what I have found to be just
divergence from how I was mentored. So, as important as weekly meetings are the
similar to other areas of my academic life, I times when my students have popped in
decided to take a “best of collection” of my to chat quickly about an idea or an issue
own personal experiences, the advice I was they are running into. When I started in ac-
given, and the mentor-mentee relation- ademia, I was given sage advice to protect
ships I admired to determine how I wanted my time, and my time is certainly something
to actually work with my doctoral students. I continue to be mindful of. However, when
Here is what has worked: it comes to pop-in meetings with my doctor-
al students, it has become less of an issue of
1. Set a Formal Weekly Meeting Time and protecting my time over the last 3 years and
Encourage Drop-Ins more a realization that quick little meetings
can mean the difference between a proj-
Although a weekly meeting may not al- ect taking a huge step forward or slowing
ways be necessary, having a 1–2 hour win- down its progression. When thinking back
dow blocked out in my Outlook calendar on my own graduate school experience, I
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 31
 remember many times when I would knock After doing some reading and joint brain-
on Jim’s door to pop in for a few minutes to storming, we were able to identify a proj-
make sure I was clear on something or to ect merging our interests together, and as
ask if a certain idea made sense. I’ll admit we continue to work through the revision
that, when I left graduate school, I forgot process, it remains one of my favorite proj-
how frequently I did this, how open Jim was ects given the organic nature with which it
to this practice, and how beneficial it was emerged. Importantly, I should note that,
for my work as a doctoral student. In some when Andrew and I began working togeth-
ways, I tried to rigidly manage my time so er, his research interests were more devel-
much at the start that these types of quick oped because he was a third year student
meetings were viewed as an interruption in the program when we began chatting
and not an opportunity. Now, I have loos- about this particular idea. However, the
ened up quite a bit, with my door more than same blended approach can be applied, in
open to students who want to pop in, even my opinion, to anyone at any level of their
if sometimes the conversations sidetracks to graduate education.
nonresearch related things. After all, things
don’t need to be that serious all of the time, For instance, my current doctoral student
and more often than not, even when things (Nitya) started with me during her first se-
discussed are a little silly (or just involve mester of graduate school. It may have tak-
hanging out eating some of the candy I have en a little longer to identify where our ideas
stashed in my office), I find that this type of could be blended together, but following
positive work norm enhances the creativity the same protocol I outlined above, through
and comfortableness of our actual research readings that we both began picking togeth-
meetings when they happen. er, we eventually unearthed a question that
(a) fit a project I was currently musing up
2. Identify Blended Interests with a couple of coauthors and (b) could be
molded into her own to ensure that she had
Although I’ve become entrenched in a few ownership of the work she was doing. In
specific research areas, I haven’t found my- both scenarios with each doctoral student,
self feeling a strong desire to “push” these in my view at least, the work never seemed
areas onto any student that I’m working forced; rather, we both felt a mutual level
with. Rather, I have found it best to assign of investment, and I’m not sure this would
readings in an area I’m comfortable in and have emerged had I forced a particular proj-
ask the graduate student I am working with ect on either of them. (Of course, they could
to find articles that he/she is interested in totally disagree with this, but I’ll live in my
that tend to offer a blend of things we both little world where everything is awesome.)
like. For instance, my first doctoral student
(Andrew) had a strong interest in recovery 3. Be Comfortable Making Mistakes
experiences work, which was an area I had
never personally pursued but fit within my As many TIP readers can attest, the re-
interest of studying employee well-being. search process—on a good day—can be
32 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
incredibly messy. When I first started pened while writing this article; stay tuned
advising, I placed a ton of pressure on to see if our fix worked.)
myself to always try and know it all and
have everything perfectly together. Yet, 4. Remember–These Are Soon-To-Be
trying to maintain this resulted in two ma- Colleagues
jor issues. First, it was exhausting. I was
too concerned about always knowing the Perhaps the most rewarding piece about
right thing to say and truly believed that it mentoring doctoral students in the research
was necessary for me to always have the process is knowing that, one day, they are no
answers in order to be a good advisor. Sec- longer going to be students but colleagues
ond, it was unrealistic not just for me as a that you continue to collaborate with and
person to hold that act up, but also it was see at conferences. The reality is, although
an inaccurate preview of what the research graduate school feels like forever when you
process was really like. The reality is that are a student, the time is truly fleeting, and,
most days when I’m working on research in some ways, when advising doctoral stu-
there is a lot of slowly thinking through re- dents, I feel as though time somehow goes
search questions, reading up about analytic even faster. But you get to be a part of so
approaches, and, if I’m completely honest, many phenomenal moments as a research
some choice words being said under my advisor: watching your student’s first confer-
breath (that last part may be an under- ence presentation, reading the acceptance
statement; sometimes, it’s kind of loud). letter of your student’s first publication,
Also, part of getting the most out of work- hooding your first PhD student (even if you
ing with doctoral students is being realistic are too short and can’t quite reach high
with the entire experience and not just the enough to get the darn thing over your stu-
final paper that makes its way to a con- dent’s head—sorry, Andrew!)—and these
ference or a journal. In following research moments are the best part of all.
from my friend and colleague Jennifer
Wessel, I find it important to be my entire So, to those out there who are currently
authentic self during the research process, mentoring doctoral students, or are hop-
and this means showing all of the ups and ing to someday, do not be scared about
all of the downs with students I am advis- stepping into or fulfilling the role of “re-
ing. Sometimes the downs can generate search advisor.” It could end up being the
some laughs, even at 11:42pm on a Mon- most rewarding one of all.
day night as you are texting with your doc-
toral student about making changes to a Note
Qualtrics survey to make sure participants
don’t click the wrong link and destroy the 1
Andrew Bennett and Nitya Chawla – thank
data collection you have planned to launch you for not running for the hills when you were
in just 3 short days. (Yep – that really hap- assigned to me.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 33

 Preparing to Teach a Fully Online Class
Recently my department decided to offer our undergraduate
Research Methods in Psychology course in a fully online format,
and I am slotted to teach the first section in fall 2016. I have nev-
er taught an online class before and have mixed feelings about it.

The ostensible (and laudable) goal of offering this class fully

online is to serve students who require it to complete their
degrees but cannot attend classes in person because they have
since started full time jobs or relocated, and so on. As such,
this class will be fully online (i.e., no formal in-class meetings)
and asynchronous (i.e., no formal real-time interactions be-
tween teacher and students). I have received fantastic support
from my college to develop the class. I was awarded a year-
long teaching fellowship by Baruch’s Center for Teaching and
Learning to attend their series of workshops designed to sup-
port faculty in developing their hybrid/online classes.

Although I’m excited to learn different skills and try something

new, I am concerned about the potential for the fully online
class format to undermine the quality of students’ education.
University administrators often like online classes because they
are economical: class sizes can be large and physical space is
unnecessary. I also worry that a purely online education will
degrade students’ social experience, undermining more distal
Loren Naidoo and nuanced outcomes like student professionalism and social
Baruch College and The networks. At a more granular level, is an online format suitable
Graduate Center, CUNY for research methods, which we teach as a hands-on class in
which students (often for the first time) develop and conduct
their own psychological research? Will it work if students are
unable to interact with each other in real time? Finally, I love
the interpersonal aspects of teaching, the relationships one
forms with students, and the immediacy of the feedback on
students’ engagement in class. I wonder how much I will enjoy
teaching students whom I may never meet in person!

As a result of these concerns I’m very motivated to figure out

how to do the best job I can. As any good I-O psychologist
would, I started by looking at what the research literature

34 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

has to say about online education. Not classes and most online classes make use
surprisingly, there has been considerable of at least some of these technologies by
research on this issue over the last 3 de- necessity. However, these technologies are
cades. I will touch on some highlights, but important in classroom-based classes too.
this isn’t a formal literature review—hope-
fully the citations below will provide a So, in summary, (a) educational technology
helpful preliminary reading list. does matter but its importance is not limit-
ed to online or hybrid class formats, and (b)
Bernard et al.’s (2004) meta-analy- it would seem that you lose something as
sis of distance education showed that an instructor by not being in the room with
asynchronous online classes produced your students, but these losses are made
superior achievement outcomes to class- up for (in asynchronous classes) by benefits
room-based classes, but the effect was in arising from students being able to learn on
the opposite direction for synchronous on- their own time. Part of this latter effect may
line classes. Use of problem-based learn- result from students spending more time
ing strategies and accessibility to the in- on the material in online compared to class-
structor via e-mail both positively impact- room-based classes, and hybrid formats
ed achievement and attitudinal outcomes that combine face-to-face time with in-
in asynchronous distance education. creased flexibility may be the most effective
However, there was substantial variability (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones,
in almost all of the effects. Partly this is 2010). However, I still have questions about
simply because pedagogy and methodolo- the social experience of students in online
gy have large effects on achievement out- classes and how to go about designing an
comes and vary independent of class for- online class from scratch.
mat. In addition, the use of technology is
often confounded with class format. Does For some hands-on advice, I e-mailed my
the technology we use matter? Schmid colleague Erin Eatough, assistant professor
et al. (2014) meta-analyzed the effects of in I-O Psychology at Baruch College and
the extent to which various educational the Graduate Center, CUNY. Erin has taught
technologies were used in post-second- 10 fully online classes and three hybrid
ary education. They found small positive classes in psychology and business. She is
effects for technology used to support pre- the chair of SIOP’s Students and Academia
sentation of information on achievement subcommittee of the Visibility Committee,
(e.g., PowerPoint). However, the largest a teaching and learning faculty fellow at
positive effects on achievement occurred Baruch College, and an active peer review-
for technology that provided search and er for Quality Matters.
retrieval support (e.g., electronic data-
bases, hypertext links, search engines) Loren: Thanks for talking with me Erin.
and cognitive support (e.g., wikis, concept What advice do you have for someone pre-
maps, spreadsheets). Effectively using paring an online class for the first time?
these technologies is important in online Erin: Well, I think the best piece of advice I
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 35
 can offer is not to underestimate the impor- Loren: So the timing of class events is really
tance of the design and structure of your important, and rather than being imposed
course. For example, some questions to ask by the class meeting schedule in traditional
yourself might be: Will you have a synchro- classes, it’s something the instructor has to
nous or asynchronous approach? If asyn- determine. That’s really interesting. What
chronous, how will you deliver your lecture do you like most about online instruction?
material? Will you have weekly units? How
long will the material in each unit be avail- Erin: I like the most the fact that online
able for? Alternatively, will you have mod- courses break down sociodemographic
ules that span several weeks? What are barriers that prevent students from having
the built-in structural components that will access to education. Many nontradition-
require student engagement and when will al students, those from disadvantaged
these activities take place (such as required backgrounds, and those with numerous
discussion board postings)? These kinds of competing demands such as childcare
decisions are important on the front end to or employment are often only able to
ensure you have the appropriate resources enroll in fully online courses because
available to execute your plan (e.g. Do you of the flexibility associated with online
have a synchronous tool available for live administration. Furthermore, offering
lecture? What kinds of student-engagement courses online allows students from less
formats does the learning management sys- accessible geographical locations or with
tem you are using support?) and to better transportation barriers to have access. Es-
explain to your students from day one how pecially for nontraditional students, I have
this class is going to work. I think in online personally found that online courses can
learning, having a clear, organized structure offer a less intimidating environment than
to the course helps students know what to the brick-and-mortar classroom setting. In
expect, and this expectation management fact, student-to-student and student-to-in-
is crucial for aiding students in meeting the structor interaction can actually increase
self-regulation demands in these kinds of in an online setting because everyone
formats. There are many resources to help (regardless of personality, native language,
faculty designing a new online course (or comfort level with the material, etc.) has
converting an in-person course to an online equal opportunity to voice opinions and
course), such as those offered by the non- perspectives (for example in an online
profit organization Quality Matters. Alter- discussion forum). Further, for students
natively, many institutions actually have in who might otherwise have anxiety about
house instructional designers for this very participation, such as ESL students, online
purpose! Usually, these individuals are part formats offer students time to think longer
of the team that manages whatever learn- about written or verbal communications
ing management platform your institution and share their comments publicly when
uses (such as Blackboard). It might just be they feel ready, reducing self-conscious-
a matter of sending an email to figure out ness about participation. I feel it allows
who this person is at your own institution.  me to reach students who might other-
36 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
wise not be able to register, and this fact is feel I get to know each student better
extremely rewarding for me. than I do in an in-person setting where
some students may be shy and not speak
Loren: What do you like least about it? up much throughout the whole semester.
What’s missing, though, is knowing them
Erin: I like least the very thing that makes by face. If I passed one of my students on
online classes possible: the technology. the street, I might not recognize them,
Well, I should say the technology quirks which is somewhat of an odd feeling.
that for a person like me, who is of average When walking through campus, people
technological capability (by my estima- may recognize me, but I don’t recognize
tion), will drive you nuts. For example, them. Is that the definition of a celebrity?
dealing with long wait times in rendering I’ll leave that up to you. I do ask each stu-
video files, errors in uploading that must dent to upload a picture of themselves (al-
be done and redone until the magical though it is not required), but the learning
Internet fairy offers her blessing, hidden management system I use makes the pho-
toggles in Blackboard that make things not to next to each student’s name so small,
appear when they are supposed to appear, you need a microscope to see it and yes,
those kinds of things. Dealing with the I have tried left, right, and double clicking
technology involved takes a lot of time. Es- (back to technology being a double-edged
pecially the first time. When I first offered sword). Some students will take me up on
Intro to Psychology online, I estimated it virtual or in person office hours, so in that
took 3x longer for me than offering it in case I do know them by face. So overall,
person. Of course, after that hurdle, the my answer is that I do not find it difficult
time investment decreases and the learn- to build meaningful relationships with the
ing curve flattens out a bit, but I would students and feel in some ways the for-
still say what I like least is not knowing the mat fosters a depth of connection I don’t
shortcut keystroke to just make it happen!  always experience in person. Even if I do
now have the strange desire to wear over-
Loren: I think I have had some of the same sized sunglasses and get a purse dog. 
frustrations with Blackboard as you have!
One last question Erin—do you find it more Loren: The heretofore unknown perils of
difficult to connect with students on a per- online teaching… Thanks Erin!
sonal level online compared to in person,
and how much do you think this matters? Below are a few citations of readings for
those interested in learning more.
Erin: Actually, I do not find it any more
difficult to connect on an intellectual or Bernard, R. M., Abrami, P. C., Lou, Y., Borok-
personal level. Participation is a major and hovski, E., Wade, A., Wozney, L. Wallet, P.
mandatory part of my courses and be- A., Fiset, M., & Huang, B. (2004). How does
cause the format is less intimidating than distance education compare with classroom
instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical
raising your hand in a classroom, I actually
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 37
 literature. Review of Educational Research, 74, Wade, C. A., & Woods, J. (2014). The effects of
379-439. technology use in postsecondary education: A
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & meta-analysis of classroom applications. Com-
Jones, K. (2010). Evaluation of evidence-based puters & Education, 72, 271-291.
practices in online learning: A Meta-Analysis Sitzman, T., Kraiger, K., Stewart, D., & Wisher,
and review of online learning studies. US De- R. (2006). The comparative effectiveness
partment of Education, 1-55.    of web-based and classroom instruction: A
Schmid, R. F., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 59, 623-
Tamim, R. M., Abrami, P. C., Surkes, M. A., 664.

38 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 LGB Issues in the Workplace 101
We within the LGBT SIOP committee want to make a differ-
ence within the field of industrial-organizational psychology
and within SIOP by increasing exposure to the experiences of
sexual orientation and gender identity minorities within the
realms of research and practice. We believe that one method
by which this can occur is through making regular, novel con-
tributions to the literature, by filling preexisting gaps may leave
LGBT individuals overlooked. However, we realize that it is also
important to educate researchers and practitioners who might
not be familiar with the basic issues that LGBT people face.

Educating I-O psychologists on the issues facing lesbian, gay, bi-

sexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people is of the utmost
Steve importance to achieving equality and diversity in the workplace.
Discont The need for improved knowledge and understanding of the
Illinois challenges that LGBT individuals face at work becomes ever
Institute of more apparent as LGBT rights (or lack thereof) continue to play
Technology an ever-pivotal role within current U.S. politics. For instance, it
was only with last year’s 5-to-4 ruling U.S. Supreme Court ruling
that same-sex couples could get married with federal recogni-
Craig
tion (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015), thus addressing a multiple de-
Russell
cades-long fight for equitable benefits within the workplace (see
University of
Bell, Özbilgin, Beauregard, & Sürgevil, 2011; Raeburn, 2004).
Oklahoma
In this first part of a two-part series, we will provide TIP readers
Daniel with the knowledge necessary to have a general understand-
Gandara ing of the issues facing lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people
DePaul within the workplace. As transgender and genderqueer/nonbi-
University nary persons face unique issues and dilemmas from those faced
by sexual orientation minorities (e.g., Clarke, Ellis, Peel, & Riggs,
2010), our next article will provide insight into their experiences.
In this article, we first provide an understanding of what sexu-
Katina
al orientation is and what it means to be a sexual orientation
Sawyer
minority. We then explain common challenges LGB individuals
Villanova
face within the workplace, including an in-depth look into wage
University
discrimination that LGB people uniquely face. Finally, we address
the legal battles LGB people still grapple with within the United
States and propose how we as industrial-organizational psychol-
ogists and members of SIOP can help.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 39
 Sexual Orientation and and a woman or man that is attracted to
Sexual Orientation Minorities both women and men is bisexual (B).
                       
Before delving into the discussion on In general, negative social attitudes
common workplace issues and concerns for toward LGB individuals are referred to as
members of this community, we first need homophobia.  The term heterosexism,
to be clear about what some of the terms which refers to the presence of
mean. Identity groups derive from social discriminatory policies and hiring and
identity theory and refer to the collectiv- promotion procedures (Lyons, Brenner,
ities people use to categorize themselves & Fassinger, 2005), is regarded as a more
and others (Konrad, 2003). Sexual identity appropriate concept (Waldo, 1999).  The
is unique in that membership in this group distinction is important as heterosexism
can be concealed to various degrees, unlike focuses on the normalizing and privileging
members of other groups, which possess of heterosexuality and calls attention to
characteristics that cannot be hidden from the prejudice faced by LGB people.
others such as race, age, gender, and so
forth (Chrobot-Mason, Button, & DiClem- Invisible Identities and Workplace
enti, 2001). Sexual identity is an invisible Discrimination for LGB Individuals
social identity (Clair, Beatty, & Maclean,
2005), which could also describe character- Between 25% and 66% of LGB employees
istics like religion, national origin, illness, are estimated to have experienced sexual
and social group membership. orientation discrimination at work (Cro-
teau, 1996). Ragins and Cornwell (2001)
According to the American Psychological found within a sample of gay and lesbian
Association (2008), sexual orientation professionals that one-third were verbally
refers to romantic, emotional, or sexual or physically harassed at work and 12% had
attraction to other people. Sexual orienta- left a previous job because of discrimina-
tion refers to “an enduring pattern of emo- tion. In addition, 37% experienced discrim-
tional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions ination merely because they were suspect-
to men, women, or both sexes. Sexual ori- ed to be gay or lesbian. However, these
entation also refers to a person’s sense of forms of discrimination can be subtle. A
identity based on those attractions, related study by Hebl, Foster, Mannix, and Dovidio
behaviors, and membership in a communi- (2002) found that job applicants who were
ty of others who share those attractions” thought to be gay, although not subject to
(p. 1). This is often labeled based on the greater direct discrimination, were treated
relationship between a person and the with greater indirect discrimination than
people they are attracted to and is defined their assumed heterosexual counterparts
by the gender identity of both people.  For through the manager’s use of more ver-
example, a woman who is primarily attract- bally negative language, fewer total words,
ed to other women is a lesbian (L), a man and by spending less time with candidates
primarily attracted to other men is gay (G), in general. Overall, the persistence of LGB
40 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
discrimination may be due to continued the workplace and adhere to societal pre-
social stigma associated with being gay, re- scriptions for gay performance, they may
sulting in fear, ostracism, disregard, or even need to work harder than their heterosex-
disgust toward LGB individuals at work ual counterparts in order to demonstrate
(Embrick, Walther, & Wickens, 2007). their worth. For example, Miller, Forest,
and Jurik (2003) found in a qualitative study
LGB employees may be aware of the risk of LGB police officers that many reported
for discrimination and decide to remain feeling the need to go above and beyond
closeted in order to avoid backlash. Cro- the call of duty in order to ensure they
teau (1996) found fear of coming out would be viewed as equal. Sexuality-based
was a major concern for LGB employees discrimination continues to have a negative
because the more “out” the employee, effect on LGB employees, even in the face
the more likely they were to experience of progressive attempts to create fair and
discrimination at work. In the same vein, equal workplaces for LGB employees and
Ragins, Singh, and Cornwell (2007) found even when employees are performing as
that fear of disclosure was positively relat- well or better than their counterparts.
ed to psychological strain for LGB employ-
ees and negatively related to attitudes, Problems With Compensation Within the
work environment, and career outcomes. LGB Community
On the other hand, actual disclosure was
unrelated to these variables. Thus, gay in- The relationship between any demograph-
dividuals are aware of the inherent risk in ic characteristics, including membership in
revealing their true identity, encouraging a LGB communities, and compensation gets
constant state of identity “self-policing” at complicated quickly due to definitional
work, which may be stressful for LGB indi- issues, correlated predictors, and the ab-
viduals to endure (Ragins, 2008). sence of experimental/quasi-experimental
fixed effect research designs. Definitional
The experience of invisibility and the im- issues become clear in deciding whether
possibility of truly “being” at work may be “compensation” is operationalized as av-
both mentally and physically harmful for erage annual earnings or average hourly
LGB individuals (McDermott, 2006). For wages. For example, the widely reported
example, Ellis and Riggle (1996) found that “gender wage gap” shows average female
degree of openness at work was positively annual earnings ranging from 78-82% of
related to job satisfaction but negatively re- male earnings, yet this gap shrinks to 87%
lated to satisfaction with pay and objective for average hourly wages. Note, these
measures of salary. In addition, even in pro- statistics vary geographically too – Davis
gressive workplaces, LGB individuals may (2012) found gender wage gaps varied
feel that they need to follow a particular from 66.7% in Wyoming to 90% in Wash-
script in order to “properly” portray their ington, D.C. Variation in sample composi-
LGB identity (Williams, Giuffre, & Dellinger, tion and “control” variables (e.g., job/ca-
2009). Finally, even if individuals are out in reer tenure) explained all but 5-7% of the
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 41
 gender wage gap in a comprehensive De- less, lesbians enjoy a 9% income advantage
partment of Labor report (CONSAD, 2009). relative to heterosexual women.
One common conclusion is that overt gen-
der discrimination only contributes 5-7% Relatively little attention has been paid to
of the gender wage gap. Unfortunately, parsing the relative contributions of causal
one could just as easily frame the results candidates for these gaps, as most atten-
in terms of the incremental contribution tion has focused on the 9% lesbian income
variables like job tenure make after “con- advantage. The gay wage gap may simply
trolling” for gender differences. If overt be due to differential overt discrimination,
gender discrimination causes women to as Herek (2000) found gay men were gen-
receive lower wages, career/job tenure, erally viewed less favorably than lesbian
job access, and so on, a more appropriate women. Unfortunately, the vast majority
interpretation is that gender discrimina- of studies examining “wage gaps” use ran-
tion caused a gender wage gap of at least dom effects research designs that preclude
5-7% and at most ~20%. strong insights into the relative importance
of highly correlated causal antecedents.
Congress has annually failed to pass the Grams and Schwab (1984) is one possible
Employment Non-Discrimination Act since exception, where an experimental fixed
it was first introduced in 1994, precluding effect research design showed minimal ef-
sexual orientation minorities the protection fects of job gender dominance in job eval-
that other groups receive from overt em- uation decisions. Applied psychology has
ployment discrimination under the 1963 a long tradition of examining the effects
Equal Pay Act and 1964 Civil Rights Act. Re- of demographic variables on performance
gardless of whether the absence of federal evaluations in lab settings (e.g., Hamner,
legislation makes overt sexual orientation Kim, Baird, & Bigoness, 1974). Insight into
discrimination more likely than gender dis- the relative contributions made by mem-
crimination, similar causal ambiguity occurs bers of the LGB community combined with
when examining compensation effects. other information about personnel selec-
Sexual orientation earnings data were first tion, performance appraisal, initial wage
systematically reported by Badgett (1995)— offers, and merit pay increases will occur
BLS and the Census Bureau do not currently when LGB status becomes an independent
track earnings for the LGB communities. variable in replications and extensions of
With one notable exception, Klawitter’s some of the more creative lab studies done
(2015) meta-analysis of 31 studies in this by applied psychologists.
literature since 1995 yielded insights com-
parable to those found for gender wage dif- Discussion
ferences reported in the CONSAD report—
generally speaking, LGB individuals earn LGB people face unique experiences with-
less than their heterosexual counterparts. in professional, organizational settings by
Lesbians remain an unexplained exception the sheer fact that they possess a nonhet-
to this trend—although gay men earn 11% erosexual identity. Evidence shows these
42 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
individuals face unique forms of discrim- advocacy to improve management poli-
ination in the workplace, both through cies, practices, and state and federal laws
formal and informal means. Despite this, by educating ourselves on the existing LGB
steps can be made to reduce these issues, workplace research and by providing our
such as having employee nondiscrimina- expertise on these issues as they pertain to
tion policies that include sexual orienta- discrimination, inclusivity, and more.
tion, educating employees regarding LGB
diversity issues, and more. References

Nonetheless, at the time of this column American Psychological Association. (2008).

being written, there exists no federal law Answers to your questions: For a better under-
that prohibits employment discrimina- standing of sexual orientation and homosex-
uality. Retrieved from www.apa.org/topics/
tion on the grounds of sexual orientation
sorientation.pdf
(Workplace Fairness, n.d.). Despite the Badgett, M. V. L. (1995). The wage effects of
Equal Employment Opportunity Commis- sexual orientation discrimination. Industrial
sion ruling that discrimination on the basis and Labor Relations Review, 48, 726–739.
of sexual orientation (Baldwin v. Depart- Baldwin v. Department of Transportation, EEOC
ment of Transportation, 2015) should be Appeal No. 120133080 (July 15, 2015)
considered sex discrimination, people can Bell, M. P., Özbilgin, M. F., Beauregard, T. A., &
be legally discriminated against on the ba- Sürgevil, O. (2011). Voice, silence, and diver-
sis of their sexual orientation in 28 states sity in 21st century organizations: Strategies
(Workplace Fairness, n.d.). for inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender employees. Human Resource

Management, 50(1), 131–146.
Industrial-organizational psychologists, Chrobot-Mason, D., Button, S. B., & DiClemen-
either as individuals or within the context ti, J. D. (2001). Sexual identity management
of SIOP, can help address the problems strategies: An exploration of antecedents and
that sexual orientation minorities face. By consequences. Sex Roles, 45(5/6), 321–336.
being educated on sexual orientation and Clair, J. A., Beatty, J. E., & Maclean, T. L. (2005).
LGB issues, we can explore opportunities Out of sight but not out of mind: Managing in-
for individual and organizational change visible social identities in the workplace. Acad-
that may uniquely impact these popula- emy of Management Review, 30(1), 78–95.
tions where once they were overlooked in Clarke, V., Ellis, S. J., Peel, E., & Riggs, D. W.
(2010). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and
the literature. Within professional settings,
queer psychology: An introduction. Cam-
industrial-organizational psychologists can bridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
advocate on behalf of LGB people so that in- CONSAD, Inc. (2009). An analysis of the rea-
creasing numbers of employers might have sons for the disparity in wages between men
LGB supportive workplace climates while and women: Final report. Washington, DC:
also developing evidence-based guides on U.S. Department of Labor.
how best to do so. We as members of SIOP Croteau, J. M. (1996). Research on the work
can work together through activism and experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual peo-
ple: An integrative review of methodology
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 43
 and findings. Journal of Vocational Behavior, work adjustment: Investigating the role of
48, 195–209. heterosexism and fit perceptions in the job
Davis, J. (2012, October 1). Is there a gender satisfaction of lesbian, gay, and bisexual em-
wage gap in every state? Retrieved from ployees. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
http://www.politifact.com/georgia/state- 52(4), 537–548.
ments/2012/oct/01/national-womens-law-cen- McDermott, E. (1996). Surviving dangerous
ter/there-gender-wage-gap-every-state/ places: Lesbian identity performances in the
Ellis, A.L. & Riggle, E. D. B. (1995). The relation workplace, social class, and psychological
of job satisfaction and degree of openness health. Feminism Psychology, 16, 193–211.
about one’s sexual orientation for lesbians and Miller, S. L., Forest, K. B., & Jurik, N. C. (2003).
gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 30, 75–85. Diversity in blue: Lesbian and gay police of-
Embrick, D. G., Walther, C. S., & Wickens, C. M. ficers in a masculine occupation. Men and
(2007). Working class masculinity: Keeping Masculinities, 5, 355–385.
gay men and lesbians out of the workplace. Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. (2015).
Sex Roles, 56, 757–766. Raeburn, N. C. (2004). Lesbian and gay work-
Grams, R., & Schwab, D. P. (1985). An inves- place rights: Changing corporate America
tigation of systematic gender-related error from inside out. Minneapolis, MN: University
in job evaluation. Academy of Management of Minnesota Press.
Journal, 28(2), 279–290. Ragins, B. R. (2008). Disclosure disconnects:
Hamner, W. C., Kim, J. S., Baird, L., & Bigoness, Antecedents and consequences of disclosing
W. J. (1974). Race and sex as determinants of invisible stigmas across life domains. Acade-
ratings by potential employers in a simulated my of Management Review, 33, 194–215.
work-sampling task. Journal of Applied Psy- Ragins, B. R. & Cornwell, J. M. (2001). Pink
chology, 59(6), 705–711. triangles: Antecedents and consequences of
Hebl, M. R., Foster, J. B., Mannix, L. M., & perceived workplace discrimination against
Dovidio, J. F. (2002). Formal and interpersonal gay and lesbian employees. Journal of Applied
discrimination: A field study of bias towards Psychology, 86, 1244–1261.
homosexual applicants. Personality and Social Ragins, B. R., Singh, R., & Cornwell, J. M.
Psychology Bulletin, 28, 815–825. (2007). Making the invisible visible: Fear and
Herek, G. (2000). Sexual prejudice and gender: disclosure of sexual orientation at work. Jour-
Do heterosexuals’ attitudes toward lesbians nal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1103–1118.
and gay men differ? Journal of Social Issues, Waldo, C. R. (1999). Working in a majority
56, 251–266. context: A structural model of heterosexism
Klawitter, M. (2015). Meta-analysis of the as minority stress in the workplace. Journal of
effects of sexual orientation on earnings. In- Counseling Psychology, 46(2), 218–232.
dustrial Relations, 54(1), 4–32. Williams, C., Giuffre, P. A., & Dellinger, K.
Konrad, A. M. (2003). Special issue introduc- (2009). The gay-friendly closet. Sexuality Re-
tion: Defining the domain of workplace di- search and Social Policy, 6, 29–45.
versity scholarship. Group and Organization Workplace Fairness. (n.d.). Sexual orientation
Management, 28(1), 4–17. discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.
Lyons, H. Z., Brenner, B. R., & Fassinger, R. E. workplacefairness.org/sexual-orientation-dis-
(2005). A multicultural test of the theory of crimination

44 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Event
Schedule
Schedule subject to change. Last updated March 1, 2016.
Full registrants of the conference may attend any of the events below for no additional charge, except for where noted. Guests may
attend general conference receptions with an additional fee. For more info, please visit www.siop.org/conference.

$ additional registration fee * by invitation only (HA) Hilton Anaheim hotel (CC) Anaheim Convention Center

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

7:15am – 10:30am Preconference Workshop and Consortia Registration Open (HA)
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Saturday, April 16, 2016

7:00am Frank Landy 5K Fun Run, presented by EB Jacobs and SHAKER $ (begins/ends at HA)
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9:30am – 5:30pm Temecula Wine Tour $ (departs from/returns to HA)
 Beyond Borders: The Importance of Global
Experiences in Graduate Student Education
Since its emergence, industrial-organizational psychology has
been required to adapt to market trends, industry demands,
and the increasing capabilities of technology in order to re-
main competitive; a challenge within an increasingly globalized
market. The issue of globalization has been a “hot topic” for
years, and remains one of the top challenges for related fields,
including human resources management (Vorhauser-Smith,
2016) and has been identified by leading I-O practitioners as
one of the key future directions for our field (Silzer & Cober,
2010). Moreover, with the increasing need for a cross-cul-
tural understanding of organizational phenomena, those in
academia are also recognizing the importance of global con-
siderations in both the design and application of research. As
a result, globalization has become a key consideration within
Grace our field for both research and practice, and should become
Ewles formalized within graduate students’ learning and experiences.
We present this column to encourage more holistic and global-
ly aware graduates in I-O.

For I-O, globalization refers to the shifting marketplace associ-

ated with the international expansion of many organizations.
Thomas Along with this, the definition also includes increased cultural
Sasso diversity associated with expanding workforces, and the in-
creasing use of technology to support diverse work teams.
This growth comes with the need for additional contextual
knowledge in order to apply a nuanced approach to managing
cultural expectations, preferences, and values in order for our
unique expertise to resonate with foreign markets and clients.
Moreover, international partnerships provide an opportunity to
learn about the unique challenges facing various industries and
Jessica improve our current practices. Without adequate adaptation,
Sorenson we risk our practices becoming outdated or irrelevant within the
growing global market.

In order to promote the continued growth of our field in both

University of Guelph research and practical streams, the value of global opportu-
nities must be instilled throughout the graduate experience.

46 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

It is important to note that as we discuss tively on an international scale, specifically,
the topic of globalization, we must also improving the ability to adapt to practical
recognize our underlying assumptions and constraints, manage language barriers, and
western-based ideologies that impact the understand cultural norms for doing busi-
way in which we perceive international re- ness. Developing these skills allows you to
lationships and opportunities, a topic that work in new cultures where challenges are
will be considered throughout the article. often unanticipated. Along the same lines,
developing an understanding of relevant
The Role of I-O in the Global Marketplace laws and regulations, in addition to the
historical and cultural influences, allows
Much of the discussion surrounding glo- practitioners to contextualize organizational
balization has focused on the implications issues and adapt practices to the relevant
for seasoned practitioners with many culture. Finally, well-rounded communica-
large consulting firms emphasizing global tion and persuasion skills are imperative to
growth. For example, the Office of Career understanding client needs and constraints,
Strategy at Yale University highlighted communicating appropriate solutions, and
the top consulting firms by industry in selling our services and expertise to key de-
2015 and noted that 22 out of the top 24 cision makers around the world.
management consulting firms emphasize
a global presence as a key part of their Despite the focus on practice, globaliza-
consulting practices. Within I-O, a global tion does not only impact practitioners;
presence requires constantly questioning academics and researchers within I-O also
and testing our own assumptions as a have an opportunity to engage in the glob-
dominantly North American-based disci- al market by participating in diverse re-
pline to ensure that our practices translate search teams or partnerships and sharing
across cultures and result in meaningful, findings internationally. Not only does this
sustainable change. For I-O practitioners, opportunity allow researchers to improve
this growth comes with an opportunity their impact factor, it also provides the
to support career development by work- opportunity to question western ideolo-
ing with, or managing, diverse teams of gies and engage in meaningful discussions
professionals in various locations around to challenge deeply held beliefs. Only by
the world. These opportunities challenge having these conversations can we begin
oneself to succeed in an environment that to broaden our view, challenge our cur-
may be outside one’s comfort zone, an rent approaches, and create meaningful
opportunity that ultimately accelerates changes to all aspects of our field. In this
knowledge and skill development. TIP-TOPics column we attempt to address
how we as future researchers, academics,
Based on the input from an experienced and practitioners can begin to appreciate
international consultant, it was recom- the learning that stems from globalization
mended that I-O professionals develop and begin preparing for a career in a glob-
skills that allow them to work more effec- al market during graduate school.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 47
 Need for International Experiences in er regions, or read something not published
Grad School in your native language). Current global
issues of food security, discrimination, and
With the number of demands facing gradu- the refugee crisis (to name a few) could all
ate students, it’s likely that many of us have benefit from greater involvement of I-O in
not considered engaging in international generating solutions. As we become more
relationships or experiences, let alone re- aware of the issues around the world, we
searched what opportunities are available. can find more opportunities to bring our
However, given the growth of our field in- research into global spheres and further
ternationally, we suggest that you take the help each of us with the question we asked
time to consider what international experi- you in our first column: What do you hope
ences could do for your career growth, fu- to contribute to society? Moreover, by
ture prospects, and personal skill develop- keeping in touch with macro systems we
ment by taking learning beyond textbooks are better able to create meaningful change
and classrooms. These opportunities allow through both research and practice, allow-
us to challenge our current ways of thinking ing I-O to be both proactive as well as reac-
and underlying assumptions, including how tive and allowing you to set yourself apart
we conduct research, disseminate find- in today’s competitive market.
ings, and implement practices. When we
do not extend our learning internationally, Practical Tips to Increase Your Interna-
we privilege certain views and knowledge tional Exposure in Graduate School
over others in our field, which only serves
to divide I-O rather than build a holistic Each graduate program is unique; some
literature. In turn, we potentially miss out schools have more formal opportunities for
on information from sources that do not international exposure, such as exchanges
conform to our backgrounds and our un- or research partnerships, while others may
derstanding of knowledge. provide financial support for students to
engage in these experiences on their own.
In addition to challenging our learning, we Gaining international experience does not
also encourage graduate students to ex- have to be a large amount of work, but we
pand their exposure to the world around contest that it is an important aspect of
them. It is common to talk about the your training and development.
graduate school “bubble,” but seldom do
we attempt to burst it. Take some time to Conferences. One of the easiest ways for
expose yourself to the world around you researchers and practitioners to connect
to become more informed about global is- with others internationally at conferences
sues (e.g., read an international newspaper is by attending international receptions or
or business journal, attend more globally talks and participating in available men-
minded conference sessions or a confer- toring programs. If you are heading into
ence in a new country or a different field of research, focus on talks specifically geared
study, purposefully seek research from oth- towards cross-cultural research and make
48 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
a point to introduce yourself and connect current abilities through the exploration
with speakers that resonate with you. For of new environments. Opportunities exist
those in practice, do your research before around the world for graduate students
the conference to see what companies in I-O programs, at both the master’s and
will be present that focus on international doctoral levels, for practical work experi-
opportunities and be sure to network with ence. We do caution that there are unique
them during the conference. laws and regulations wherever you go
with which you will need to comply. Make
International conferences in particular are sure that as you investigate opportunities
a fantastic opportunity if your goal is to you also connect with others who have
immerse yourself in research, ideas, and engaged in international experiences in
connections from all around the world, as your region of interest to ensure you are
they highlight the unique facets of I-O that well-informed before you finalize any op-
can differ from region to region (e.g., some portunity.
regions prioritize different theories or
methodologies, others emphasize a more How to deal with barriers. One of the
empirical foundation to research com- potential barriers to taking advantage of
pared to theoretical, etc.). Only by increas- some of these opportunities is of course
ing our exposure to these differences can funding. Most departments have allow-
we create a more holistic understanding of ances for you to use for these reasons,
I-O and what it can offer globally. but there are also other ways to help
supplement this amount. Be sure to check
The annual SIOP conference is a fantastic what bursaries are available through your
opportunity to make some initial connec- institution to help support conference
tions and begin that international network. travel or international research exchanges.
Other major conferences within I-O that You may also want to look into external
promote a global-orientation include the scholarships, locally or nationally, as many
European Association of Work and Organi- organizations and countries offer small
zational Psychology, Academy of Manage- scholarships or bursaries for international
ment, the Canadian Psychological Associa- academic exchanges.
tion, and the International Conference on
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Another challenge may be in terms of com-
among many others. municating your desire for international
experiences with your supervisor. The key
Internships and research exchanges. As to managing this conversation is to come
you consider internships or practicums, prepared and emphasize why these oppor-
we encourage you to expand your focus tunities are particularly relevant to your
beyond your regional borders. By expand- development. Focus on what opportunities
ing the scope of your search, you open up there are that you are particularly interest-
opportunities to develop new skills and ed in, how this will impact your timeline,
competencies, as well as diversifying your and what knowledge, skills, or abilities you
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 49
 will develop as a result of participating. The graduate student colleagues in various I-O
more prepared you are, the better. programs. Through this column we hope to
inspire discussions of health and well-being
If international experiences are something at various institutions and reinforce the
that you are interested in learning more notion that education should not come at
about, we highly encourage you to talk to the expense of personal well-being.
other graduate students, faculty, and ad-
ministrative contacts in your program to Survey Link:
see what opportunities are available to you. https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/
SIOP also has an International Affairs Com- SE/?SID=SV_2t5DhejGMZnU2lT
mittee that you can engage with. Be sure
to tailor your experiences based on your As always, feel free to send us any ques-
developmental goals, financial flexibility, tions or comments regarding this or any of
and time available. Ultimately, how you in- our columns to [email protected].
corporate globalization into your graduate
training is up to you. In an ever-changing References
world, we encourage you to take advantage
of every opportunity to learn, question, and Shaw, C., & Ward, L. (2014, March). Dark
strengthen your personal and professional thoughts: Why mental illness is on the
skill set. These experiences can only serve rise in academia. The Guardian. Retrieved
from http://www.theguardian.com/high-
to strengthen your personal brand within
er-education-network/2014/mar/06/men-
an increasingly competitive market. tal-health-academics-growing-problem-pres-
sure-university
Article Teaser Silzer, R., & Cober, R. (2010, October). Practice
perspectives: The future of I-O psychology
For our next TIP-TOPics article, we will be practice, Part I: Future directions for I-O prac-
exploring issues surrounding the health and tice. The Industrial-Organizational Psycholo-
well-being of I-O graduate students. This gist, 48(2). Retrieved from: http://www.siop.
topic is particularly important as the discus- org/tip/oct10/10silzer.aspx
sion of well-being in academic staff contin- Vorhauser-Smith, S. (2016, January).
ues to rise around the world (e.g., Shaw & Trends and themes dominating the HR
landscape in 2016. Forbes. Retrieved
Ward, 2014). We hope to explore some of
from http://www.forbes.com/sites/syl-
the issues particularly relevant to our read- viavorhausersmith/2016/01/12/trends-
ership by surveying students on their ability themes-dominating-the-hr-landscape-in-
to manage their personal well-being amidst 2016/#19c6dd8061de
the demands of graduate school. Yale Office of Career Strategy. (2015). Top
For this article we need your help: Please consulting firms by industry. Retrieved from
complete our survey to help inform the http://ocs.yale.edu/sites/default/files/Explore_
column and be sure to share with your Consulting_Top_Consulting_Firms_0.pdf

50 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 A Brief Primer on Neurotechnology
in I-O Psychology:
A TIP Interview With Stephanie Korszen
Neuroscience equipment is expensive and
can be intimidating, which in turn discour-
ages many from taking an organizational
neuroscience approach to their work. Buy-
ing neurotechnologies for your research
lab or company doesn’t have to be a scary
undertaking. Knowledge is power, and just
as Consumer Reports helps people buy a
range of products, in this issue our conversation aims to sup-
port an informed investment in neurotechnologies.

There are many suppliers of neurotechnologies, and wearable

technology is a booming new product market. We talked with
one neurotechnology supplier, Advanced Brain Monitoring
(ABM), to provide an example of considerations to make when
purchasing electroencephalography (EEG) equipment. Although
M. K. Ward we focus on EEG in this issue, Product Engineering Manager
North Carolina State Stephanie Korszen from ABM shares advice with us that can be
University applied to the purchase of other types of neurotechnologies.
Furthermore, this is not meant to be a pitch for ABM but rather
a general discussion with a company whose product has been
successfully used by organizational researchers.

Here’s a very brief overview of EEG. (If you’re already familiar

with EEG, skip ahead to the next paragraph.) EEG measures
Xiaoyuan (Susan) Zhu synchronous electrical activity in large populations of neurons.
University of Connecticut When neurons respond to excitatory input (e.g., a selection
survey), the flow creates a negative charge outside the neuron
and a positive charge inside the neuron. This creates a dipole
that in turn creates a magnetic field tangential to the direction
of the dipole. If numerous dipoles (e.g., millions) are created
and oriented in the same direction, then EEG can record their
electrical potential from the scalp. It’s like trying to hear one
person clapping in an adjacent room versus hearing the whole
Bill Becker audience clapping. Aspects of the EEG signal recordings are
Texas Christian University frequency (the number of claps) and amplitude (the decibels
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 51
 of the clapping sounds). Data analysis of quality, medical grade signals in an unob-
EEG includes frequency-domain analysis trusive manner. When purchasing an EEG
and time-domain analysis of event-related system, researchers should consider the
potentials. Although there is some distor- tradeoffs between set-up time and signal
tion due to the skull, EEG has excellent quality based on their research agenda.
temporal resolution, meaning it can mea-
sure brain activity very quickly to give a Another decision point is the sensor config-
good estimate of brain activity as it occurs uration, which will be driven by the regions
(e.g., Senior, Russell, & Gazzaniga, 2006). of the brain that you would like to record
Historically, EEG has had poor spatial res- data from. In general, the more sensor
olution, but thanks to technological inno- sites an EEG system provides, the more re-
vations and the ability to couple EEG with gions of the brain it covers. At a minimum,
other imaging techniques, researchers can most researchers aim for coverage of the
capitalize on the strengths of each imaging frontal, central, parietal, and occipital re-
method and improve spatial resolution. gions. Depending upon a study’s goals, the
prefrontal area, which is on the forehead,
In this interview, we discuss ways to set up or the temporal areas, which are on the
an EEG system, as well as some things to sides of the head, may also be of interest.
keep in mind while designing a research Selecting a system that offers coverage
study that incorporates neuroimaging tech- along both the right-hand and left-hand
niques. We discuss EEG equipment options sides will enable measures of laterality.
in terms of neuroscience platforms for de-
veloping objective, practical assessments of When is it worth it to go with a system
performance in professional environments. that has all 19 channels of the Interna-
tional 10-20 Montage?
What EEG equipment is available on the A system with all 19 of the International
market? 10-20 channels involves more set-up time
The breadth of EEG equipment on the than a system with fewer channels, but it
market can seem daunting, ranging from gives you more options in terms of data
high-density 256 channel systems to single analysis, such as 3D source localization or
channel wireless devices. A big question metrics that need temporal or prefrontal
for researchers is what’s the best system data. Additionally, the 10-20 system also
for me? The answer is tied to the main hy- offers more coverage in the occipital and
pothesis that your research aims to test, as parietal area (i.e., visual cortex).
well as the outcome measures. The types
of analyses that you want to run will also On a high level, EEG analysis can be broken
drive the adoption of a particular system. down into three main categories: changes
over time, event locked, and 3-D model-
Recent technological advancements have ing. Changes over time would be things
enabled the development of fully wireless, like frequency-based power spectral den-
easy to use EEG systems that provide high sities (PSDs). Event-locked analysis looks
52 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
at brain activity immediately before or tems, you are less sure that what you’re
after a stimulus has been introduced; it’s measuring is actually brain activity and not
an instantaneous reaction that is locked something else (like EMG or EOG artifact).
to when the event happens. 3D modeling So for publishing or research purposes, a
includes analysis like source localization or consumer grade EEG may not hold up in
LORETA, which requires the 19 channels of that regard.
the international 10-20 montage.
What are some of the steps in setting
If you want to measure emotion, what re- people up with an EEG?
gions of the brain do you need to consider? With any system, the set up does take
This decision depends upon the specific some training to ensure proper sensor
emotion measures that you are referenc- placement. With some EEG systems, the
ing from past literature; because emo- only prep required is a quick alcohol wipe
tion-based metrics are still in the research across the participant’s head, filling the
phase, it is best to use a system with cov- sensors, and making sure that the sensors
erage across as many regions as possible. are in contact with the scalp. For research-
Ultimately, the selection will be based on ers, it is definitely a good idea to do a cou-
the hypotheses of the research study. ple of dry runs before running participants
so that you can catch problems early on
What types of electrodes are associated and be well-prepared to get high quality
with some of the EEG systems? data for your subjects.
Traditionally, the electrodes that provide a
fluid (or “wet”) connection have a paste- What is the range of set-up time for the
like form. ABM uses all-soft electrodes mobile and wired systems?
that rely upon conductive synapse cream Set-up time can vary, and it depends on
that is more lotion like and rinses out a number of factors, such as number of
more easily. A lot of people are also inter- sensors, hair length, and troubleshooting.
ested in dry electrodes, as opposed to wet Typically, the time can range between
electrodes, because of easier and shorter 5–30 minutes for mobile EEG. For wired
set-up times. But there are tradeoffs. For systems, it usually takes longer.
example, dry electrodes are rigid and can
be uncomfortable, and the dry interface What software is used with an EEG system?
can actually introduce additional noise. There are some open-source solutions,
like the EEGLab, MatLab toolbox, but most
There are so many different EEG systems companies also have proprietary software
out there. What are some of the main for acquisition/analysis. Proprietary soft-
differences between consumer grade and ware often includes algorithms and met-
medical grade systems? rics for things like artifact decontamination
Typically, consumer grade EEG signals have and cognition-based measures. Generally,
not been validated against any of the gold for researchers, always find equipment
standard wired systems. With those sys- that gives you access to the raw data. If
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 53
 you plan to develop your own software Can you talk a little bit more about LORE-
interface, you can also keep an eye out TA, the source localization?
for companies that include the software LORETA has been around for a couple of
developer’s kit (SDK). In terms of filtering decades, and it is becoming more popular
out noise, you can either use a software in the research field. It is a method that al-
that includes decon algorithms or you can lows you to take the voltage measurements
write your own algorithms. at the scalp from EEG, and use that data
to reconstruct the source of the activity in
Can you talk more about the different the brain. So you’re able to map where the
sources for noise with EEG? neuronal activity is generated in the brain
Absolutely, noise is a big concern with EEG. using mathematical model. One caveat
The amplitude of the electrical signals with LORETA is that it is primarily only run
measured at the scalp is not that big when on resting state data. Because a lot of I-O
compared with muscle movement from the researchers are interested in brain activity
head, neck, or face. We always recommend when participants are doing some type of
that researchers instruct the participants to task, LORETA could still be applicable for
relax, as a big source of noise is when par- looking at baseline differences in the brain.
ticipants tense up (e.g., clenching, moving  
neck). Any movements of the head or neck What about mobile EEG? What are some
will create more noise. However, with mo- considerations to make when purchasing
bile EEG, walking around actually does not mobile equipment?
contribute a lot of noise, so long as the par- The researcher should determine the pri-
ticipant relaxes the muscles in their upper mary benefit he or she is hoping to get
body and face. One way to get around noisy from a mobile system, because there are
measurements during an active task is to do trade-offs for mobile EEG. If the research
a pre–post measurement: measuring brain design calls for participants to engage in
activity prior to the task and immediately active tasks, and there will be some level
after the task. of movement involved, mobile systems can
actually provide better signals than wired
How do you determine the minimum re- systems, because the wires are often a
quired sample size when using EEG data? source of signal noise when there’s physical
In other words, how would you conduct a movements. In addition, mobile EEG has
power analysis? an easier set up, is better for realistic unob-
There are a lot of different factors to con- trusive settings (e.g., driving), and is more
sider, such as where one is in the research comfortable. We try to get the participants
process, to the number of variables in to forget that they are wearing the EEG.
the design. Because I-O psychology is so
new at incorporating neurophysiology, the What is the cost of EEG?
studies are primarily pilot studies to estab- The medical/research grade mobile EEG
lish capability. For pilot studies, 10 people systems usually range between $10,000
in one group is often enough. and $50,000. Because a system is a combi-
54 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
nation of the right hardware with the best because it allows you to prioritize the key
software for your application, you will want aspects of the system that you need. It
to consider the cost of both components could be a combination of factors such
when securing funding for an EEG system. as mobility, comfort, or safety. It also de-
When evaluating options, consider the pends on your planned sample population.
key analysis goals of the study—and many Most researchers are working with col-
companies will offer complimentary soft- lege-age, healthy participants, which defi-
ware trials to help you make your decision. nitely makes it easier in terms of choice.
If you need IRB approval, then you might
What are some things to do when buying look for a system that has a good track
and using an EEG system for research? record with IRB. Depending on the study,
• Keep your goals in sight when setting you might also want to go with a system
up design. that has been US FDA cleared.
• Keep track of data quality during data
collection. Conclusions
• Add objective metrics to supplement
your questionnaires. Thank you to Stephanie Korszen from ABM
• Know the outcome measures and sur- for sharing some of the technical details
veys. about EEG equipment and investing in
neurotechnologies. We hope it provided
What are some common pitfalls with re- some useful insights into the processes of
searchers attempting to purchase EEG? purchasing and using neurotechnologies
One big thing is not having a big-picture in I-O psychology. There are several
idea of research goals before buying the neurotechnologies available in addition
system or not having a plan ahead of time to EEG, and we’re confident that I-O
on how to run subjects or how to analyze psychologists will be able to use these
the data. Planning ahead can avoid the
new tools to enrich I-O research and
problem of trying to squeeze too much
into a short amount of time. Avoiding
practice.
these things can help researchers trou-
bleshoot, get higher quality data, and be Reference
more prepared.
Senior, C. E., Russell, T. E., & Gazzaniga, M. S.
(2006). Methods in mind. Cambridge, MA:
If you had no association with any EEG
MIT Press. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.
suppliers, what would your EEG shopping org/psycinfo/2007-02316-000
process look like?
Oh that’s a good question. I think I would
at least have one research study in mind,

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 55

 #thispsychmajor
For those of you with excellent memories, you’ll recall I
mentioned in the last column I would discuss the Sustainable
Development Goals in this issue’s column, as they were recent-
ly installed in September, 2015. However, being the savvy TIP
reader you are, you’ll also recognize that a wonderful feature
article was published last edition, not only explaining the SDGs
but also identifying some key ways that I-O psychologists can
get involved in the accomplishment of these goals (Foster et
al., 2015). As such, it seems a bit redundant to talk about the
SDGs in this column, and so we will move to another topic,
with the potential for revisiting the SDGs in a future installa-
tion after some results and reports have been generated.

Perhaps some of you have seen the media coverage of Jeb

Bush’s recent remarks about psychology majors and their des-
tiny as fast food employees (e.g. Strauss, 2015). Being engaged
in the field as we are, psychologists responded voraciously,
taking to Twitter using the hashtag #thispsychmajor to express
their disagreement with the comment and to provide plenty of
examples of what psychology majors are doing in their careers.

Now, I must say that although I disagree with the way the com-
ment was made, I think I understand a bit of the sentiment be-
hind the statement. In context, the statement was encouraging
university systems to focus more on training work in the trades,
Ashley Hoffman such as electrical or plumbing careers, and less on the liberal arts
Elon University approach that has become expected at the higher education lev-
el. Yet, as much as I agree that societally we need to encourage
more training in trades and trade schools, the comment also hit
a nerve with me. Sometimes, it is tough to be a psychologist, es-
pecially practicing a type of psychology that is a small, fairly unfa-
miliar form of psychology. I mean, how many times do I have to
answer the question “Oh! So, you help if someone goes postal at
work?” Let’s not even mention trying to explain that I’m particu-
larly interested in an even smaller subset of I-O psychology called
humanitarian work psychology and what that means!

So, what is the enterprising humanitarian work psychologist

to do? If I-O psychology in general is facing an uphill battle
58 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
trying to prove our relevance in a world research practices and has been particular-
that clearly needs our expertise, how does ly focused on the examination of our statis-
HWP gain the traction to show corpora- tical practices such as null hypothesis signif-
tions, nonprofits, volunteer organizations, icance or effect size testing protocol (e.g.
and aid and development entities that our Cortina & Landis, 2011). Other research
expertise is of value? has suggested the need for increased rigor
based on the continued growth of “big
One of the most exciting things to happen data,” what such data will mean to our pro-
recently is the creation of the Social and fession (King, Tonidandel, Cortina, & King,
Behavioral Sciences Team in 2014 (SBST; 2015), and called for consistent, meticu-
Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, n.d.). lous, and practical application in all data
This team consists of a variety of social and reporting (Aguinis et al., 2010).
behavioral scientists (including SIOP and
GOHWP’s own Lori Foster), representing As recently as August 2015, the scientific
fields such as economics, psychology, and community has seen psychological study in
political science, among others. This team particular come under scrutiny about the
recently released an annual report detailing replicability of our studies (Open Science
the projects and policies that have been Collaboration, 2015). The discerning reader
implemented, improved, or adapted over will note that the authors did mention the
the previous year (Social and Behavioral natural drawbacks of scientific study and
Sciences Team, n.d.). In addition, the SBST the need for replication; however, should
wrote an executive order that was signed a reader take note of simply the title or
into law by President Obama in September abstract of such studies, it would only lend
2015 that highlights the need for the social credence to the uphill battle that the social
and behavioral sciences to be taken into sciences face when trying to prove our sci-
consideration at the federal level in order to entific merit. These headlines often receive
improve the quality of life for all Americans a 60-second mention during an evening
(The White House, Office of the Press Sec- news broadcast, which only serves to so-
retary, 2015). This order was a pivotal step lidify public opinion about the unreliability
toward the perception of legitimacy of the or irrelevance of psychological study. This
social or behavioral science profession. is why it is important that we not only con-
duct impeccable research but also strive to
However, being validated at a federal level provide access to research and associated
requires us to continue in our own profes- conclusions to both mainstream and cor-
sional improvement. To move beyond be- porate audiences in a way that is digestible
ing seen as more serious than just another and relevant to the public at large.
“soft science,” we must work hard to push
an impeccable product, including rigorous There are certainly a great many research-
research and appropriate application of ers with projects underway that deserve
said research. At SIOP 2015, past-president mention due to their importance to
Jose Cortina continued to urge reform of advancing the field of I-O, particularly from
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 59
 an HWP perspective. This is not an exhaus- FAIR, n.d). As previous research has indicat-
tive list by any means; rather, it is an over- ed, host country and expatriate workers,
view of a couple of projects that will serve often skilled professionals both, are fre-
to highlight the way that research is being quently paid on very different remuneration
conducted, not only with rigor but also scales, a pecuniary structure that can be ex-
with an eye toward the ease of application perienced as unfair and unjust, and there-
of results to many people and the attrac- by create unnecessary and unwelcome
tiveness of such practical studies. strains on teamwork and effectiveness and
capacity building (McWha & MacLachlan,
The first project is a new project entitled 2011). FAIR seeks to address these issues
“Project GLOW” (Global Living Organiza- with rigorous evidence on what works and
tional Wage). As the name suggests, GLOW when from an organizational remuneration
is an empirically based project whereby and aid worker standpoint. As the name
the researchers seek to investigate the in- suggests, Project FAIR seeks to develop an
dividual, organizational, and community is- evidence-informed set of policy options for
sues (and opportunities) surrounding living managing aid work more fairly and sustain-
wages globally, and translate those results ably, while also meeting the SDG targets for
into evidence-informed education, policy, decent work, inequality reduction, partner-
and advocacy surrounding wage policy and ship, and poverty eradication.
sustainable livelihood (Stuart Carr, per-
sonal communication, January 30, 2016). These types of large-scale research pro-
This project, in its infancy, will engage a jects are imperative for a variety of rea-
variety of university-based hubs globally to sons. First, the relevance to the SDGs in
begin addressing an issue central to many unmistakable and something that is so im-
of the SDGs— specifically, those related portant in terms of global recognition. The
to poverty reduction, decent work, ending more avenues HWP can use to gain public
inequality, and partnerships for develop- awareness, the more our work is seen as
ment and success. The project encourages valuable and important. In addition, these
each hub to engage in stringent and cultur- projects capitalize on the networks availa-
ally competent research and will provide ble for collaborative study. As I-O and HWP
opportunities for teaching, service, and continue to move into the future, we will
evidence-informed advocacy for members not remain untouched by the globalization
of GOHWP. This promising new study is an of organizational life. Therefore, it is clear
exciting prospect of the way that institu- that our research must also reflect a global
tions and researchers can work together perspective as much as possible. Finally,
toward the completion of the SDGs. these projects emphasize the need for rig-
or in our scientific study, particularly study
Another similar project is called “Project that will influence policy changes at both
FAIR.” FAIR seeks to study the implications local and global levels.
of pay differentials between national and Although the research I’ve highlighted
international aid sector employees (Project is critically important, the application of
60 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
such study is also crucial. There are a great those skills to coordinate fundraising in
many I-O-HWP folks out there using their the form of sponsored running events. Her
knowledge, skills, and abilities in unique unique approach to I-O psychology con-
ways that impact the greater good. I’m go- tinues to provide a clear indication that it
ing to highlight a couple of the ways peo- is possible to combine both traditional I-O
ple have leveraged their interests to carve work with a bit of a nontraditional setting,
out a niche for themselves that includes as HWP seeks to do so frequently.
both I-O and humanitarian interests.
Other initiatives continue to exist that allow
One application is the work of the Volun- an interested party to explore what it might
teer Program Assessment (Olien, Dunn, mean to use one’s psychology skills in a
Lopina, & Rogelberg, 2014; VPA; Volunteer unique setting. For example, Psychology
Program Assessment, n.d.). This program, Day at the United Nations is a day devoted
created at the University of North Carolina to highlighting the usefulness of psychology
at Charlotte, works with nonprofit organ- in addressing a host of global issues (Psy-
izations to improve the management of chology Day at the UN, n.d.). This year’s
volunteer resources. VPA, now hosted at Psychology Day will feature discussions
five additional university partners, allows about using psychology to address global
nonprofits access to sophisticated empir- migration and the influx of the vulnerable
ically based measures and approaches in population of immigrants who are required
order to provide systematic improvement to exhibit a great deal of resilience.
that may normally be unaffordable or inac-
cessible to such organizations. As I said, these examples are a scant few
of the creative and exemplary projects and
Another example is how an individual can tasks being completed by the professionals
uniquely adapt to use an I-O background in I am honored to call colleagues. These are
an aid and development organization. Kris- great—but we aren’t there yet. My charge
ten Kirkland began her I-O career working is this: We humanitarian work psycholo-
for large financial institutions in a pretty gists (and I-O psychologists at large) must
traditional, typical I-O role. However, she continue to work toward greater public
also spent her free time volunteering with understanding of the relevance and impor-
Every Mother Counts (EMC; Every Mother tance of our work. We have to continue to
Counts, n.d.), a nonprofit working to im- hold ourselves to the standard of producing
prove maternal health care and childbirth the highest caliber of research. We must
for women both domestically and globally. engage in collaborative, global projects that
Eventually that volunteer role turned into speak not only to a select group of people
a job, allowing Kristen to work as both an but to large populations and at a policy lev-
HR director as well as the running program el. We need to seek creative and meaning-
director. Not only has Kristen used her ful outlets to use our expertise in a way that
expertise in I-O to lead in the management improves the world for future generations.
of employees, but she has also adapted I am excited and encouraged by the emails
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 61
 I receive, both from people doing new and gy. In S. Tonidandel, E. B. King, & J. M. Cortina,
creative work and those seeking to get (Eds.). Big data at work: The data science
involved. It is my greatest hope that HWP revolution and organizational psychology (pp.
will work itself out of existence—under- 1–18). London, UK: Routledge.
McWha, I. & MacLachlan, M., (2011). Measur-
standing that contributing to the greater
ing relationships between workers in poverty‐
good in our organizations and in our aid focused organisations, Journal of Managerial
and development is something that all of Psychology, 26(6), 485–499.
I-O will be known for without specification. Olien, J. L., Dunn, A.M., Lopina, E.C., & Rogel-
#thispsychmajor does believe it is a great berg, S.G. (2014, April). Outreach to nonprofit
time to be a psychologist! volunteer programs: Opportunity for impact,
improving graduate education, and an invita-
As always, for more information or to get tion to become part of the Volunteer Program
involved with these or other available Assessment. The Industrial-Organizational
projects—or if you have projects you’d like Psychologist, 51(4), 51–60.
Open Science Collaboration. (2015). Estimating
GOHWP to consider featuring, feel free to
the reproducibility of psychological science.
visit GOHWP.org, or email me at chair@ Science, 349(6251), aac4716-1–aac4716-8.
gohwp.org! Project F.A.I.R. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://
project-fair.org/
References Psychology Day at the UN. (n.d.) Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/international/unit-
Aguinis, H., Werner, S., Abbott, J. L., Angert, C., ed-nations/psych-day.aspx
Park J. H., & Kohlhausen, D. (2010). Con- Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. (n.d.).
sumer-centric science: Reporting significant Retrieved from https://sbst.gov/
results with rigor, relevance, and practical Strauss, V. (2015, October 28). Jeb Bush has a
impact in mind. Organizational Research liberal arts degree. It didn’t stop him from belit-
Methods, 13(3), 515–539. tling liberal arts majors. The Washington Post.
Cortina, J., & Landis, R. (2011). The earth Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.
is not round (p = .00). Organizational Re- com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/10/28/jeb-
search Methods, 14(2), 332–349 DOI: bush-has-a-liberal-arts-degree-it-didnt-stop-
10.1177/1094428110391542 him-from-belittling-liberal-arts-majors/
Every Mother Counts. (n.d.). Retrieved from The White House, Office of the Press Secretary.
http://www.everymothercounts.org/ (2015). Fact sheet: President Obama signs
Foster, L., Scott, J. C., Rupp, D. E., Saari, L., Osi- Executive Order; White House announces new
cki, M., Charles, K., Mallory, D., & Maday, D. steps to improve federal programs by leverag-
(2015). Unleashing human potential through ing research insights [Press release]. Retrieved
the science of work. The Industrial-Organiza- from https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-
tional Psychologist, 53(3), 135–142. office/2015/09/15/fact-sheet-president-oba-
King, E. B., Tonidandel, S., Cortina, J. M., & ma-signs-executive-order-white-house-an-
Fink, A. A. (2015). Building understanding of nounces
the data science revolution and I-O psycholo- Volunteer Program Assessment. (n.d.) Re-
trieved from https://vpa.uncc.edu/

62 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Toward a Business Acumen Competency Model
for I-O Practitioners
Our discipline is deeply rooted at the intersection of psychol-
ogy and business. Plainly, without business,1 industrial-or-
ganizational (I-O) psychology as we know it would not exist.
In a small irony, for those of us who received our education
in a department or school of psychology, little instruction or
knowledge related to business may have been imparted. Thus,
unless we learned it on our own or were fortunate enough
to have former business experience, many of us left graduate
school lacking in basic business acumen. A lack of business
acumen can have a major influence on many facets of our
professional life, and it can impact our credibility and success
as practitioners when we are required to speak the language
of our clients and understand their businesses.

Matthew Minton In response to the relative dearth of education related to

Verizon business acumen among I-O psychology practitioners, the
SIOP Professional Practice Committee (PPC) sought to devel-
op a business acumen competency model for I-O psychology
practitioners. The desired outcome of the project was a com-
petency model that would benefit all members of SIOP, from
practitioners of all stripes to graduate students to academics
that develop graduate school curricula. We are hoping the
model will help guide continuous and ongoing education
efforts to equip practitioners with the skills and knowledge
they need to succeed.

The purpose of this Practitioners’ Forum is to present the

Business Acumen Competency Model for I-O psychology prac-
titioners that was developed by the PPC. It is divided into three
parts. First, I provide context by presenting two definitions of
business acumen from two organizations that have a similar
focus as SIOP. Next, I briefly discuss the focus groups that gen-
erated the initial draft of the competency model. Finally, I pres-
ent the final competency model and I-O-specific definition of
business acumen that resulted from the endeavor.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 63

 Business Acumen tency model. Examples of the subcompe-
tencies include business knowledge, eco-
Business acumen as a salient competency nomic awareness, knowledge of finance
needed for success by business profession- and accounting, and HR and organizational
als has seen a resurgence in recent years, metrics/analytics/business indicators.
some of which can be tied to the popularity
of the New York Times best seller “MBA in Building the Competency Model
under 180 pages” pop-business self-help
book Seeing the Big Picture (Cope, 2012). The development of a business acumen
Other evidence of this resurgence can be competency model has been on the radar
seen in the production of business acu- of the PPC since the late 2000s. The need
men competency models by government for a model was reinforced by SIOP mem-
and professional organizations, including bers in the 2015 Practitioner Needs Survey,
the U.S. Office of Personnel Management where respondents noted that receiving
(OPM) and the Society of Human Resource training in several business acumen-related
Management (SHRM). Before describing knowledge and skills (e.g., strategic skills;
the process by which the competency mod- presenting data persuasively/showing ROI)
el for SIOP was developed, I think it will be would be valuable (Ferro, Porr, Axton, & Du-
helpful to present how business acumen is mani, 2016). With multiple prevailing forces
defined by these two organizations. indicating that the time was ripe for the
development of the model, the PPC sched-
The OPM developed a three-pronged busi- uled five focus groups with SIOP members in
ness acumen competency model that was November and December 2014. Participants
part of their larger leadership competency included a range of I-O psychologists, from
model. The OPM defines business acumen internal and external consultants to sole pro-
as “the ability to manage human, financial, prietors, practitioners that work in the public
and information resources strategically” sector, and career academics. The mix of
(OPM, n.d.). The three meta-competencies backgrounds and perspectives provided for
that comprise business acumen are, as can engaging and fruitful discussions along with
be logically inferred from the definition, fi- the foundational information and data need-
nancial management, human capital man- ed to develop an initial draft of the compe-
agement, and technology management. tency model as well as multiple definitions
of business acumen for I-O practitioners.
SHRM defines business acumen as “the
ability to understand and apply information Business Acumen Competency Model for
to contribute to the organization’s strategic I-O Psychology Practitioners
plan” (SHRM, 2012). The SHRM business
acumen competency model consists of 12 The draft competency model underwent
subcompetencies, and, like the OPM mod- a critical review by the PPC subcommit-
el, it is presented as a component within tee that led the project. Ultimately, the
SHRM’s broader professional HR compe- subcommittee settled on a model that
64 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
comprises of six meta-competencies, each members completed the survey. The final
of which contained 3 to 10 competencies. competency model (Table 1) is presented
This model was reviewed and validated below along with the definition of busi-
via a survey that was sent to the SIOP ness acumen that was rated highest by the
membership in May 2015. A total of 503 survey respondents.
Table 1
Business Acumen Competency Model for Industrial‐Organizational Psychology Practitioners
Knowledge and understanding of organization’s strategy and business model
Knowledge and understanding of organization’s industry, business landscape, and legal/regulatory environment 
and how each impacts the organization 
Knowledge of organizational culture
Business environments
Ability to take a systems perspective (i.e., knowledge of how parts and pieces [departments; stakeholders] of an 
organization fit together and how HR processes connect to broader organizational goals/priorities)
Ability to connect I‐O‐related product/service/solution to ongoing trends within an organization and/or the larger 
business world
Knowledge of how to gather, organize, analyze, and interpret organizational data
Ability to effectively interpret data for an organization and communicate the “story” that the data tells (e.g., using 
data visualization skills; ability to present data graphically for a business audience)
Ability to develop and recommend solutions based on analytics
Business analytics
Ability to conduct a needs assessment
Ability to conduct a ROI and/or utility analysis (e.g., show/demonstrate the value of I‐O psychology in financial 
terms)
Ability to apply critical thinking to the problems of a business

Ability to speak using business language (e.g., business acronyms; organization‐specific acronyms; business jargon)

Ability to translate (in writing and verbally) analytics/statistics to a business audience 

Ability to present and target a message appropriately based on topic and audience
Business communication 
(written and verbal) Ability to communicate to non‐I‐O audiences by avoiding technical jargon and speaking in a language that the 
audience understands
 Written presentation skills (e.g., ability to script a presentation for a non‐I‐O business audience)
Verbal presentation skills (e.g., ability to set appropriate context by acknowledging the business‐related 
parameters of the situation)
Knowledge of basic accounting principles
Financial concepts, tools, and 
Knowledge of shareholder value
terminology
Ability to read, interpret, and use business‐related financial tools, reports, and metrics (e.g., annual reports; 
investor reports; P&L statements; financial statements; budgets; contracts)
Knowledge of basic marketing and sales principles

Networking skills (e.g., ability to build, maintain, and leverage professional networks)

Ability to develop and write business proposals

Ability to build a business case

Ability to write business contracts

Business development
Ability to explain the value that I‐O psychologists bring to organizations

Ability to sell I‐O solutions in terms that the organization understands

Ability to conduct competitive analysis (e.g., develop pricing models; know where to price oneself)

Ability to brand oneself appropriately (e.g., as business advisor versus I‐O psychologist)

Ability to connect and build trusting partnerships/relationships with clients/customers/stakeholders in business 
environments (e.g., respectful of others’ time, positions, and perspectives; focused, motivated, and responsive to 
others)

Knowledge of contracts/contractual business relationships

Business operations Knowledge of business laws and regulations

Ability to manage a budget

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 65

 Business Acumen for Industrial-Organi- role in developing graduate school curric-
zational Psychology Practitioners: Under- ula, to read the technical report and think
standing the needs of a client, business, about how the model can benefit them, no
and/or organization and using I-O psychol- matter their role or place of employment.
ogy expertise and best practices to respond
to those needs in a business context. Note

Postscript 1
Broadly construed as industries and orga-
nizations.
If you would like to learn more about the
business acumen competency model as References
well as hear stories about how developing
and using business acumen has benefited Cope, K. (2012). Seeing the big picture: Busi-
the work of several expert practitioners, ness acumen to build your credibility, career,
I encourage you to attend the SIOP pan- and company. Austin, TX: Greenleaf Book
el session “Business Acumen or Stories Group.
Ferro, M., Porr, B., Axton, T., & Dumani, S.
about How to be Relevant.” It will be held
(2016). Practitioner professional develop-
at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2016. ment: Results from the 2015 Practitioner
Also, later in 2016, the PPC will publish a Needs Survey. The Industrial-Organizational
formal technical report that documents Psychologist, 53(3), 114–124.
the development and validation of the Society for Human Resource Management.
SIOP Business Acumen Competency Model (2012). SHRM competency model (PDF doc-
for I-O psychology practitioners. The report ument). Retrieved from www.shrm.org/HR-
will include an overview of the methodol- Competencies/Documents/Competency%20
ogy followed to develop the competency Model%2011%202_10%201%202014.pdf
model as well as a thorough summary of U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (n.d.).
Proficiency levels for leadership competencies
the 2015 survey results. The technical re-
(PDF document). Retrieved from https://
port will be available on the SIOP website. opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-
I encourage all practitioners, irrespective and-selection/reference-materials/
of where they are in their careers, as well proficiencylevelsleadershipcomp.pdf
as academics, especially those that play a

66 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 For this issue of the International Practice
Forum, we reached out to our colleagues in
Australia to give us some insight on what the
industrial-organizational psychology land-
scape looks like. In Australia, it is more com-
monly referred to as organizational psychol-
ogy. Past Chair Peter Zarris and current Chair
Peter Zarris
Tim Bednall of the Australian Psychological
Society College of Organisational Psycholo-
gists provide us with an overview of the stra-
tegic aims of the college, ongoing progress,
and potential opportunities.

A Look Down Under: Tim Bednall

Organizational Psychology in Australia
The College of Organisational Psychologists (COP)

The College of Organisational Psychologists (COP) is one of

nine colleges. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Austra-
lian Psychological Society (APS), the professional association
representing psychologists in Australia.

Lynda Zugec COP’s primary purpose is to ensure that we provide members

The Workforce Consultants with the support and information to meet their basic regula-
tory and legal requirements. A core function is to provide ad-
vocacy on behalf of our members, especially when faced with
regulatory changes that are likely to have an adverse effect on
the profession. We ensure that members have the information
and support to maintain their professional recognition as an
organizational psychologist (referred to as area practice en-
dorsement here in Australia).

While these fundamental services define what the college

does to support members, ultimately the college has greater
aspirations. We aspire to promote not only the services and
capabilities of our individual members but ultimately the
strategic benefits that our skills, training and knowledge can
provide organizations to ensure a healthy, effective, high per-
forming, and people focused business.
68 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
As such, COP has evolved from a focus on awareness of what we do and provide
representing members’ needs around core members with up to date access to on-
requirements into seeking to build a value going information
proposition for our members and a strong 4. A national professional development
external brand. and training plan
5. An international stakeholder manage-
In simple language, this means focusing our ment plan: in essence, building allianc-
primary purpose on building an understand- es with our international counterparts
ing of what organizational psychologists to promote the profession and our indi-
do. It involves building an understanding of vidual members
the benefits of working with organizational
psychologists and developing our influence The Workplace Excellence Awards
within the business community. Our ultimate
goal is to ensure that the services we offer, Part of the College’s key focus over the last
particularly around our core competencies, 2 years has focused on developing a strong
are seen to be fundamental to the develop- external brand. The aim of our branding
ment of a sustainably effective organization. exercise was to address three core issues
that were identified by the National Com-
In short, our aim is now to move our focus mittee. The first issue was that, outside of
from the internal requirements of being the profession, there was not a common
a psychologist and an organizational psy- understanding of what the term “organi-
chologist to a focus on building an external zational psychologist” meant. The second
awareness of what it is we offer. was a lack of understanding about how or-
ganizational psychologists’ core competen-
The Future cies and expertise were crucial to business
success. The third was that historically, or-
To achieve these strategic aims, our col- ganizational psychologists found it difficult
lege is currently focusing on four key initia- to communicate what they did in simple
tives to build an awareness of who we are language to laypeople.
and what we do.
The result of this process was the college’s
These initiatives are: introduction of the Workplace Excellence
Awards, with our inaugural awards taking
1. The development our brand, especially place last year. The concept of the awards
with the introduction of our Workplace was twofold: (a) to identify best practice
Excellence Awards in our set of competencies, and to recog-
2. The creation of a member value propo- nize organizations in which they had been
sition to ensure the college is providing expertly applied, (b) to use the awards to
value for all members build our brand by linking the college with
3. The development of websites and other excellence in these areas.
materials to assist us in developing an
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 69
 The seven areas chosen were: (a) assess- The Member Value Proposition
ment of individuals, teams, and organiza-
tions; (b) coaching of leadership, career, The Member Value Proposition is the sec-
and performance; (c) organizational change; ond key platform and strategy that the col-
(d) workplace health and well-being; (e) lege is focusing on in the future.
recruitment and selection; (f) organizational
design; and (g) performance management. This initiative is based on the identified
need to develop a cradle-to-grave strategy
In the inaugural awards, there were 45 or- to deal with members’ needs at all stages
ganizations that made applications for the of their career. It recognizes the need to
awards. In all but one category, we identi- align the college’s activities to meet the
fied suitable winners who met the criteria of needs of all members.
achieving excellence. Presented at a dinner
as part of the college’s 2015 conference, the Research indicated that some of the key
awards were a resounding success. issues members wanted addressed include:

Ultimately, they achieved the college’s 1. Understanding the relevant information

aims of not only explaining the core and about our members’ professional needs
therefore differentiating competencies and their regulatory responsibilities
of organizational psychologists but also around their professional needs.
linking excellence as an organizational psy- 2. Creating a process that provides mem-
chologist to those core areas. bers with an ongoing continuing profes-
sional development process that takes
Our ambition is to continue to grow the into account their previous develop-
Workplace Excellence Awards and to con- ment in the stages of their careers.
tinue to grow the awareness of what the 3. Making relevant courses, conferences,
college does and what benefits organiza- and other learning activities accessible
tional psychologists can provide by continu- and broadening this accessibility to in-
ing to build on this event and to continue ternational learning opportunities.
to build the linkage between the college 4. Providing opportunities for our members
and these core areas as our core communi- to extend their professional community
cation strategy with the external world. and networks and to gain value and a
sense of belonging to the college and in
As we prepare ourselves for the second being organizational psychologists.
Workplace Excellence Awards, the college 5. Leveraging the brand and reputation of
and the various contributing members have organizational psychology to enhance
taken great pride in the strides that this both the reputation of our members
event has allowed for our core purpose, in the marketplace and promote and
which is the development of the brand of develop the opportunities for our mem-
organizational psychology in Australia. bers to practice and grow their profes-
sional and business careers.
70 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
The central aim of the Member Value tional psychology research from Australian
Proposition strategy is to build a close al- institutions.
liance between our members and the ser-
vices that the college offers. Our National Professional Development
Strategy
Our Communication and Website Strategy
The purpose of this portfolio is to provide
The third strategic pillar is the develop- easily accessible, timely, up-to-date and
ment of our communication and website relevant professional development (PD)
strategy. Ultimately, the aim of this portfo- activities for members. An additional aim
lio is to create a strong internal community of the national portfolio is to inform on the
of organizational psychologists and to facil- specific activities provided by the states,
itate the sharing of knowledge. in terms of membership needs as well
as contemporary workplace and societal
This portfolio aims to connect members to trends. The portfolio also aims to facilitate
relevant information, services, resources, knowledge sharing between members at
and events. It also aims to connect our different locations.
profession to relevant businesses and
communities. A key action in this portfolio will be the de-
velopment and national rollout of a system
Key activities in this portfolio include the for the electronic delivery of remote PD
development of a stronger social media activities. These will include video record-
presence, in order to facilitate two-way ings from local PD activities in addition to
communication between ourselves and original content produced by ourselves
our members. It also allows us to easily (e.g., podcasts).
share content and to keep people up to
date with the most recent developments Also, this portfolio supports the develop-
in organizational psychology. ment of additional professional supervi-
sors for both university students and grad-
We are also in the process of establishing uates. Doing so helps build the numbers
an online knowledge management system of our members who are able to attain
in order to share resources among our professional recognition as organizational
committees and to keep track of informa- psychologists.
tion about our members’ professional de-
velopment needs. International Stakeholder Management
Plan
This portfolio also oversees the develop-
ment and promotion of the college’s ac- The National Committee of the College has
ademic journal, The Australasian Journal long understood that because of the volatile
of Organisational Psychology. This is a regulatory environment we have been oper-
regional journal that publishes organiza- ating in and because of the unique challeng-
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 71
 es in meeting the regulatory requirements In Summary
as an organizational psychologist that it has
been difficult for us to focus on building the The College of Organisational Psychologists
types of national and international stake- in Australia has made giant strides over
holder networks to meet our desires, partic- the last 10 years, and it is a great source
ularly around our branding and our member of pride to the myriad of people who have
value proposition strategies. served in a variety of positions on the Na-
tional Committee.
The fifth plank therefore of the college is
the development of a stakeholder man- Over the last 10 years we’ve established
agement plan, which essentially will be to ourselves at running outstanding events, a
build specific alliances with international highly profitable college with a highly com-
organizational psychology bodies and de- mitted and active constituency.
velop not only relationships and alliances
with those, but ultimately to develop an in- Developing a lifelong value proposition and
ternational coalition of like-minded profes- developing our brand via the Workplace
sionals with similar professional interests Excellence Awards (such that being an
and with similar professional challenges. organizational psychologist has enormous
efficacy and value) and a communication
This particular initiative is in its infancy strategy we are hopeful that we can re-
stage, but does represent a great oppor- build a strong desire to become a practice
tunity for the college to take our develop- endorsed organizational psychologist.
ment to the next level.
In the meantime, we look forward to build-
We believe that our first step in moving our ing our international alliances, continuing
college from being an internally focused en- to promote our professional development
tity (particularly within the APS) to commu- events, and creating an environment where
nicating with the external community via our members continue to be passionate,
the Workplace Excellence Awards will be engaged, and active in our various activities.
enhanced by a further strategy in building
international alliances and an international We look forward to building our alliances
community of organizational psychologists, with our international brothers and sisters
particularly with SIOP in the USA. in the coming years!

At this stage, this is an aspirational strategy, WE NEED YOU AND YOUR INPUT! We are
but it is our fervent hope that as we embed calling upon you, the global I-O communi-
our Workplace Excellence Awards, Member ty, to reach out and submit topic ideas for
Value Proposition, national professional future columns. Give us your insights from
development plan, and communication lessons learned in your practice. We are
strategy then we can focus more heavily on always looking for contributors and always
our international stakeholder strategy. on the lookout!
72 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
To provide any feedback or insights on the an email to the following address: lynda.
International Practice Forum, please send [email protected]

Need a job?

Need stellar
employees?

JobNet
www.siop.org/jobnet/

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 73

 Government-Mandated Pay
Reporting Is on the Horizon
On January 29, 2016 (seventh anniversary of President Obama’s
signing of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act), The U.S. Equal Em-
ployment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the
long-anticipated proposed regulations for pay data collection.
Private-sector employers with 100 or more employees will
complete an expanded EEO-1 annual workforce demographics
report that will now include 12 pay categories. The EEO-1 has
been around since 1966; the current rules for which employers
are required to file the report are not changing. Pay data would
be based on W-2 earnings; employers would also report total
hours by pay band. EEOC is soliciting comments on how to han-
dle hours for salaried employees whose hours are not generally
tracked. The first pay report would be due in September 2017;
employers would report a year of pay data looking back from
any pay period between July 1 and September 30 of the report-
ing year. The rule includes federal contractors and supersedes
the Department of Labor proposed regulation announced in
2014; the two agencies are together on the EEOC plan. There is
speculation that federal contractors with 50-99 employees who
currently file EEO-1 might be included later. Comments were
being taken until April 1.

The history of the rule goes back to the resident’s National

Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force, established in 2010 to pro-
mote interagency cooperation in fighting pay discrimination.
Richard Tonowski One of the action items was for EEOC to contract with the
EEOC National Research Council (NRC) for a report on methods to
collect pay data. That report (NRC, 2013) raised questions of
what the data would be used for as well as making recommen-
dations on collection details and confidentiality concerns. It
also recommended a pilot program before full implementation
of any program. EEOC contracted with Sage Computing for a
study, using the EEO-1 as the collection instrument (Sage Com-
puting, 2015). EEOC also held a 2-day meeting in 2012 to get
input from various stakeholders.

The EEOC rule states that the purpose of the data is to “assess

74 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

complaints of discrimination, focus in- group . . . too many false positives and too
vestigations, and identify employers with many false negatives.”).
existing pay disparities that might warrant Five statements about the proposal can be
further investigation.” To that end, the put forth with relative certainty:
agencies will develop software so that in- A new regulation is likely. Despite some
vestigators can conduct statistical analyses questioning of EEOC’s authority, this is a
to compare an individual employer’s num- Title VII record-keeping matter for which
bers with data aggregated by industry and EEOC can issue regulations not just guid-
geography. ance. Plenty of effort and political capital is
already invested in the project.
It’s daunting to write this knowing that by
the time it reaches its audience, there will It will be a coarse measure. The proposed
be other very good and probably more de- EEO-1 would include 10 occupational, 12
tailed commentary available. The period for pay, 7 race/ethnic, and 2 gender catego-
commentary on the proposed rule will have ries. Even so, that gives little specific infor-
closed, although likely there is still a public mation for, say, the professionals category.
hearing in the offing and the discussion There could be any number of occupations
likely will not end there. I take the plunge and pay ranges. An example that has been
because this topic represents a unique junc- mentioned involves physicians and nurses
ture of civil rights law, social concerns, and in healthcare. Both occupations are pro-
the application of science that should be of fessionals, but both qualifications and pay
interest to the I-O profession. are different, and there may be differences
in relative representation by sex. The rel-
The EEOC proposed rule comes at a time ative number of employees per job could
when the effectiveness of merit pay and be different across organizations, so even
the usefulness of the traditional annual within the same industry comparison of
performance evaluation are under new employers could be limited. The practical
scrutiny by practitioners and researchers, matter in getting the details is that even
and Big Data offers the opportunity for this proposal is being criticized as burden-
more detailed and objective (and poten- some to those who do not have automat-
tially more intrusive) insight into job be- ed systems to capture and integrate pay
havior and results. data into their EEO-1 reports. Data collec-
tion is limited to employers who file EEO-1
Depending on the commentator, this ini- reports and have at least 100 employees.
tiative is substantive action dealing with That gets to larger employers but obvious-
an enduring problem (“a significant step ly not to everyone. Using the W-2 as the
forward to address pay inequality”), politi- pay data source has the advantage of cap-
cal posturing (“Obama’s new pay equality turing all compensation for the employee,
rule”), or a confused muddle (“well intend- but that inclusiveness is also problematic.
ed but not well thought out,” “You can’t In any job category, pay may vary because
compare oranges and apples in the same of overtime, shift differentials, temporary
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 75
 assignments, or competency enhancement also promote transparency in supposedly
provisions such as pay for knowledge. confidential reports regardless of agency
Employer burden concerns need to be safeguards. Another concern is that consci-
aired. EEOC acknowledged this in its es- entious employers will want to audit their
timation of employer cost and workload compensation systems in advance of any
and invited comments. The method used reporting, but they will be wary of creating
in the proposal assumes that the addition- records for plaintiffs in subsequent EEO
al data for the reports can be assembled investigations.
within electronic data systems. On aver-
age, this should take 6 hours and increase Details for using the data need to be
the employer’s cost by $160. Critics have worked out. This is acknowledged in the
been quick to complain that this is a major proposal, which references the pilot study
underestimate. In addition, the W-2 data (Sage Computing, 2015) that explains
normally produced for the calendar year some of the choices made for data col-
needs to conform to the EEO-1 reporting lection, which of necessity impose limita-
cycle ending on September 30. tions. The report has a detailed discussion
of statistical analysis methods, although
Confidentiality is another concern. EEO-1 the focus seems to be on three mentioned
aggregated data are made available to below. It is probably worth a read for any-
researchers; individual reports are not one who is analyzing pay disparity. Much
released. There seems to be little problem of the discussion on past research seemed
in leaking EEO-1 individual employer data to focus on economy-wide analyses; for
currently, but the stakes might be higher the present purpose, two sets of synthetic
with compensation data. The United King- data were constructed and analyzed. Ay,
dom has its own pay disclosure proposal, Holt, and Reardon (2016) seem to be the
apparently with the government intending first with an examination of the proposed
to shame employers with gross male– statistical methodology. Following the
female inequities (Cauterucci, 2016). Firms report, they focus on the Mann-Whitney
with 250 employers or more will submit U test, Kruskal- Wallis test, and interval
descriptive statistics on male–female pay regression. The usual analogous methods
beginning in April 2017. The data will go of t-test, analysis of variance, and ordi-
on a searchable public website. The EEOC nary least squares regression are excluded
proposal does not have this disclosure; because the data are categorized. Also,
employers on this side of the Pond are Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis are non-
concerned about any disclosure, even if parametric tests that do not assume that
released data do not name names. Identity the normal distribution is underlying the
both of the firm and of some employees data. These methods may provide a foun-
could be inferred by the size, composi- dation for identifying industry statistical
tion, and location of the work force. The outliers, which might then receive further
Freedom of Information Act, intended to investigative attention. As the authors
foster transparency in government, might note, method alone does not set the cri-
76 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
terion for what is an outlier. The proposal and broad job classifications are more in
mentions statistical power and signifi- vogue and by now are not new concepts.
cance, and the “process would include EEO enforcement can go awry when con-
recognition of how sample sizes may influ- fronting these arrangements, as illustrated
ence results.” What that means in practice by two EEOC sex-based pay cases. Where
has yet to be defined. Small differences a substantial part of compensation is vari-
with small numbers generally mean no able and based in part on contribution to
statistical significance. That women make the firm, those on extended leave (mater-
79 cents to the male dollar is a sound bite nity or other) may not make as much as
that, although true, does not necessarily those who stay around; that was a defense
point to discrimination. That figure runs argument in Bloomberg. And although a
into various explanations. A recent review group of attorneys shared the same classi-
of national data (Blau and Kahn, 2016) fication, the courts in Port Authority of NY
takes it as a raw figure (2010 data) but & NJ were not buying the argument that “a
gives 92 cents after accounting for a set lawyer is a lawyer” when assignments as
of covariates; however, that includes ad- well as pay differed.
justments for occupation and industry as
“explaining” the gap. Adjustments only for Another conceptual matter involves vari-
“human capital” factors make it 82 cents. ation in performance. For labor-as-a-com-
There is a persistent, unexplained gap modity, individual performance does not
that could be due to discrimination. Any matter and one pay rate fits all. If there
unlawful discrimination is too much. But is no variation in output, then there is no
expending appreciable resources to pursue reason for pay differentiation. But the re-
a small discrepancy that might be smaller search in selection utility casts doubt that
when explained is not very exciting. On this is the general case; more general is
the other hand, it could be argued that it the rule of thumb that the standard devia-
would be useful to know if there are orga- tion of performance measured in money is
nizational outliers with extreme differenc- around 40% of salary (Schmidt and Hunt-
es that drive a smaller average. er, 1998). Arguably, better performance
should be better paid. But what if level of
How to pursue those differences may not performance (or competence influencing
be simple. Probably the easiest salary performance) is related to EEO protected
system to track is one where jobs are nar- class? I-Os have been dealing with that
rowly defined, pay raises are either step in defending employment tests with ad-
increases at specified intervals or across- verse impact. Reviews such as McKay and
the-board adjustments, and performance McDaniel’s (2006) meta-analysis indicate
evaluations (short of grounds for termi- racial differences in performance but with
nation) have no impact on pay. That’s my complexity regarding types of data.
situation, but it may not be commonplace,
not even in the federal government. Pay Although some dismiss the very concept
for performance, variable pay, pay bands, of the pay report as wrong headed, the
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 77
 likelihood that it will be next year’s real- the proposal for the reporting rule. Law
ity invites consideration of how to make firm blogs and newsletters covering the
the best scientific use of it. That is where rule are urging clients to examine their pay
SIOP—as well as other professional societ- practices now (under attorney–client priv-
ies—ought to be claiming a role. Chiming ilege), well in advance of September 2017.
in on the specifics of the proposed rule is The irony, of course, is that the data might
the obvious thing. The Sage and NRC re- show little worth pursuing, because the
ports would seem natural starting points egregious discrepancies (if any) have been
for constructive comments. What are the fixed by the time a charge could be filed.
limitations of data usage in the proposal? But that would not be a bad thing.
What questions can, and cannot, be ad-
dressed by data collected under it? Are And on a personal note, let me say that
there enhancements that could be adopt- it was a privilege and a pleasure to have
ed relatively easily, given the competing in- served my legal watch under our outgoing
terests of detail, cost, and confidentiality? TIP Editor Morrie Mullins.

Beyond that are the larger issues underly- References

ing pay equity. These have all likely been
addressed by one study or another—per- Ay, G., Holt, R., & Reardon, E. (2016, February
haps with different conclusions. But now 10). Interpreting EEOC’s equal pay statistical
is the time to bring this information to- tests. Law360. Retrieved from http://www.
gether to define where there is generally law360.com/articles/757291/interpret-
ing-eeoc-s-equal-pay-statistical-tests.html
accepted professional practice and where
Blau, F. D. & Kahn, L. M. (2016). The gender
practice is greatly in need to be informed wage gap: Extent, trends, and explanations.
by research. This is a role for broad-based National Bureau of Economic Research
professional groups rather than for those Working Paper 21913. Retrieved from http://
pursuing critical but limited facets of ww.nber.org/papers/w21913
pay-related issues. Performance evalua- Cauterucci, C. (2016, February 16). The U.K.
tion, compensation systems, and statistical is set to publicly shame companies that pay
methodology are broad areas for consider- women less than men. Slate Magazine. Re-
ation. How do I-Os and other stakeholders trieved from http://www.slate.com/blogs/
(folks such as EEOC investigators) know xx_factor/2016/02/16/gender_wage_gap_
in_the_u_k_to_be_addressed_with_pub-
when these are effective and fair? There
lic_shame_database.html
may be no one, simple answer for each EEOC (2016, February 1). Agency information
area. But a start needs to be made if man- collection activities: Revision of the employer
agement systems and EEO enforcement information report (EEO–1) and comment
are to have a sane coexistence. request. Federal Register, 81, 5113–5121.
Retrieved from https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/
The next year or two could be very interest- pkg/FR-2016-02-01/pdf/2016-01544.pdf
ing regarding pay issues. Credit EEOC with EEOC v. Bloomberg L.P., No. 07 Civ. 8383
scoring some early points just by making (S.D.N.Y. 9/12/2013).

78 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

EEOC v. Port Authority of NY & NJ, No. No. ing data could be collected from employers
13–2705 (2nd Cir. 9/29/2014). on EEOC’s survey collection systems (EEO1,
McKay, P. F. & McDaniel, M. A. (2006). A reex- EEO-4, and EEO5 survey reports) and develop
amination of black–white mean differences burden cost estimates for both EEOC and re-
in work performance: More data, more mod- spondents for each of EEOC surveys (EEO-1,
erators. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, EEO-4, and EEO-5). Retrieved from http://
538–554. www.eeoc.gov/employers/eeo1survey/pay-
National Research Council. (2013). Collect- pilot-study.pdf
ing compensation data from employers. Schmidt, F. L. & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity
Washington, DC: The National Academies and utility of selection methods in personnel
Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/ psychology: Practical and theoretical implica-
catalog/13496/collecting-compensation-da- tions of 85 years of research findings. Psycho-
ta-from-employers logical Bulletin, 124, 262–274.
Sage Computing. (2015). Final report: To con-
duct a pilot study for how compensation earn-

Temecula Valley
Wine Tour
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Cost: $125/person
Space is limited so sign up today when you register for the
2016 SIOP Annual Conference!
Click here for more information.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 79

 SIOP Government Relations Introduces the
Policing Reform Initiative to Congressional Staff
In February, SIOP President-Elect Jim Outtz joined Lew-
is-Burke for a series of meetings with representatives from
Capitol Hill and nongovernmental organizations to highlight
the impacts and applications of I-O evidence-based research
on policing reform, to urge stakeholders to apply I-O research
to related policies and programs, and to position and pro-
mote SIOP as a collaborator and resource for these organiza-
tions going forward.

The meetings were part of a nearly year-long comprehensive

initiative that began with a discussion led by Lewis-Burke at
the April 2015 Annual Conference. During the conversation,
Dr. Outtz proposed developing a government relations ini-
Expanding the Impact of tiative on policing as a way to apply I-O to an active federal
I-O Across the Federal policy debate by leveraging SIOP members’ research on police
Government recruitment and selection processes, leadership, individual and
organizational decision making, and training. Following the
meeting, Lewis-Burke began working with Dr. Outtz to create
a working group to coordinate I-O efforts in this space and con-
sider evidence-based solutions to complex policing challenges.

In June 2015, SIOP and Lewis-Burke facilitated the first

working group call, including SIOP members Dr. Frederick
Oswald, Dr. Michelle Hebl, Dr. Kevin Ford, Dr. Daniel
Seth Kaplan Newman, Dr. Leaetta Hough, Dr. Cindy McCauley, and Dr.
George Mason Ann Marie Ryan. Over the next several months the working
University group held several more calls. During the discussions,
Lewis-Burke contributed updates on policing concerns and
solutions discussed by members of Congress; the Obama
Administration and federal agencies; and nongovernmental
stakeholders—such as the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine—while SIOP members considered
relevant I-O research and models to address these issues.
Through this process, Lewis-Burke and SIOP developed
a strategy to draft a series of guidance documents that
Laura Uttley categorized I-O findings in key areas, such as police
Lewis-Burke recruitment and selection processes, leadership, and training
Associates LLC to share with and inform key federal decision makers
80 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
identified by Lewis-Burke. In January, the Over the past year, the federal conver-
guidance documents were finalized and sation on policing reform has proven to
posted on the SIOP Government Relations be an enduring topic that has sparked
website, which set the stage for the various reviews of policies and programs
advocacy meetings. and reformed guidelines from federal
The first wave of meetings facilitated agencies, bipartisan congressional hear-
by Lewis-Burke were with a number of ings and legislation, and numerous reports
bipartisan, bicameral congressional offices and discussions held by think tanks and
that have been heavily involved in the stakeholder organizations. It was also
ongoing conversation over policing reform, mentioned in the President’s 2016 State
including the offices of Senator Ben Cardin of the Union address, as well as on the
(D-MD), Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), Rep. presidential campaign trail. The stakehold-
Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), and Rep. Elijah er meetings affirmed that there is a desire
Cummings (D-MD). The meetings were for more information and consideration
a complete success, as staff from each of evidence-based solutions to complex
office expressed interest in learning more issues on policing, and through the efforts
about the I-O-backed solutions outlined in of SIOP’s working group on policing, the
the guidance documents and pledged to Society is well-positioned to continue to
consider engaging SIOP as a consultative advocate for the consideration of I-O in
resource in future discussions on policing future discussions.
reform. The second wave of meetings
included discussions with Democratic In addition to providing a voice in the
staff from the House Judiciary Committee; federal discussion on policing, SIOP’s
Republican staff from the Senate Judicia- convening of a topical working group that
ry Committee; and Poornima Madhavan, promotes prolonged membership engage-
director of the National Academies of ment and focuses on a key government
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Board relations initiative will provide a lasting
on Human-Systems Integration (BOHSI). framework for future advocacy initia-
Lewis-Burke and SIOP will continue to in- tives. The success of this endeavor opens
teract with these offices and maintain the the door for new opportunities to bridge
relationships built through these meetings. member interests with federal policies
and the development of an active base for
government relations activities at SIOP.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 81

82 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 Past, Present, and Future of Technology and
Social Media in the Workplace
Over the past 3 years, we’ve highlighted technology and social
media trends in this column that were having a large impact
in the workplace. Those key trends included big data, adaptive
training, virtual reality, gamification, simulations, and social
media, as well as virtual communication and teamwork. Every
so often, we find it’s important to step back and reflect in or-
der to learn and prepare for the future of the field. This issue
will cover the trends we’ve seen since the inception of The
Modern App that we believe are here to stay. We also provide
suggestions for how you can learn more about these topics!
Application of Modern
#1 SIOP Trend of the Future: Big Data
Technology and Social
Media in the Workplace In our October of 2013 issue, we wrote about big data, ex-
plaining how organizations were beginning to use big data
to recruit, retain, and manage employees throughout their
journey at a company. In addition, we explored how big data
was being leveraged to create customized, and personalized
learning experiences based on one’s knowledge or skill set.
Our research and experience in this area has shown that the
availability of big data is changing the way I-O psychologists
are thinking about the next generation of selection and train-
ing. For more information about adaptive training trends, be
Nikki Blacksmith sure to check out our April of 2015 issue.
The George
When looking at the trends today, we feel confident to say: Big
Washington University
data is here to stay! By examining the #1 SIOP workplace trend
this year “Leveraging and Maximizing Big Data and Applying
the Correct Analytics to Make Better Business Decisions,” we
can see other I-O psychologists would agree with this assess-
ment. For the full list of 2016 workplace trends, check out the
official SIOP list.

Excitingly, this year at #SIOP16 there are eight big data pre-
sentations and workshops alone. These sessions will highlight
the use of big data and how it will continue to advance our
thinking on many topics such as recruitment, retention, per-
Tiffany Poeppelman formance management, and even leadership, which is typically
LinkedIn characterized by smaller data (Wiita, Dollwet, Harrell, Rodda,
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 83
 & Strange, 2016). In addition, new predic- on March 1, led by Richard Landers (@
tion models and algorithms will be shared, rnlanders). You can either search the
such as random forests and gradient Twitter feed or read the summary of
boosted trees, which are being leveraged that discussion at my.siop.org/chat.
to help I-O psychologists handle big data. The forum is similar to Ask Me Anything
We will also learn about new methods of (AMA) on Reddit.
gathering big data, such as theory-driven ○ How it works: You participate by fol-
web scraping, which are also emerging lowing the hashtag #SIOPchat during
(Cavanaugh, Brusso, Collmus, & Landers, a designated day and time and hear
2016). from speakers talking about a specific
topic. You can either read and follow,
One particularly exciting technological or engage and ask! Simple as that.
advancement in the big data arena is the ○ Be sure to join us on Saturday, April
metaBUS project. In order to make this a 16 at 2:30 PM PT to ask questions
reality, many I-O psychologists have come and discuss our annual conference
together to develop a cloud-based tech- with SIOP Conferences and Programs
nology tool for finding, curating, synthe- Officer Evan Sinar (@evansinar)!
sizing, and disseminating research findings ● Attend any of the #SIOP16 big data
based on nearly one million correlations presentations this year in Anaheim and
reported in I-O psychology journals within connect with other experts in the space
the last 25 years. We highly recommend to see what type of research they are
reading the recently published article that conducting and learn about their previ-
was included in a new open-access I-O ous research findings.
journal called Personnel Assessments and ● Sign up for a master tutorial on Thurs-
Decisions. day and a seminar on Friday at #SIOP16
that will teach you how to conduct big
Even though we are learning a ton about data predictive analytics using R.
(and from) big data, we as a field are still ● Attend SIOP’s Leading Edge Consortium
challenged with several issues regarding in October of 2016, which will be focused
measurement, analysis, validity, and legal on—you guessed it—big data! At the con-
consequences. I-O psychologists must sortium, experts will explore and discuss
strive to understand how to gather and technologies for gathering data, new ana-
analyze big data to keep up with organiza- lytic methodologies, and new approaches
tional practices. for displaying and exploring data.

If you’re interested in learning about big Technology-Enhanced Assessment

data and how to use it, you’re in luck!
Below are a few ways in which you can Throughout most of our issues, we’ve high-
deepen your knowledge: lighted the evolution of testing and assess-
ments due to new technologies and appli-
● Revisit the discussion from our first cations being used in recruitment, hiring,
#SIOPchat on Twitter, which took place and promotion. Virtual reality, gamification,

84 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

and simulation trends are continuing to New technologies are not only changing
take shape at rapid pace and are embed- the way individuals interact and commu-
ded into workplace practices. For example, nicate with and within organizations, they
many organizations are using virtual reality are also creating new measurement and
or simulations to not only assess whether administration challenges. For example, in
the applicant can do the job or fit in with virtual reality assessments, applicants are
the organization but also to provide appli- no longer responding to a single item but
cants with a realistic job preview (Winkler, rather interacting with a more complex
2006). This gives applicants a better pre- and more realistic workplace environment.
view of what it would be like to work for This change presents difficulty in teasing
that organization and determine whether out the specific constructs that one wishes
they think they might enjoy working in the to measure. New technologies can also
organization. Ideally, applicants who do not introduce other visual components that
believe they will a fit with the job or organi- affect applicant performance. For instance,
zation will self-select out of the application Skype interviews have a picture-in-picture
process, and the ones that do see a fit will component that allows applicants to see
continue through recruitment process. In themselves in an interview, which can
turn, organizations should expect an appli- increase cognitive load (Horn & Behrend,
cant pool with more qualified applicants. 2016). Internet testing, which we dis-
Simulations are more recently being devel- cussed in our October of 2015 issue, pres-
oped for virtual assessment centers, which ents opportunities for cheating and piracy.
are almost always conducted as in-person
events. Check out some demonstrations Even though measurement challenges
of simulations being used in organizations: are present, we are learning it is possible
sample demos. You can also watch a video that new technologies can address con-
about how one organization, Swarovski, cerns with more traditional paper and
uses avatar-based assessments. pencil tests. For example, a recent study
by Tenbrink, Delgado, and Kinney (2016)
Our October of 2014 issue focused on how provided evidence that simulation-based
video-based technology is being leveraged cognitive ability measures have smaller
to enhance recruitment and selection subgroup differences while maintaining
processes. Organizations are using videos comparable validity to traditional mea-
as a recruitment tool to show short clips of sures. All in all, much empirical evidence
the organization and what it is like to work is still needed to support the validity and
there as well as using video conferences to use of these assessments. Also, a greater
communicate with applicants. Video tech- understanding of applicant reactions to
nology is used in selection in several ways. these assessments is needed. We have a
Applicants are now creating video resumés, lot of work ahead of us to provide best
video-based situational judgment tests, practices in developing psychometrically
prerecording a video in which they answer sound assessments using virtual reality
a set of interview questions as well as vid- technologies, but the benefits of these
eo conferencing to conduct interviews. tools are promising!

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 85

 At #SIOP16, you will have the ability to In our July of 2014 issue, we highlighted
attend several sessions related to these ways in which social media has changed
topics, including but not limited to: the recruitment landscape. Since then,
we’ve continued to see social media
● 3D Virtual Games and How They Can penetrate organizations, shape policies
Increase Learning of Business Ethics and decisions from obtaining and selecting
(Jagger, Nguyen, & Sloan, 2016) talent, and create an organizational online
● A Meta-Analysis of Virtual Reality branding through outreach. This is high-
Hardware, Software, and Participant lighted through this year’s #10 workplace
Populations (Howard, Lee, Dogru, Rose, trend “Using Social Media to Make Em-
Mahla, & Millard, 2016) ployment-Related Decisions.” Several SIOP
● A Theory of Training-Technology Fit and sessions this year will aid in moving this
Virtual Reality: A Meta-Analysis (How- conversation forward.
ard, Lee, Rose, Dogru, Millard, & Mahla,
2016) There is no doubt that in the future, orga-
● Acquisition of KSAOs Through Online nizations will continue to use social media
Games and Virtual Team Collaborations to make decisions and drive organizational
(Siriabian, Weidner, & Prewett, 2016) practices. One of our greatest challenges
● Extending the Uncanny Valley Theory to as #SIOP members will be to help organiza-
Simulations (Lee et al., 2016) tions use social media in a responsible and
● Going Mobile: Empirical Evidence From ethical manner (especially in the hiring
Higher-Fidelity Mobile Simulations context) based on empirical support.
(O’Connell et al., 2016)
● Meaningful Gamification in an Indus- I-O Psychology Branding Through Social
trial Organizational Psychology Course Media
(Earnest & Stansbury, 2016)
● Simulation Games and Their Effective- We would be remiss if we did not men-
ness in the Socialization Process (How- tion the importance of social media in the
ard, Rose, Dogru, Millard, Mahla, Gui, & visibility of SIOP and I-O psychology. In our
Lee, 2016) January of 2014 article, we described how
● Using Gamification to Improve Training we can use social media to increase our
Reactions and Learning (Armstrong & visibility as I-O psychologists and in turn
Landers, 2016) help create greater awareness for the I-O
● Validity of Simulation-Based Cognitive field. We are delighted to say that there is
Ability Measures (Tenbrink, Delgado, & firm evidence showing an increase in our
Kinney, 2016) presence on social media! Don’t believe
● Video Killed the Interview Star: Does us? Check out Paul Thoresen’s “80 #IO-
Picture-in-Picture Affect Interview Per- Psych Pros to follow on Twitter.”
formance? (Horn & Behrend, 2016).
Although the number of I-O psychologists
Social Media in the Workplace and I-O discussing I-O related matters on social
Field: Still Going Strong! media has greatly increased, we think there

86 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

is still more work to be done to build our Virtual Communication and Teamwork:
brand as the “visible and trusted authority Evolving Workplaces
on workplace psychology” (Reynolds, 2013).
Please be sure to keep posting and using our In our January of 2015 issue, we wrote
two core hashtags: #IOPsych and #SIOP. about virtual teams in which we shared
several technologies available to improve
Want to learn more about social media virtual communication and collaboration.
best practices and/or contribute to build- In addition, we highlighted that one of the
ing our brand? most immediate issues requires leaders to
gain a new understanding of how to man-
● Attend top social media sessions at SIOP: age virtual teams. As we’ve seen through
○ Developing a Structural Framework our own experiences in practice, virtual
for Social Media Assessments in Hir- work continues to increase in prevalence.
ing (Hartwell & Campion, 2016) With the increase in virtual work also
○ Social Media Strikes Selection: Chal- comes both improvements and challenges
lenges of the Technological Era (Mills in collaboration and communication.
et al., 2016)
○ Social Media for Employment De- With no surprise, coming in at #3 on SIOP’s
cisions: The Risk, Reward, and Un- Top 10 Workplace Trends of 2016 is “Man-
known (Chambers et al., 2016) aging Virtual Teams” as well as #2 which
○ Social Media and Ethics: The Role of focuses on “Trends in Technology Are
Context and Personality (Chauan & Changing the Way Work Is Done.” There is
Connelly, 2016) no room for debate—organizations are be-
○ Last, Be sure to attend “Tweet, Post, coming increasingly reliant on technology.
and Link: Creating a Presence and We are likely to continue to see this trend,
Brand Online” and say hello to Tiffany! particularly with regards to the use of
○ This session will provide practical technology-mediated communication in all
guidance for using LinkedIn and aspects of the talent management process
Twitter to develop an online pres- including recruitment, selection, training,
ence and increase the visibility of and performance management.
I-O psychology! She will be delight-
ed to discuss this issue which we Want to learn more? Check out the related
highlighted in a past column or any #SIOP16 presentations that will help advance
other social media questions you our understanding of virtual work including:
might have!
● Share your SIOP presentations, research ● Shared leadership in virtual teams
findings, and favorite conference mo- (Hoch & Dulebohn, 2016)
ments using #SIOP16! ● Trust in virtual teams (Coovert, Mill-
● Last, stop by the ECC Social Media table er, Bennett, & Martin, 2016; Lee &
at SIOP. We will be near the wifi lounge Coovert, 2016)
so come by to gather fun swag and ● Acquisition of KSAO’s Through Online
learn about ways you can stay informed Games and Virtual Team Collaborations
through social media. (Sirabian, Weidner, & Prewett, 2016)
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 87
 Other Virtual Relationship Trends Anyone interested in joining forces or who
is already conducting research involving
Another type of impact we are seeing technology should attend their session
across these virtual workplaces and sys- “Developing a Conceptual Model of Tech-
tems is a shift in the performance man- nology Applied to I-O Psychology” to hear
agement technologies that are supporting about the creation of a comprehensive
organizational practices such as coaching. framework to help create a priori hypothe-
In our January of 2016 issue, you will find ses and grounded predictions.
examples of the types of technologies
that exist now which are enabling new Continue to Engage in Interdisciplinary
approaches to growing our managers and Work
teams within the workplace, both virtually
and in-person. For those of us who’ve had the privilege
of working with cross-functional partners
Conclusion across various disciplines like software
developers, computer programmers, and
As always, moving forward we must work human factor engineers, we know commu-
hard to bridge the science–practice gap nication and collaboration is critical. In our
that still exists in the workplace. The great April of 2014 issue, we highlighted meth-
news—we as I-O psychologists can work to- ods and best practices for I-O psychologists
gether to improve our research and practice to partner effectively with these teams.
with regards to technology in the work-
place. Below are two key areas of focus that Given each of these fields have its own
we believe can make the difference: language and focus, there still remains a
set of barriers and challenges given the
Develop a Comprehensive Framework complexity of the range of field partners.
Some barriers highlighted include miscom-
In research, we need to continuously strive munication, lack of a clear vision, or shift-
to create a framework that addresses the ing of tasks. By focusing on gaining shared
technological attributes rather than the mental models and clear understanding of
type of technology if we want to gain a project goals, we can ensure the rigor and
deep understanding of how technology im- research is built into the technologies that
pacts the workplace. For instance, Potosky are used in the workplace. Two examples
(2008) has developed an initial foundation- of good collaboration include pulling the
al framework to understand technology in right performance data within training
the assessment process of which we can technologies, systems and simulations, or
expand. This year at SIOP, I-O psycholo- leveraging the correct models to assess
gists such as Neil Morelli, Seymour Adler, candidates in a selection tool.
Winfred Arthur, Denise Potosky, and Nancy
Tippins are leading the charge on develop- Looking to learn more? Check out the
ing such a comprehensive framework. “You’re the “I” to my “O”: Developing
Successful Interdisciplinary Experiences”

88 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

session at #SIOP16 to learn about ways measure, how employees learn, where and
I-O psychologists can benefit from engag- when work gets done, and who we partner
ing in interdisciplinary research and build with to optimize I-O tools for end users
networks across domains! and business stakeholders (e.g., program-
mers, graphics designers, user experience
As we can see, these and other related experts). Through my role working with the
topics will continue to emerge and morph SIOP Conference, I’ve also seen technology
over the years to come. We are certainly surge to become a distinct and popular
excited to continue following the trends session topic, after only 2 years as its own
at our annual conference as well as on content area becoming the 13th-ranked
through our social media channels! (out of 34) topic on the 2016 program. In
the previous pages, Nikki and Tiffany have
New Changes to the Authors of The Mod- adeptly summarized an incredible 3 years
ern App: of technology shaping I-O (and vice-versa).
I look forward to sharing my commentary
To our readers: It is with mixed feelings and viewpoints on what’s sure to be a nev-
that we share that this will be Nikki’s last er-dull ride through the next 3!
issue as the coauthor of The Modern App.
As Nikki makes her next play into the A word from Nikki - First and foremost,
world of academia, we wish her well and thank you to all of our modern app readers
hope to bring her back for the occasion- and to my dear friend and colleague, Tiffa-
al issue on technology and social media ny! It’s been a fun adventure writing with
with regards to recruitment, selection, or Tiffany and following all the exciting work
assessment. ;) coming from the I-O experts in technology
and social media! I’ve very much enjoyed
However, we are writing over the past three years and look
delighted to share forward to reading the column as Tiffany
that Evan Sinar will be takes it forward. Please stay in touch and
stepping in as the new let me know what trends you are seeing in
coauthor of The Mod- your research and workplace!
ern App! Please join us
in welcoming Evan!

A word from Evan: I’m excited for the Nikki & Tiffany
opportunity to join Tiffany for future in- at #SIOP14
stallments of the Modern App! In my role #memories
as a I-O practitioner, I’ve seen technology
advance from a way to merely replicate tra-
ditional processes in electronic form (think
the earliest days of online testing), to open-
ing nearly infinite possibilities for what we

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 89

 Contact the authors on LinkedIn: risk, reward and unknown. Panel discussion
Nikki Blacksmith, Tiffany Poeppel- presented at the 31st Annual Conference of
man & Evan Sinar the Society for Industrial and Organizational
Contact the authors on Twitter: Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
Chauhan, R., & Connelly, S. (2016). Social
@NikkiBlacksmith, @TRPoeppel-
media and ethics: The role of context and per-
man, & @EvanSinar sonality. Poster presented at the 31st Annual
Conference of the Society for Industrial and
For a full list, below is the timeline of our Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
columns together over the past 3 years: Coovert, M., Miller, E.P., Bennett, W., & Martin,
J. (2016). Development of trust in virtual
● The Modern App hits the press! - July teams through latent growth modeling. Post-
2013 Issue er presented at the 31st Annual Conference of
● Big Data Technologies- October 2013 the Society for Industrial and Organizational
Issue Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
Earnest, D., & Stansbury, J. (2016). Meaningful
● Personal Branding - Jan 2014 Issue
gamification in an industrial organizational
● Multidisciplinary Teams - April 2014 psychology course. Poster presented at the
Issue 31st Annual Conference of the Society for
● Social Media & Tech Change Recruit- Industrial and Organizational Psychology,
ment - July 2014 Issue Anaheim, CA.
● Video-Based Technology - Oct 2014 Hartwell, C., & Campion, M. (2016). Develop-
Issue ing a structural framework for social media
● Virtual Workplaces - Jan 2015 Issue assessments in hiring. Poster presented at
● Adaptive Training - April 2015 Issue the 31st Annual Conference of the Society
● A Year in Review - July 2015 Issue for Industrial and Organizational Psychology,
Anaheim, CA.
● Internet Testing - Oct 2015 Issue
Hoch, J. E., & Dulebohn, J. R. (2016). Team
● Performance Management Tech for Or- member personality composition and shared
ganizational Coaching - Jan 2016 Issue leadership in virtual teams. Poster presented
at the 31st Annual Conference of the Society
References for Industrial and Organizational Psychology,
Anaheim, CA.
Armstrong, M., & Landers, R. (2016). Using Horn, R. & Behrend, T. (2016). Video killed the
gamification to improve training reactions interview star: Does picture-in-picture affect
and learning. Poster presented at the 31st An- interview performance? Poster presented at
nual Conference of the Society for Industrial the 31st Annual Conference of the Society
and Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA. for Industrial and Organizational Psychology,
Cavanaugh, K., Brusso, R., Collmus, A., & Anaheim, CA.
Landers, R. (2016). Web scraping: Automatic Howard, M., Lee, J., Dogru, E., Rose, J., Mah-
extraction of big data for I-O psychology. Post- la, E., & Millard, L. (2016). A meta-analysis
er presented at the 31st Annual Conference of of virtual reality hardware, software, and
the Society for Industrial and Organizational participant populations. Poster presented at
Psychology, Anaheim, CA. the 31st Annual Conference of the Society
Chambers, R., Davison, K., Weathington, B., for Industrial and Organizational Psychology,
Bergman, S., Winter, J., & Tamanini, K. (2016). Anaheim, CA.
Social media for employment decisions: The
90 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
Howard, M., Lee, J., Rose, J., Dogru, E., Mil- (2016). Going mobile: Empirical evidence from
lard, L., & Mahla, E. (2016). A theory of higher-fidelity mobile simulations. Symposium
training-technology fit and virtual reality: A presentation at the 31st Annual Conference of
meta-analysis. Poster presented at the 31st the Society for Industrial and Organizational
Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
and Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA. Potosky, D. (2008). A conceptual framework for
Howard, M., Rose, J., Dogru, E., Millard, L., the role of the administration medium in the
Mahla, E., Gui, F., & Lee, J. (2016). Knowing personnel assessment process. Academy of
an organization, digitally: Simulation games Management Review, 33(3), 629-648.
in the socialization process. Poster presented Reynolds, D. (2013). A message from your pres-
at the 31st Annual Conference of the Society ident. The Industrial-Organizational Psychol-
for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, ogist, 50(3). Retrieved from http://www.siop.
Anaheim, CA. org/tip/Jan13/01_reynolds.aspx
Jagger, S., Nguyen, H., & Sloan, D. (2016). 3D Sirabian, M., Weidner, N., & Prewett, M.
game delivery method impacts on business (2016). Acquisition of KSAOs through on-
ethics learning. Poster presented at the 31st line games and virtual team collaborations.
Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial Roundtable discussion at the 31st Annual
and Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA. Conference of the Society for Industrial and
Lee, J., Howard, M., Rose, J., Dogru, E., Mahla, Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
E., Millard, L., & Gui, F. (2016). Extending the Tenbrink, A., Delgado, K., & Kinney, T. (2016).
uncanny valley theory to simulations. Poster Diversity-validity dilemma of cognitive ability:
presented at the 31st Annual Conference of Simulation versus typical measures. Poster
the Society for Industrial and Organizational presented at the 31st Annual Conference of
Psychology, Anaheim, CA. the Society for Industrial and Organizational
Lee, T., & Coovert, M. (2016). The influence of Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
negative information on trust in virtual teams. Wiita, N., Dollwet, M., Harell, M., Rodda, J., &
Poster presented at the 31st Annual Confer- Strange, J. (2016). Leader analytics: Big data
ence of the Society for Industrial and Organi- meets small(er) numbers. Panel discus-
zational Psychology, Anaheim, CA. sion presented at the 31st Annual Con-
Mills, M., Salute, C., Roulin, N., Shahani-Den- ference of the Society for Industrial and
ning, C., Zickar, M., & Zide, J. (2016). Social
Organizational Psychology, Anaheim, CA.
media strikes selection: Challenges of the
Winkler, C. (2006). HR technology: Job
technological era. Panel Discussion presented
tryouts go virtual. HR Magazine, 51(9).
at the 31st Annual Conference of the Society
Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/
for Industrial and Organizational Psychology,
publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/
Anaheim, CA.
pages/0906hrtech.aspx
O’Connell, M., Ferrell, J., Landers, R., Hudy,
M., Chang, L., Lawrence, A,…Tomczak, K.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 91

 Learning and Development
The first two columns that I wrote “set up” the science–
practitioner issues, and the next three addressed three of the
five significant ways in which I-O contributes to the employee
lifecycle:
• June 2015: Performance Management
• September 2015: Staffing
• January 2016: Strategy and Measurement

This column will tackle the issues related to learning

and development and the July TIP will address talent
management. To find how I-O contributes to all five
employee lifecycle areas, from the SIOP website, click on
“Professionals” and you will see “I-O and the Employee
Lifecycle.”

Many great contributions of psychology to learning and

development are well chronicled by David Kolb in Experiential
Learning (2015), which is the 2nd edition of a book originally
published 30+ years ago—reflecting some of the early
contributions of experiential learning experts such as William
James, Kurt Lewin, John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Carl Jung, Carl
Rogers, Abe Maslow, Eric Erikson and Mary Parker Follett. In
the foreward, Warren Bennis writes (in one of his last writings
prior to his passing):

Kolb’s achievement is in providing the missing link

between theory and practice, between the abstract
generalization and the concrete instance, between the
Richard M. Vosburgh affective and cognitive domains. By this BIG achievement
RMV Solutions LLC he demonstrates conclusively—and is the first to do so, that
learning is a social process based on carefully cultivated
experience which challenges every precept and concept
of what nowadays passes for “teaching”. And with this
major achievement he knowingly shifts the ecology of
learning away from the exclusivity of the classroom (and its
companion, the Lecture) to the workplace, the family, the
carpool, the community, or wherever we gather to work or
play or love. [Foreward, page X]

92 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

Now I have to confide that I thought ev- is performing. We had to learn everything
eryone already knew about this “learning from agricultural science to construction to
through experience” thing a long time ago sales and marketing because we sold the
because between 1971–1975, I attended produce to local grocery stores. Yes, I kept
and graduated from New College in Saraso- a journal on what I was learning, which was
ta, Florida (the last year it was still a private a lot—including why farming is so difficult.
school). In those 4 years I never took a It was frustrating after such great success,
multiple choice test (I had to move on to 8 months into the project a freak hailstorm
graduate school to have that experience destroyed everything. More learning.
again). The professors (who mostly lived
on campus) would not have survived if they During my graduate school years at the
just stood up and lectured. Almost every University of South Florida, our I-O psy-
on-campus “house” had a “living-learn- chology program (under my major profes-
ing community,” and every student every sor Dr. Herbert H. Meyer) had a partner-
quarter would get faculty approval for the ship with a new organization in North Car-
learning contract that documented the olina—The Center for Creative Leadership
student’s commitment for the quarter. It (CCL). I visited there in the late 1970s and
would usually involve some mixture of then got very involved with them during
class, tutorial, special project, internship, my Pepsico years (1981–1990) because
or “experience.” No grades; you simply the leader of Management Development
passed or failed your contract. in Pepsico was Dr. Bob Eichinger, and he
had a developing relationship with Dr.
One such “learning from experience” Mike Lombardo at CCL (which culminated
quarter for me in 1972 was hitchhiking many years later in their firm Lominger
around the country and keeping a journal which they later sold to Korn Ferry). CCL
of my experiences and what I was learn- was instrumental in focusing on the critical
ing from it; and oh, yes, reading all four importance of learning from experience,
volumes of Joseph Campbell’s The Masks and their contribution to the literature on
of God—a deeper dive on the meaning this issue is nothing short of huge. CCL has
of life cannot be had. Then in 1973 I did published many books providing guides
a 6 month “off campus study project” on how to learn on the job and from ex-
when a fellow student’s dad funded our periences (e.g. FYI for Your Improvement
development of a one acre, 10,000 plant [2006] and Eighty-Eight Assignments for
commercial hydroponics farm in Perrine, Development in Place [1989] by Lombardo
south of Miami. Picture a swimming pool and Eichinger; Developmental Assign-
with nutrient solution that pumps through ments: Creating Learning Experiences
PVC pipes and tubing into 10,000 plastic Without Changing Jobs [2006] by Cindy
bags filled with vermiculite, peat moss McCauley).
and sand; and picture all 10,000 plants
performing strongly because if one is not, As the current chairman of the board
you rip it out and replace it with one that at HRPS (www.hrps.org), I have had the
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 93
 chance to work with some great people good discussion of some of these chang-
over the last 20+ years, one being Dr. David es. For this discussion let’s call them mega
Miller who served on the HRPS board from changes, of which there are at least three.
2009–2013. In 2000 at Duke University he
was a founding member of Duke Corporate The first of these mega changes is the
Education. For over 13 years David helped sheer complexity of being an employee
provide companies with a customized in a large global (or even a small regional)
learning and development resource that organization. Needed knowledge is in-
combines highly accomplished business creasingly multidimensional. Much learn-
practitioners, academics, and alternative ing of course is technical and determined
learning methods. They must have been by the business needs of the organization;
doing something right because they were but a growing amount of important knowl-
ranked #1 worldwide in custom executive edge is tacit, things learned outside the
education for the last 10 rankings, accord- normal channels of business activity. This
ing to Financial Times and BusinessWeek. is precisely in the realm of experiential
David helped grow the company from an learning. Think of the many times where
$8M base in 2000 to a $70M corporation a business strategy and tactics needed to
in 2008. He would collaborate with key be changed as a consequence of develop-
corporate executives to help design solu- ments in a completely different field. The
tions that address their company’s most impact of cell phones on credit cards and
pressing human capital development chal- banking comes to mind. Or the influence
lenges. Presently, he is principal of Ashby of wireless communication on automobile
Street Advisory. I reached out to David and interiors.
asked for his perspective on learning and
development within organizations, and he A second significant sea change has been
graciously offered the following. in the way we conceptualize the resolution
of problems. A fabulous treatment of this
In thinking about the evolution of learning issue is provided in David Dotlich’s The Un-
and development over the past decade finished Leader (2014). Much of what we
and a half it is easy to see lots of changes, are asking employees to learn and develop
as there have been in every other field. To does not have an acknowledged end point.
think about learning and development we Imagine the difference between solving a
have to first understand what it is we want problem, which ostensibly has a solution,
people to learn, and what abilities we want and wrestling with a paradox, which does
them to develop. It could be argued that not. Accepting that learning and devel-
“leadership development” is a subcategory opment is never complete leads one im-
of learning and development, and as such it mediately into the realm of judgment and
has offered some clarity around the chang- intuition; again the space of experiential
ing nature of learning and development. learning. A great example is the topic be-
Duke Corporate Education’s 2013 CEO Study, ing discussed here; the organization that
entitled “Leading in Context,” gives a really arrives at the point of believing that learn-
94 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
ing and development are “done” will be can benefit organizations in the employee
sorely disappointed. lifecycle. Of particular importance, from
my perspective, are program (or project)
A third and final mega change has to do design, leadership development, and exec-
with the nature of the learners them- utive coaching. Design is critical because it
selves. An excellent starting point to invariably presages project success. Lead-
examine this notion is Daniel Pink’s 2011 ership development is essential, and today
book Drive. Long gone is the passivity of most organizations admit they do not have
learners showing up for whatever course in place the leadership talent to execute
HR has created. Employees, especially their current business strategies (to say
young ones, have strong opinions about nothing of future strategies). Good exec-
their own development, and about mean- utive coaching often makes the difference
ing and purpose in their lives. This has in leadership performance. Just as clinical
been driven by very bad corporate be- psychologists often choose a colleague to
havior of the past several decades, the be a “supervisor,” someone to serve as a
corporate social responsibility movement, mirror and to discuss tactics, performance,
the multicultural nature of societies, and and difficult circumstances, so should se-
growing global inequality. nior organizational executives.

So what does this mean for organizations Another perspective comes from David
and the role of I-O psychology within Wentworth and Mollie Lombardi of the
them? Richard’s 2015 articles in TIP out- Brandon Hall Group in a 2014 article in
line the long involvement of I-O psycholo- Training Magazine entitled “5 Trends for
gists in some organizations, though sadly the Future of Learning and Development.”
this has been far from universal. Many They conducted a study with 569 organi-
organizations still do not see human cap- zations and identified the following trends
ital development as a top priority. In my and ongoing issues:
experience learning and development is a
corporate responsibility that simply cannot • Going mobile. Mobile has transformed
be outsourced; it is too intertwined with the way companies work, interact, and
the organization’s culture, its ultimate collaborate. Despite this, companies are
purpose, and its level of employee engage- still slow to embrace mobile learning
ment. The most effective and most cost solutions, with only 10% using mobile
effective model is to have an appropriately Web-based learning solutions.
sized cadre of internal I-O psychologists • Understanding social. Companies are
who are capable and excited about engag- embracing social media and social col-
ing in the trenches but who also have a laboration tools to engage employees
solid connection back to academia. and build a culture of learning. Howev-
er, of the 59% of companies using social
Toward the end of this column, Richard of- for their learning strategies, relatively
fers seven ways in which I-O psychologists few (24%) say they are effective.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 95
 • Considering adaptive learning. Adap- • Defining the methods for teaching and
tive learning lets employees learn at acquiring necessary skills and abilities
their own pace. They can be monitored • Training program design and delivery
individually, in real time, to determine • Leadership assessment and develop-
the learning approach that best suits ment programs
their needs. This takes considerable • Internal and external executive coaching
skill and time to accomplish. • The metrics used to assess each of
• Aligning with business objectives. these programs.
“Training” has operated in silos with
little input from other areas of the Organizational outcomes that can be influ-
business. Training in the future must be enced by high quality learning and devel-
closely aligned with corporate strate- opment programs include:
gies to help companies achieve results.
Of companies aligning learning and • Improving the bottom-line perfor-
business priorities (48%), more than mance of the organization by giving
70% improved company revenue. employees the skills needed to excel;
• Measuring effectiveness. To determine • Reducing external recruiting costs by
if a learning strategy is driving business developing internal employees and
outcomes, companies must consis- preparing them to take on greater lead-
tently measure its effectiveness. Many ership roles;
companies tend to consider employee • Increasing employee retention by visi-
satisfaction over more concrete busi- bly demonstrating to employees an in-
ness metrics such as turnover, reten- vestment in their career development
tion, or financial measures. and growth.

The information in the next few para- How Can I-O Psychologists Help?
graphs is presented on the SIOP website
to help us better understand how I-O 1. Facilitation. I-O psychologists can help
psychology can benefit organizations in senior leaders articulate business ob-
each phase of the employment lifecycle. jectives and identify the key employee
The SIOP website points out that learning skills and abilities required to execute
and development in organizations can be the organization’s business strategies.
greatly improved based on what we have 2. Defining the need. I-O psychologists
learned through the science of psycholo- can conduct analyses to determine the
gy. Learning and development helps orga- most prevalent employee skill gaps in
nizations build and maintain internal ca- an organization in order to prioritize the
pabilities so they can successfully execute content and focus of training programs.
their strategies and often includes: 3. Building the learning strategy and
frameworks. I-O psychologists can
• Identifying key employee skills and help organizations create systems and
abilities approaches that align training and
96 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 development programs with business Unquestionably, I-O psychologists work-
goals (e.g., driving revenue). ing with human resources and leadership
4. Program design/delivery. I-O psychol- teams can make a big difference in provid-
ogists can design and deliver training ing organizationally relevant learning and
content to meet the particular needs of development programs and experiences
an organization, identifying and focus- that contribute to the goals of the orga-
ing on areas where skill gaps exist and nization and help deliver expected results
adapting messaging and content to the for the stakeholders.
organization’s culture and goals.
5. Leadership development. I-O psychol- I invite feedback at rmvsolutionsllc@gmail.
ogists are uniquely qualified to develop com.
programs and processes that enable
participants to build and improve lead- References
ership skills. This includes but is not
limited to the use and interpretation of Campbell, J. (1959). The masks of God. New
personality and skill-based assessments, York, NY: Penguin.
assessment centers, instruction, role Dotlich, D. L., Cairo, P. C., & Cowan, C.
plays, and action learning assignments. (2014). The unfinished leader: Balancing
contradictory answers to unsolvable
6. Executive coaching. I-O psychologists
problems. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass
serve as seasoned and credentialed Wiley.
professionals who work with individu- Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning.
als and teams to help them learn, grow, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education
and change. Coaching engagements Inc.
may focus on imparting specific skills, Lombardo, M. M. & Eichinger, R. W. (2006). FYI
addressing performance issues on the for Your Improvement. Greensboro, NC: CCL.
job, preparing for and facilitating tran- Lombardo, M. M. & Eichinger, R. W. (1989).
sitions to higher levels of leadership, or Eighty-eight assignments for development in
supporting broader changes in individu- place. Greensboro, NC: CCL.
McCauley, C. D. (2006). Developmental
al and group behavior.
assignments: Creating learning experiences
7. Performance and program metrics. without changing jobs. Greensboro, NC: CCL.
Using a results-oriented approach, Pink, D. (2011). Drive: The surprising truth
I-O psychologists can assess the effec- about what motivates us. New York City, NY:
tiveness of learning and development Penguin.
programs and track individual learners’ Wentworth, D. & Lombardi, M. (2014). 5
achievements as a result of program trends for the future of learning and
participation. development. Training Magazine. Retrieved
from https://trainingmag.com/5-trends-
future-learning-and-development

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 97

 Announcing the Schmidt-Hunter
Meta-Analysis Award
Frank Schmidt has provided the leader-
ship to create a new endowment in the
SIOP Foundation. The Schmidt-Hunter
Fund will support the Schmidt-Hunter
Meta-Analysis Award. It will recognize
the best advances related to industrial
and organizational (I-O) psychology as
documented in published research in
which meta-analysis is used. The new
award will be given by SIOP for the first
time in 2017.

Let’s start with some comments about our history and our as-
pirations for I-O practice and science. My generation entered
the field when Thomas Kuhn was writing The Structure of Sci-
entific Revolutions (1962). Already well aware of the role of
peer review and consensus in scientific progress, I was attract-
ed by the notion of a paradigm shift, and I hoped that I could
experience one during the course of my career.

Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, it was clear to us that validity cor-
relations varied a lot, and we easily attributed that variation to
situational differences. When Frank Schmidt and Jack Hunter
Milton D. Hakel began writing about validity generalization, and attributing the
SIOP Foundation variance in validity correlations to statistical artifacts, we were
President deeply skeptical, but indeed a paradigm shift had begun.

Decades later the acceptance and widespread use of me-

ta-analysis marked the completion of the paradigm shift, and
meta-analysis now is a fundamental tool that we use readily to
refine our scientific thinking and practical applications. At the
SIOP Conference in Philadelphia last year, Frank received the
inaugural Dunnette Prize, clear and distinct recognition of the
immense contribution to our field and science in general made
by Frank and Jack’s work.

98 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

Looking to the future, the Schmidt-Hunter Set a plan and act on it. Frank Schmidt
Award will recognize the best meta-analysis did, and you can too. Your calls and ques-
published in the previous 3 calendar years. tions to the SIOP Foundation are always
The meta-analysis can be in any area of I-O welcome, as are gifts of any size. Join us in
psychology or in another discipline or sub- building the smarter workplace.
discipline if there are potential implications
for I-O psychology, even if such implications Milt Hakel, President
are long term or remote. Articles that make [email protected]
important contributions to statistical, mea- (419) 819 0936
surement, and mathematical methods in
meta-analysis can also be considered for Rich Klimoski, Vice-President
the award. Nominations may be made by [email protected]
any current member of SIOP and may be (703) 993 1828
self-nominations. The award will be given
each year and will carry a cash honorarium Nancy Tippins, Secretary
of $1,500. [email protected]
(864) 527 5956
Now for some comments about philan-
thropy, one important practice for building Paul Thayer
our field of applied science. Paradigms [email protected]
shift rarely, and indeed they are built upon (919) 467 2880
the day-to-day R&D conducted within the
field. Frank’s paradigm-shifting scholar- Leaetta Hough
ship and also his generosity in establishing [email protected]
this $75,000 endowment are outstanding (651) 227 4888
examples for each of us.
Adrienne Colella
Regardless of whether you are engaged [email protected]
in day-to-day R&D or the shifting of par- (504) 865 5308
adigms, there will never be a better time
Bill Macey
than now to give your time and money.
[email protected]
Help to encourage practice and research
(847) 751 1409
based on cumulative evidence; it is the key
to the future of I-O psychology. The SIOP The SIOP Foundation
Foundation would like to be among your 440 E Poe Rd Ste 101
beneficiaries. Contribute at http://www. Bowling Green, OH 43402-1355
siop.org/foundation/donate.aspx. 419-353-0032 Fax: 419-352-2645
E-mail: [email protected]

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 99

100
 Data Analysis “Back in the Day”: The Early
Career Experiences of Nine I-O Psychologists
The availability of the personal computer (PC), statistical soft-
ware, and the Internet has had undeniable effects on I-O psy-
chology. Without such technological advances, for instance,
there’d be no virtual teams, no computer-adapted testing, and
no cyberloafing. To better appreciate the impact of technolo-
gy on the current state of our discipline, it’s helpful to reflect
on the technology used in the recent past. In preparing this
installment of the History Corner, we interviewed nine sea-
soned I-O psychologists: Terry Beehr, Ilene Gast, Lawrence
Hanser, Milton Hakel, Norman Peterson, Susan Reilly, Neal
Schmitt, Paul Thayer, and Lauress Wise. We asked them each
to describe the technology they used during their early ca-
reers to conduct data analysis, and we asked them to reflect
on how technological changes have affected the way in which
I-O psychologists conduct research. In the following sections
we discuss how calculators, early computers, and PCs were
used “back in the day” to conduct data analysis. We then dis-
cuss how I-O psychologists wrote their research reports prior
to the advent of PCs and word processing programs.

Jeffrey M. Cucina Conducting Statistical Analyses Using Calculators

U.S. Customs and Border
Protection Many of the interviewees told us that they conducted statisti-
cal analyses using calculators, especially for small datasets and
for class assignments. Thayer told us that he conducted his
doctoral work in the early 1950s in Dr. Herbert Toops’ lab at
Ohio State University. Toops had a mechanical hand-crank cal-
culator in the lab that looked like a typewriter and had a crank
that the user would move forward for addition and multiplica-
tion and backward for subtraction and division. The psychol-
ogy department had a calculator lab, with about 20 machines
Nathan Bowling that graduate students could use for their research. Statistics
Wright State University classes would often have lab sessions in the calculator lab,
and Thayer remembers his fellow students having races to
Note. The views expressed in this paper
are those of the authors and do not see who could do their calculations the fastest. According to
necessarily reflect the views of U.S. Thayer, the calculators at Ohio State University were of the
Customs and Border Protection or the Marchant brand (another common brand was Friden). A pic-
U.S. federal government.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 101

 ture of a Marchant hand-crank calculator addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
is shown in Figure 1. Using the calculator division. Many statistical and psycho-
was laborious as there were often mis- metric equations require calculating the
takes in the calculations and data entry, square root of a number. Hanser told us
which required the user to start over. of an iterative algorithm he knew of to
These calculators had no memory and get an approximation of a square root,
no printout; thus, there was no record of which is illustrated in Table 1. There
what took place other than what the user were other tricks of the trade for simpli-
wrote down. fying statistical computations. Wise, for
example, told us that it was possible to
get the squares and sums of squares in
a single step using a Marchant calculator
by entering the data as a nine-digit string
(e.g., to obtain the sums of squares and
crossproducts for the numbers 4 and 10,
enter 004000010 and square this number
to obtain 16,000,080,000,100, or 16[42],
80[2×4×10], and 100 [102]).

Table 1
Figure 1. This is a Marchant H9 Calculating Step Procedure Input Output
Start with a guess of the square 
Machine. The user would input the numbers 0
root of .92a 0.94
for the calculation using the keyboard; the 1a Divide .92 by the guess . 94 . 92 0.979
numbers that were entered would appear 1b
Obtain the average of the divisor 
0.96
and the result
in the row of nine dials in the upper right
corner of the machine. There is a crank on 2a Divide .92 by the average . 960 . 92 0.958

the right side of the machine that was used Obtain the average of the divisor 

2b 0.959
to conduct the calculations. The user would and the result

rotate the crank forward for addition and 3a Divide .92 by the average .959 .92 0.959
multiplication and backward for subtraction
Obtain the average of the divisor 
and division. The results of the calculation 3b
and the result
0.959
would appear in the row of 18 dials directly
above the keyboard. (Image is from http://
americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/ The introduction of square-root hand-
object/nmah_690715 and appears courtesy of held calculators represented a major
Kenneth E. Behring Center, Division of Medi- convenience for researchers. In fact,
cine & Science, National Museum of American Beehr received one as a Christmas gift in
History, Smithsonian Institution.) the 1970s; it cost approximately $100.
Gast told us about her experiences using
An early type of calculator—the HP statistical calculators in the 1970s,
“four-function calculator”—could only such as the one shown in Figure 2. The
perform four mathematical functions: group she worked in only had one of
102 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
Figure 2. The top image is of an HP-65 calcu-
lator. The middle image shows a black card
that is partially inserted in the calculator. The
card is fully inserted in the bottom image, it
appears above the row of keys labeled A-E.
This card could store programs and data. HP
sold packages of cards for different purposes,
including the two statistical packages (e.g.,
normal distribution, correlation, analysis
of covariance). (Images appear courtesy of
Nigel Tout, Vintage Calculators Web Museum, researchers often used mainframe com-
www.vintagecalculators.com.) puters. Most often the original data for
a study were collected on paper and had
these statistical calculators. It was able to to be loaded into the mainframe comput-
run regression and other statistical analy- er’s memory for analysis. In addition, the
ses and used magnetic strips, called cards, syntax for running the statistical programs
which held programs or data. This was a on the mainframe also had to be inputted.
big advancement from her days as an un- It was not possible to directly input the
dergraduate at American University, which data and syntax into a computer. Instead,
only had a single four-function calculator punch cards, also known as Hollerith1
and a waiting list to use it. cards, were often the primary medium for
inputting data (see Figure 3).2 These were
Calculating With Computers small—often 7⅜” by 3 ¼”—sheets printed
on cardstock that contains 80 columns and
When analyzing larger datasets, using a 12 rows. Data were saved on the punch
calculator was often impractical; therefore, cards by punching out small squares in
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 103
 Figure 3. This figure contains images of two virtual punch cards created on http://www.kloth.net/
services/cardpunch.php. The second image shows the mapping of characters to the holes on the
punch card.
each column, much like the infamous Flori- in each column (the importance of ensur-
da voting machines containing the hanging ing the cards were error free is described
chads in the 2000 presidential election. below).
Thayer remembers hand punching data
for his dissertation using a small handheld Over time the, small handheld machines
machine, such as the ones shown in Figure were replaced by larger keypunch ma-
4. He said it was a good practice to veri- chines. These machines were about the
fy one’s work by placing the card back in size of an upright piano (see Figure 5 for
the machine and repunching it. Mistakes an example) and were run by keypunch
could be identified by looking at the card operators, which quickly became an occu-
to see if more than one hole was punched pation. Most universities contained rooms
104 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 Figure 4. This figure contains three images of manual punch card machines. The first bears
a strong resemblance to that designed by Hollerith. The second machine is the Wright Line
manual card punch and the third is the IBM Type 11 electric keypunch. (The first image is
courtesy of Wikimedia commons and the second and third images are courtesy of Computer
History Museum.)
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 105
 After the cards were punched,
they had to be inputted into
the mainframe computer. This
is the most time-consuming
part of data analysis “back in
the day.” Most campuses only
had one mainframe computer
and everyone on campus had
to share it, not only researchers
but also administrators using
it for processing payroll and
grades. A researcher would
take the cards to the computer
Figure 5. This is the IBM 129, a later model keypunch center and turn them over to
machine. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.) the computer center staff, often
by placing the deck of cards in
of keypunch machines that graduate stu-
a metal tray. Then the wait began. The
dents could use. For those students with
cards were put in a long queue of various
grant funding, keypunch operators could
jobs for the mainframe. After hours—or
be hired to do the actual work. The key-
sometimes days—of waiting, the cards
punch machines contained a keyboard,
would be fed into the machine and the
hopper for new cards, and an output stack
mainframe would conduct the data anal-
for punched cards. A keypunch operator
ysis. The analysis usually went pretty
would enter the data using the keyboard,
quickly—it was the backlog of jobs that the
much like data entry is conducted today
single mainframe computer had to process
on a computer. However, as the data were
that took time.3 In addition, each job’s
typed, holes would be punched on the
cards had to be manually carried to and
punch card. After 80 characters were en-
from the mainframe by a computer opera-
tered, the card moved to the left (where
tor.4 The results of the analysis were out-
it could be inspected) and another card
putted on paper and both the paper and
was fed in from the hopper. After punch-
cards were later collected by the research-
ing the cards, it was often a good idea to
er. Sometimes the entire process from
make a second copy; this could be done
dropping off the punch cards to obtaining
using a duplicating feature on the more
the printout with the results could take
advanced keypunch machines. Some
24 hours (in Gast’s experience) or even 2
historical footage providing more infor-
weeks (in Beehr’s experience).
mation on keypunching are available on
YouTube (see https://www.youtube.com/
If everything went as planned, the analysis
watch?v=oaVwzYN6BP4 and https://www.
was complete and the researcher could
youtube.com/watch?v=YXE6HjN8heg).
begin interpreting the results. However,
things did not always go as planned. If
106 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
there was a mistake in the syntax code, to check the order of the cards after they
then the printed output might reflect this were returned by the computer operator.
(much like what occurs today using mod-
ern statistical software). At other times, Eventually, the process of using punch
the researcher would only receive a print- cards to provide commands to the main-
out stating “JCL [job-control language] frame was replaced by computer dummy
error.” At this point, the researcher would terminals. One such terminal was the
have to determine what the mistake was, DECwriter, a combination keyboard and
repunch a portion of the cards, and then dot matrix printer (see Figure 6). The
head back to the computer center and dummy terminal was not a computer itself
wait. As a result, an error could cost the but was instead used to remotely control a
researcher hours or even days. This is the mainframe computer (such as the IBM 360
reason researchers would spend much or 370) via an acoustic coupler (an early
time double-checking their punch cards dial-up modem). The syntax code could
and thinking carefully about their analyses then be entered using the dummy termi-
and syntax. As several interviewees point- nal, and after the job was completed, the
ed out, you could not simply play around output would be printed on the dummy
with different analyses like some research- terminal. The process is akin to a virtual
ers do today. It simply was too inefficient punch card and dummy terminal “Mad
and time consuming.5

Punch cards were problematic

for other reasons. If a card
was torn or bent it would have
to be repunched. In addition,
cards sometimes became
jammed in the mainframe
computer or other card pro-
cessing machines and had to
be replaced. Hanser remem-
bers having to use a card saw
(a special thin knife without
a handle) to saw through a
set of jammed cards in a card
sorting machine. Researchers
walking across campus were
always fearful of their cards
being dropped or blown away Figure 6. The IBM DECwriter, which looks like a cross between
by the wind. Hakel recalls a dot matrix printer, keyboard, and typewriter, was used as a
some of his colleagues num- dummy terminal to control a mainframe computer. (Image
bering punchcards and having courtesy of Wikimedia commons.)
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 107
 Men style” GoogleSearch that you can try tensive analyses and larger datasets, each
for yourself online (http://www.masswerk. of which could cost hundreds or thousands
at/google60/). of dollars.

Larger datasets could also be stored using Statistical software. Psychologists con-
magnetic tape (often originally created ducting data analysis prior to the advent
by reading a stack of punch cards). Thus, of point-and-click statistical software (e.g.,
a researcher would specify which reel of in the late 1980s to early 1990s) had to
tape was needed. The tapes were usually be versed in syntax programming for sev-
not handled by the researcher; instead, eral different software packages. In the
they resided in the mainframe computer early 1950s, a researcher had to review
center’s tape library and would be loaded the formulas for a particular analysis and
onto the mainframe by a computer oper- then think about how best to program
ator. Although magnetic tapes were more them into the mainframe. Later, statis-
stable than punch cards, they were not tical packages such as COBOL (short for
without problems, as is evident by two COmmon Business Oriented Language)
stories Hanser told us. Once he was run- and FORTRAN (short for FORmula TRANs-
ning data using magnetic tapes in a trailer lation) became available (in 1959 and
at a military post and a wire bouncing 1957, respectively). COBOL was good with
against the outside of the trailer caused processing data (e.g., merging, sorting),
the data on the tapes to become scram- whereas FORTRAN was better for statisti-
bled. Sometime the tape itself would be cal analyses and computation. Later, more
physically damaged. In these situations, powerful statistical software was released.
one of his colleagues, Frances Grafton, Several of the psychologists we spoke with
painted a compound called “magnaflux” used BMDP (short for Bio-Medical Data
onto the tape to visually reveal where the Package), which was originally developed
magnetic bits of data were (which could for the biomedical field in 1965. Beehr
be seen because the data were not packed used OSIRIS (short for Organized Sets of
very close together on the tape). Integrated Routines in Statistics; Van Eck,
1980) at the University of Michigan. An-
Around this time, many large organizations other used P-STAT, a program originally
had their own mainframe computers. developed at Princeton University that
However, those that did not had to lease earned the distinction of being called the
time on a mainframe computer. At univer- “statistical package that doesn’t mess
sities, computer time could be charged to around” in PC Magazine (Ramsay, 1989,
a grant or to the department. I-O psychol- p. 130). SAS and SPSS became available in
ogists at organizations that leased main- 1966 and 1968, respectively, and eventu-
frame access had to worry about the cost ally became the most prevalent statistical
of making mistakes with their analyses and packages used by I-O psychologists. Of-
the length of time it took to run more in- tentimes, psychologists used whichever

108 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

system (e.g., BMDP, SAS, or SPSS) to which aware of this, as well as the financial state
their employer or university had access, of their students, and often restrained
which meant learning a new statistical themselves from asking their students to
package when you changed organizations. rewrite major portions of their text.

Writing Reports As technology advanced, typewriters were

replaced with word processing machines,
After the data analysis was complete, I-O such as the Lexitrons (see Figure 7) that
psychologists often had to write up the Reilly used for typing technical reports.
results. Today most of us do our writing Using this machine, it was possible to type,
sitting at a computer; however, “back in edit, and print a report. The Lexitrons also
the day” desktop computers and laptops had a proprietary floppy disk for saving the
with word processors did not yet exist. report. It was also possible to have the
Just about everyone we spoke with hand- text of a report placed onto punch cards
wrote the text of their theses and disserta- and processed on a mainframe (as Gast
tions. Most then paid a typist to type the did for a graduate school paper in 1974).
text onto paper using a typewriter because Giddings and Zimmerli (1972) developed a
most researchers of the time were not program entitled Thesis 3.5 that some of
skilled in touch-typing. Using a typewrit- Hanser’s classmates used for their theses
er made it very difficult to revise text. and dissertations.
Sometimes the text could be changed
with white out or by actually cutting and Advent of Desktop Computers
pasting the paper itself. More substantial
changes might require an entire section Needless to say, the arrival of desk-
to be retyped. Most professors were top computers revolutionized data

Figure 7. This is a Lexitron word processor, model VT202 (image courtesy of the
Computer History Museum).
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 109
 analysis and report writing. However, sion were over. Everyone we spoke to said
when these computers became available that the reactions of their colleagues were
in the 1980s, most organizations would overwhelmingly positive. It made data
have only a few computers per depart- analysis much more efficient and flexible.
ment. In other words, I-O psychologists In addition, collaboration with I-O psychol-
did not have computers at their desks. ogists who worked at different institutions
Instead, they would have to wait until a became much easier. However, it also be-
shared computer became available. Data came easier for researchers to get by with-
at this time could be stored on very large out fully understanding the math behind
removable disks such as the Bernoulli their statistical analyses or to sit down at a
disk, which contained 10 MB of data in a computer and run multiple tests and “fish”
cartridge about the size of a ½ inch stack for significant results.
of letter sized paper. Smaller files could
be stored on floppy disks (the most com- Slide Rules, Manual Factor Analysis, and
mon sizes were 3½, 5¼, and 8 inches), Shortcut Statistics
and some computers used small magnetic
strips for holding data. However, analyses Finally, we also asked the interviewees
on many of the larger datasets continued about slide rules, conducting factor analy-
to be conducted using mainframe comput- ses by hand, and usual shortcut statistics.
ers, especially if the dataset could not be Few, however, had experience with these.
stored on a floppy disk. Many had used slide rules but not for their
psychology work; slide rules were more
Desktop computers assisted greatly with common for high school and college cours-
writing reports, theses, and dissertations. es, especially in trigonometry, chemistry,
As word processing software became and engineering. Although most of the
available, it was no longer necessary to interviewees had heard stories of conduct-
manually type text using a typewriter or ing factor analyses and rotations by hand,
a Lexitron. This made editing typewritten none of them were directly involved in this
text much easier, as text could be copied work (mainframe computers1 had made
and pasted without having to retype entire this task obsolete). According to Schmitt,
sections of a paper. Louis Leon Thurstone spent months doing
factor analyses by hand and had papers
Modern Statistical Analysis with the analyses pasted over the entire
walls of his office. Although some text-
Eventually, desktop computer storage be- books make note of obsolete statistical
came adequate for storing large datasets formulas that were used to save time (e.g.,
and for running programs like SPSS and KR-21, the use of phi coefficients in lieu
SAS. This meant that the days of walking of Pearson correlations), the interviewees
across campus to the computer center with we spoke to said that by the time they
a pile of punch cards or using a DECwriter entered the field, use of these statistical
with an acoustic coupler to run a regres- shortcuts was no longer necessary.
110 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
Summary were students and other “guns for hire” who
could keypunch your data, program your anal-
yses, and handle the troubleshooting if you
Technological changes have greatly im-
had money. However, most students lacked
pacted the way in which I-O researchers these funds and even some organizations hir-
collect and analyze their data and write ing I-O psychologists balked at doing this.
their research reports. By minimizing the 6
According to Larry Hanser, Frank Medland of
“grunt work,” these changes have made the Army Research Institute had developed a
factor analysis program that could be run us-
the research process faster and more effi-
ing a card sorting machine. It usually took all
cient. Perhaps a TIP History Corner article weekend to run the factor analysis.
published 50 years from now will reflect
on the technological limitations faced by References
researchers in the early 21st century.
Aul, W. R. (1972, November). Herman Holler-
Notes ith: Data processing pioneer. Think, 22–24.
Retrieved from https://www-03.ibm.com/
1
Herman Hollerith invented an early punch ibm/history/exhibits/builders/builders_holler-
card machine for use in the 1890 U.S. Census; ith.html.
his company was a predecessor of IBM (Aul,
Cucina, J. M., & Bowling, N. A. (2016). John C.
1972).
2
Another option was to collect the data on op- Flanagan’s contributions within and beyond
tical answer sheets (e.g., scantron or bubble I-O psychology. The Industrial-Organizational
sheets) as was described in the last TIP History Psychologist, 53(3), 100–112.
Corner (Cucina & Bowling, 2016). Giddings, R. V., & Zimmerli, D. W. (1972). A
3
This was especially the case during the day. guide to implementing Thesis 3.5: A comput-
Some of the interviewees told us that they er-oriented text editing system. Ames, IA: Iowa
would try to run their analyses during odd hours State University.
(e.g., over the weekend or in the middle of the Ramsay, M. L. (1989, March 14). P-Stat. PC
night) as the turnaround time was quicker. Magazine, 8(5), 130.
4
Peterson had experience working as a com- Van Eck, N. A. (1980). Statistical analysis and
puter operator at an insurance company. He
data management highlights of OSIRIS IV. The
operated an IBM 1401 that read in punch
cards and stored the data onto magnetic American Statistician, 34(2), 119–121.
tapes. The tapes were then used as input Welsh, J. R., Jr., Kucinkas, S. K., & Curran, L.
(and output) for an IBM 7070 (discussed in T. (1990). Armed Services Vocational Battery
our previous column, Cucina & Bowling, 2016) (ASVAB): Integrative review of validity studies.
which was controlled using a teletype console (Report No. AFH R L-TR-90-22). San Antonio,
(which often look like a DECwriter) and punch TX: Operational Technologies Corporation/
cards. Much of his work involved updating Brooks Air Force Base, TX: Air Force Human
the insurance records on the tapes. Resources Laboratory, Manpower and Person-
5
Peterson pointed out that if you had access nel Administration, Air Force Systems Com-
to a lot of money, much of the “grunt work” mand.
could be contracted out. He said that there

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 111

 at ion
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s tin u N
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Aw



SIOP 2016 has it ALL!
 Areas in Need of More Science/Research:
Results from the 2015 Practitioner Needs Survey
Ben Porr
Federal Management Partners
Ted Axton
HR Avatar, Inc.
Meredith Ferro
PDRI, a CEB Company
Soner Dumani
American Institutes for Research

Introduction ning and conducting additional research

may be beneficial. It is important to note
In the July 2015 TIP, the SIOP Professional that the nature of this question for the
Practice Committee (PPC) presented the 2015 survey differed from that asked in the
first of a series of articles reporting the 2008 survey, which focused more broadly
results of the 2015 Practitioner Needs on participants’ perceptions about gaps be-
n Survey that the PPC conducted between tween science and practice areas. As such,
March and April 2015. The objective of although comparisons of results between
the survey was to gather information the two surveys will be discussed in this
about current needs of I-O practitioners article, the changed nature of the question
to provide insights to SIOP leadership and may impact results of these comparisons.
committees (e.g., PPC, licensure, visibility)
about developing future initiatives. In ad- Survey Respondents
dition, the survey was designed to collect
information that could be compared to A total of 469 valid responses were ob-
the results of the 2008 Practitioner Needs tained from the 2015 survey, which reflects
Survey in order to examine progress on a response rate of 10% across the SIOP
issues identified in 2008. membership (the 2008 survey received
1,005 responses; which was a response
This article focuses on a question asked of rate of 36%). Detailed information on the
I-O practitioners in the 2015 survey that characteristics of the respondent popula-
requested their perceptions of areas of I-O tion is provided in the July 2015 TIP article.
psychology where additional research may In order to compare the 2015 results with
be needed to support effective practice. the 2008 results, we grouped respondents
This question was included in order to help using the same “practitioner categories”
inform both scientists and practitioners used in analyzing and reporting the 2008
about possible priority areas where plan- data. Each respondent was grouped into a

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 113

 practitioner category based on the amount field. Respondents were asked to indicate
of time the respondent indicated he or she whether they felt that a gap existed in the
devotes to being an internal or external area by identifying whether (a) practice
practitioner (as opposed to an educator, was ahead of science/research, (b) science
scientist/researcher, or other): was ahead of practice, or (c) little or no
gap exists.
• Full-time practitioners devote 70% or
more of their time to practice Results of the question from 2008 are
• Part-time practitioners devote 21-69% presented in Table 2. Areas are listed in
of their time to practice descending order, from the greatest per-
• Occasional practitioners devote 1-20% cent of respondents indicating practice
of their time to practice was ahead of science/research to the
• Nonpractitioners do not devote any least. Respondents indicated that practice
time (0%) to practice was ahead of science/research in the vast
majority of areas (19 of 26). For the most
Similar to 2008, most of the 2015 survey part, “practice ahead” responses were
respondents were designated as full-time provided for areas that tended to be:
practitioners (see Table 1).

Table 1
SIOP Practitioner Needs Survey Respondents by Practitioner Category
Percent of 2015 Percent of 2008
N sample sample
Full-time practitioner 340 72% 61%
Part-time practitioner 55 12% 10%
Occasional practitioner 35 8% 19%
Nonpractitioner 39 8% 10%
Total 469 100% 100%

• Hands on practice areas such as consult-

Topics for More Science/Research
ing and coaching
In 2008, Cober, Silzer, and Erickson report- • On the organization side of I-O psy-
ed results when respondents were asked: chology, such as strategic planning and
In which areas do you find the biggest gap organizational development
between the available science/research on • Core areas of human resource practice
a topic and actual organizational practice such as succession/workforce plan-
in your work? Respondents evaluated the ning, talent management, employment
gap between science and practice in 26 branding, HR technology, labor and
content areas identified during the sur- employee relations, and employee re-
vey development process to reflect both cruitment
research and applied interest areas in our
114 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 Table 2 
Science/Practice Gap 
Response percent 
 (all respondents, n = 1005) 
Area 
Science/ 
Practice  Little or  Do not 
research 
ahead*  no gap*  know** 
ahead* 
Consulting and advising     80 %     13 %    6 %    22 % 
Employment branding  74  17  9  43 
HR technology  73  17  11  30 
Executive/management coaching  70  18  12  27 
Strategic planning  68  17  14  30 
Succession/workforce planning  67  16  16  26 
Talent management  66  16  17  27 
Labor relations  65  24  11  50 
HR general practices  64  21  14  30 
Compensation  62  25  12  49 
Employee relations  59  28  12  45 
Employee recruitment  56  28  15  27 
Organizational development  55  24  21  26 
Litigation support  51  31  18  46 
Leadership and management development  49  27  23  20 
Management/executive selection  47  24  29  20 
Organizational culture  37  27  35  24 
Performance management  37  27  35  20 
Competency modeling  36  29  34  21 
Training and development  35  38  27  21 
Cross cultural issues  34  21  44  36 
Employee engagement and attitudes  30  35  34  22 
Individual assessment/assessment centers  29  33  37  18 
Selection/staffing  26  32  41  15 
Job and work analysis  14  34  52  17 
Measurement and statistics  3  27  80  12 

*Response percentages in first three columns are based on the total number of respondents answering one of the first three 
response choices and do not include the Do Not Know respondents. 
Bold font indicates highest percentage for a specific content area.
** Based on total survey respondents
NOTE: This table is a reprint of that published in Practice Perspectives: Science–Practice Gaps in Industrial-Or-
ganizational Psychology: Part I: Member Data and Perspectives by Rich Cober, Rob Silzer, Anna Erickson, The
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 47(1), 97-106.

The 2015 survey included a modified ver- of science/research, in order to help pro-
sion of the question that focused mainly vide scientists with potential broad areas
on identifying where practice was ahead of focus for future research. To identify

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 115

 the topics practitioners felt more Table 3
research was needed, respon- Research/Science Needed to Inform Practice
dents were asked: In which topic Response percent
(N  = 429)
areas do you find more science/ Research/science  Top three 
Area
research is needed to support needed priority

effective organizational practice Succession/workforce planning 38.6 15.6

Talent management 34.8 14.3
in your work? As a follow-up,
Management/executive selection 34.5 12.8
respondents were also asked to Performance management 31.6 12.2
identify their top three choices.
Leadership and management development 31.1 14.5
Thus, the focus changed from
Organizational culture 29.0 9.6
whether practice was ahead of
Organizational development 27.9 8.7
science/research to a more specif- Strategic planning 27.5 8.3
ic question of where the greatest Employee engagement, attitudes, and 
27.3 10.9
needs were for more science/re- motivation
HR technology 27.1 12.2
search. The topic areas to choose
Executive/management coaching 26.4 10.2
from remained the same on both Consulting and advising 24.7 7.9
the 2008 and 2015 surveys. Measurement and statistics 23.5 9.4

Table 3 presents the percentage Individual assessment, assessment centers 23.0 7.5

of respondents that endorsed Cross‐cultural issues in I‐O practice 22.6 8.3
the need for more science/re- Selection 22.6 11.7
search in each area, as well as Competency modeling 20.9 5.1
Human resources general practices 19.6 4.7
the top three priorities rated by
Employment branding 19.0 3.0
each respondent. As anticipated, Training and development 18.6 2.3
the topics chosen and top three Recruitment and staffing 17.9 5.1
choices were very similar. Succes- Compensation 17.9 5.5
sion/workforce planning, talent Employee recruitment 17.7 3.0
management, and management/ Job and work analysis 17.5 4.5

executive selection rose to 1, 2, Litigation support 17.1 4.1

Groups/teams 17.1 4.1
and 3 from 6, 7, and 16, respec-
Employee relations 13.9 1.1
tively, whereas consulting and Labor relations 12.6 2.3
advising, employment branding,
and HR technology dropped from can assume it’s partly due to the following
1, 2, and 3 to 12, 19, and 10, respectively. reasons: progress in practice/research,
It’s interesting to see that 2015’s top areas sample size, and/or change in question
lend themselves to traditional I-O research focus. First, practice has advanced in these
areas (e.g., assessment, training and devel- strategic workforce and leadership areas
opment) compared to the top 2008 areas, over the past 7 years, and organizations
which are more fringe I-O research areas. have seen the value of a systematic ap-
proach to these human capital practices.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to
Second, it may be due to the sample,
the reasons behind these changes, but we
116 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
which is half the size of the last survey. workforce planning, talent management)
Last, these results could be due to the as a top three science/research need. To
change in question. In the previous admin- conserve space, we only include the top
istration, the people were asked to think 10 most selected (i.e., highest percentage
about how the two relationship between selected) areas for each group. Succes-
practice and research (e.g., is research sion/workforce planning, talent manage-
ahead of practice or is practice ahead of ment, performance management and
research), which potentially put people in executive/management coaching were
a different frame of mind than simply ask- present in all three practitioner categories.
ing where more research is needed. Interestingly, litigation support was in the
top 10 only for part-time practitioners.
It’s also interesting to see the lowest per-
Three areas were in the top 10 for only
centage groups are either I-O areas that
full-time practitioners: leadership and
have an extensive research history (e.g.,
management development; HR technolo-
job and work analysis, groups/teams) or
gy; and employee engagement, attitudes,
transactional HR processes (e.g., labor/
and motivation. Finally, organizational
employee relations, compensation, re-
development and competency modeling
cruitment and staffing).
were in the top 10 for everyone except the
As shown in Figure 1, which presents the full-time practitioners.
results for the areas identified as needing
science/research broken out by practi- Conclusions and Recommendations
tioner group, there were no differences in
the rank ordering of selections. Outside of Based on the 2015 survey results related
the top two choices (i.e., succession/work- to practitioner development needs, practi-
force planning and talent management), tioners indicated the key areas they would
part-time practitioners had a higher per- like to see more research performed in
centage of selections from every category. order to support effective practice. The
This might be due to the sample size, but results suggest a strong interest in more
as we saw in the last TIP article on use of science/research in the following areas:
SIOP resources, part-time practitioners
tend to read more research than full-time • Succession/workforce planning
practitioners and therefore might notice • Talent management
the gaps more frequently. There is a no- • Management/executive selection
ticeable gap between research needs of • Performance management
full/part-time practitioners and occasional • Leadership and management develop-
and nonpractitioners across all categories. ment

For Table 4, we continued investigating the There are many possible reasons that
differences between our four groups and practice is ahead of research in these
rank ordered the percentage of people areas. First, most of these top priorities
that identified an area (e.g., succession/ involve the convergence of multiple re-
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 117
 0% practice 1‐20% practice 21‐69% practice 70% and above practice
Labor relations 5.1 8.6 12.7 12.1
Employee relations 5.1 8.6 14.5 15.0
Job and work analysis 7.7 11.4 20.0 15.6
Groups/teams 5.1 8.6 20.0 15.6
Training and development 7.7 11.4 20.0 17.1
Litigation support 10.3 11.4 20.0 17.4
Compensation 12.8 11.4 21.8 18.2
Recruitment and staffing 10.3 11.4 20.0 18.2
Employee recruitment 12.8 14.3 21.8 18.5
Employment branding 12.8 14.3 23.6 20.0
Measurement and statistics 12.8 14.3 23.6 20.3
Competency modeling 15.4 17.1 27.3 21.2
Cross-cultural issues in I-O practice 15.4 14.3 25.5 21.2
Human resources general practices 17.9 17.1 30.9 22.1
Selection 17.9 17.1 30.9 23.5
Consulting and advising 17.9 17.1 32.7 23.8
Individual assessment, assessment centers 17.9 17.1 32.7 24.7
Executive/management coaching 17.9 20.0 32.7 26.2
HR technology 20.5 20.0 32.7 28.2
Employee engagement, attitudes, and motivation 20.5 20.0 32.7 28.5
Strategic planning 20.5 22.9 34.5 29.7
Organizational development 20.5 22.9 36.4 30.0
Organizational culture 23.1 25.7 36.4 30.6
Performance management 25.6 25.7 36.4 32.4
Leadership and management development 25.6 25.7 36.4 32.6
Management/executive selection 28.2 25.7 38.2 35.9
Talent management 28.2 28.6 38.2 38.5
Succession/workforce planning 33.3 31.4 41.8 42.6

Science/Research Needed Among Four Practitioner Groups
Succession/workforce planning
Talent management
Management/executive selection
Leadership and management development
Performance management
Organizational culture
Organizational development
Strategic planning
Employee engagement, attitudes, and motivation
HR technology
Executive/management coaching
Individual assessment, assessment centers
Consulting and advising
Selection
Human resources general practices
Cross‐cultural issues in I‐O practice
Competency modeling
Measurement and statistics 70% and above practice
Employment branding 21‐69% practice
Employee recruitment
Recruitment and staffing 1‐20% practice
Compensation 0% practice
Litigation support
Training and development
Groups/teams
Job and work analysis
Employee relations
Labor relations
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Percentage that Selected as an Area in Need of More Science/Research

Figure 1. Percentage of Respondents that Selected the Area as in Need of Science/Research

118 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Table 4
The Areas Selected as Top Three by Practitioner Category
Full‐time practitioner  Part‐time practitioner Occasional practitioner Nonpractitioner
Rank
(70% and above) (21‐69%)  (1‐20%) (0%)

1 Succession/workforce planning Performance management Succession/workforce planning Succession/workforce planning

2 Talent management Litigation support Competency modeling Management/executive selection

Leadership and management 
3 Talent management Organizational development Organizational development
development
4 Management/executive selection Strategic planning Selection Talent management

5 HR technology Succession/workforce planning Performance management Organizational culture

Individual assessment, assessment 
6 Performance management Management/executive selection Talent management
centers
Employee engagement, attitudes, 
7 Executive/management coaching Strategic planning Competency modeling
and motivation
8 Executive/management coaching Organizational development Executive/management coaching Consulting and advising
Individual assessment, assessment 
9 Selection Consulting and advising Measurement and statistics
centers
10 Organizational culture Competency modeling Employee recruitment Cross‐cultural issues in I‐O practice

search areas (e.g., succession/workforce identify the drivers that lead to a success-
planning is a combination of employee ful transition.
development, future state assessment, Last, as is always the case, researchers
competency gap analysis, and strategic cannot investigate these areas without
planning). As we see in the data, each one partnerships with applied practitioners
of these areas needs additional research who have access to the data. Unfortu-
(e.g., training and development, compe- nately, advancing the field is secondary to
tency modeling, strategic planning), so delivering client results. Most of the time,
developing research that integrates these practitioners cannot even get access to
areas to inform their interaction multiplies the data. This is exacerbated when dealing
the difficulty of advancing the field. The with more sensitive data (e.g., effective-
SIOP webinar on succession planning may ness of leaders that drive the organiza-
offer some insights http://www.siop.org/ tion), which as we see are most of the top
webinar.aspx. It includes areas of research research needs (e.g., succession planning,
that has informed succession planning. manager/executive selection, leadership
Secondly, these topic areas often can’t development).
be controlled in real-world settings, so it
makes it difficult to test various approach- Next Steps
es with the same sample. Some obstacles
to measuring this would be criteria for Moving forward, we have multiple next
making a successful transition, timeframe steps. Immediately in response to this ar-
for how long it takes to determine success, ticle, practitioners have told us the areas
environmental factors that could impact where we can provide additional research.
the transition, and so on. Most of the re- This can be accomplished through basic
search that is done is post hoc, but future research or simply compiling research that
research should be done longitudinally to has already been done on the topic. For
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 119
 example, SIOP’s white paper series, which Our next and final article will provide
includes practical articles on research ar- survey results related to licensing issues.
eas, could be a great place to start. As we We welcome any feedback or questions
showed in the last article, sometime prac- you may have about the survey results,
titioners do not even realize the resources and we look forward to working with SIOP
that are available to them, so it is also members and leaders as the PPC shapes
important to communicate these resourc- its future agenda.
es (e.g., webinars, white papers) through
multiple channels. Reference

For the overall project, our next steps Cober, R., Silzer, R., & Erickson, A. (2009, July).
include finalizing the technical report on Practice perspectives: Science-practice gaps
the 2015 survey results for the SIOP Exec- in industrial-organizational psychology: Part
utive Committee and writing one more TIP I: Member data and perspectives. The Indus-
article to share summaries of the results trial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP), 47(1),
more broadly with the SIOP membership. 97–105.

The Hospitality Desk is located next to

registration in the Anaheim Convention Center.

Stop in to pick up your t-shirt or badge ribbons,

or get information about conference events.

120 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Mindfulness-Based Interventions:  A Brief Review
of Their Application to Graduate Student Strain

Enrique Cabrera-Caban, Rebecca Garden,

Arianna White, and Katelyn Reynoldson
Old Dominion University
Graduate school is often a stressful peri- Madon, & Lustig, 2006; Myers et al., 2012;
od for budding industrial-organizational Offstein, Larson, McNeill, & Mwale, 2004;
psychologists. One strategy for manag- Oswalt & Riddock, 2007). These common
ing stress, both in graduate school and stressors include academic workload,
beyond, is the mindfulness-based inter- competing demands, conflict between
vention (MBI). This article examines the research interests and unrelated academic
potential efficacy of MBIs for the graduate requirements, finances, holding a job, ca-
student population within a stressor-strain reer planning, loneliness, adjusting to new
framework. First, we detail common grad- environments, time management, and
uate student stressors, then we define poor school/work–life balance.
mindfulness and provide examples of
mindfulness exercises. Next, we review These stressors may result in strains, as ob-
meta-analytic evidence for the effective- served by Oswalt and Riddock (2007), who
ness of MBIs in reducing strain in broader found that 74.8% of the 219 graduate stu-
populations. Last, we provide resources dents sampled reported being “stressed”
for beginning a mindfulness practice. Al- or “very stressed.” Further, students may
though this article focuses primarily on the experience other negative outcomes,
graduate student population, the lessons including interference with optimal func-
learned from MBI research apply to most tioning, burnout (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012),
professional populations as well. feeling overwhelmed or exhausted (Hyun
et al., 2006), and decreased academic per-
Graduate Student Stressors formance (Kernan, Bogart, & Wheat, 2011).
In summation, the literature overwhelm-
Stressors are external stimuli that elicit a ingly demonstrates that graduate students
response in an individual, whereas strains are faced with a multitude of stressors that
are the physical or emotional responses put them at risk for strains, which in turn
to stressors (Jex, Beehr, & Roberts, 1992). may impact optimal functioning in both
We reviewed five recent studies that col- personal and professional domains.
lectively sampled 4,148 graduate students
in order to determine the stressors and Graduate students typically cope with
strains most commonly experienced by stressors in a number of ways. The most
graduate students (El-Ghoroury, Galper, prevalent coping strategies are talking
Sawaqdeh, & Bufka 2012; Hyun, Quinn, with friends, classmates, or family; eating
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 121
 comfort foods; watching T.V.; “vegging volves adopting a particular orientation
out;” exercising; and sleeping (El-Ghoro- toward one’s experiences in the present
ury et al., 2012; Oswalt & Riddock, 2007). moment, an orientation that is charac-
Meditation did not emerge as a prevalent terized by curiosity, openness, and ac-
stress management technique, as it was ceptance. (p. 232)
only utilized by 12.8% of the 219 graduate
students sampled by Oswalt and Riddock Mindfulness may function as either a
(2007). Thus, the purpose of this article is state of consciousness or a trait that can
to provide an introduction to mindfulness vary in magnitude between individuals
meditation and demonstrate its utility to (Brown & Ryan, 2003). State mindfulness
the graduate student population. is the non-judgmental observation of var-
ious aspects of consciousness including
Definition of Mindfulness sensations, thoughts, and emotions that
arise from moment to moment (Bishop
The concept of mindfulness stems from et al., 2004). Whereas state mindfulness
the Buddhist tradition and has existed for is a temporary and changeable state of
2,500 years as a way of fostering peace consciousness, trait mindfulness is an at-
and spiritual awakening (Van Gordon, tribute that every individual inherently
Shonin, Griffiths, & Singh, 2015). In mod- possesses to some degree that can be
ern spiritual terms, one may understand increased via mindfulness meditation
mindfulness as a form of meditation that practice (Bodner & Langer, 2001), and is
utilizes present-moment awareness to independent of state mindfulness (Brown
reach a state of focus and tranquility. & Ryan, 2003). All individuals are capable
Mindfulness has been characterized by of attaining a mindful state (Kabat-Zinn,
researchers as a combination of attention 2005), but trait mindfulness varies be-
regulation, present-moment orientation, tween individuals such that some possess
awareness of experience, and an attitude more mindful dispositions and can main-
of acceptance and non-judgment toward tain a mindful state of consciousness more
one’s experience (Feldman, Hayes, Kumar, frequently and with less effort than others
Greeson, & Laurenceau, 2007). Given the (Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004).
abundance of definitions in the literature,
Bishop and colleagues (2004) offered a To that end, mindfulness meditation im-
two-component operational definition for proves well-being by facilitating emotional
mindfulness: regulation as well as reducing aversion
and attachment to internal and external
The first component involves the phenomena (Kumar, 2002). Hölzel et al.
self-regulation of attention so that it is (2011) suggest that the benefits of mind-
maintained on immediate experience, fulness meditation arise through attention
thereby allowing for increased recog- regulation, increased levels of body aware-
nition of mental events in the present ness, emotion regulation, and change in
moment. The second component in- self-perspective. Put simply, mindfulness
122 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
meditation gives individuals the mental including nonjudgment of inner thoughts,
tools to gain perspective on their patterns nonstriving, patience, “beginner’s mind”
of thought and emotions. By understand- (i.e., a willingness to see everything as if
ing experiences in a non-judgmental and for the first time), trust, acceptance, and
accepting manner, mindful individuals are a willingness to “let go” of thoughts (Höl-
able to maintain focus on the present mo- zel et al., 2011; Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Over
ment rather than ruminating on the past time, these techniques allow individuals
or worrying about the future. to observe their thoughts from a distance
(Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011). With
Practicing Mindfulness Meditation repeated mindfulness practice, individu-
als develop a greater awareness of their
Mindfulness meditation may lead to a beliefs and motivations, which eventually
number of positive outcomes, but learning allows them to cope with stressors more
the technique requires practice. In this effectively (Chiesa & Serretti, 2009).
section, we first describe the different
behaviors and attitudes that serve as the One of the most popular and widely re-
foundation of MBIs. A description of the searched interventions is Kabat-Zinn’s
most popular intervention, Kabat-Zinn’s (1990) MBSR. As summarized by Chiesa
(1990) mindfulness based stress reduc- and Serretti (2009), this structured group
tion (MBSR) program and the underlying program integrates Buddhist philosophy
psychological mechanisms that explain its with modern clinical and psychological
effectiveness follows. Finally, we include practices. The intent of MBSR is to facili-
exercises that can be easily integrated into tate well-being by teaching individuals to
daily activities. maintain attention on thoughts and feel-
ings without reacting impulsively. More
In any basic mindfulness intervention specifically, trained instructors encourage
there are three types of behaviors that participants to reflect on their internal
help participants adjust their relationships state as well as the external environment
with inner thoughts and feelings through with openness, curiosity, awareness, and
increases in awareness (Shapiro, Brown, & nonjudgmental acceptance. Participants
Biegel, 2007; Young, 2011). These include engage in (a) body scanning, which in-
(a) noting, a rhythmic sequence that en- volves nonjudgmental awareness of phys-
tails acknowledging and focusing intently ical sensations in different parts of the
on a sensation; (b) doing nothing, where body; (b) sitting meditation, where par-
the intention to control thoughts and di- ticipants focus on breathing while main-
rect attention is dropped; and (c) nurturing taining a nonjudgmental awareness of any
positive thoughts, or creating and concen- cognitions that occur; and (c) Hatha yoga,
trating on positive images and concepts or stretches for the purpose of strength-
(Young, 2011). These components are re- ening and relaxing the musculoskeletal
lated to attitudes that form the foundation system. MBSR interventions are typically 8
for mindfulness meditation techniques, weeks long and combine in-class instruc-
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 123
 tion on formal and informal mindfulness points to effectively increase mindfulness
practices with group sessions on topics in participants (Hölzel et al., 2011).
more indirectly related to mindfulness
such as interpersonal communication and The MBSR is one of the most popular MBIs
stress physiology (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). because it is nonreligious, cross-culturally
applicable, and grounded in scientific the-
Though this may seem like a lot of infor- ory (Fortney, Luchterhand, Zakletskaia, Zgi-
mation for MBI participants to process, erska, & Rakel, 2013). However, the time
MBSR can be understood through the four commitment and group-based structure
mechanisms proposed by Hölzel and col- may dissuade some individuals from prac-
leagues (2011): (a) attention regulation, ticing mindfulness, including overloaded
(b) body awareness, (c) emotion regula- graduate students with little time to spare.
tion, and (d) change in self-perspective. Previous research has discovered that in-
Typically, participants first learn attention tervention length does not correlate with
regulation through focused meditation, effectiveness in reducing psychological
where individuals notice and pay atten- distress, suggesting that shorter interven-
tion to a single thought, feeling, or object. tions are equally as effective as the full 26-
With practice, such regulation enables hour MBSR intervention (Carmody & Baer,
focused attention for longer periods and 2009; Virgili, 2015). To that end, Table 1
an increased ability to filter out distrac- delineates mindfulness techniques that
tions. Another technique, body awareness, easily fit into daily routines and allow grad-
focuses attention on physical sensations uate students to practice mindfulness.
(e.g., breathing and sensory experiences)
in order to assist individuals in calibrating Effectiveness of MBIs
their internal thoughts and feelings with
the external world. This should lead to The relationship between MBIs and strain
greater clarity (Marianetti & Passmore, reduction has been examined in a num-
2009) and emotional intelligence (Keng ber of meta-analyses (Carmody & Baer,
et al., 2011). The third mechanism, emo- 2009; Eberth & Sedlmeier, 2012; Khoury,
tion regulation, refers to the adaptation Sharma, Rush, & Fournier, 2015; Virgili,
of emotional responses from impulsivity 2015). Across these studies, the effect
to reflection and aids in observing experi- of MBIs consistently ranges from 0.26 to
ences in a nonjudgmental manner. Finally, 0.83 standard deviations for the various
change in perception of the self refers to a outcomes assessed. Carmody and Baer
shift from a feeling of stasis toward a more (2009) found that MBSR programs were
dynamic self-image. When people feel less associated with reductions in anxiety, de-
static they become more liberated and pression, negative affect, and perceived
experience a more positive sense of self stress. Similarly, Khoury et al. (2015) found
(Flaxman & Bond, 2010). The most suc- that MBIs were related to reductions in
cessful interventions (e.g., MBSR) utilize anxiety, depression, stress, distress, burn-
all four of these mechanisms at different out, and improvements in quality of life,
124 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 Table 1
Mindfulness Techniques, Mechanisms of Action, and Instructions
Exercise Mechanism Instructions
Body scan Attention regulation Focus attention on your feet and slowly shift attention up to the top of 
your head, concentrating on one body part at a time.
Counting method Attention regulation Repetitively count your breaths from ‘one’ to ‘ten’ and back to ‘one’. If 
you lose count, return to ‘one’ and begin again.
Loving kindness  Emotion regulation Visualize the target of your feelings, recognize his or her positive qualities 
sessions/Metta Change in self‐perspective and repeat an internalized mantra that can be used to trigger future 
similar reflections.
Mindful eating Change in self‐perspective Begin eating slowly. Experience the flavors on each area of the tongue, 
Attention regulation noticing its pattern and consistency. Swallow and follow its path to the 
stomach.
Walking meditation Attention regulation Focus on the sensations of your feet leaving and touching the ground, the 
movement of your arms and other parts of the body. Pick a short area to 
walk back and forth so as not to be distracted by the setting.

Focused breathing Attention regulation Direct full attention to your breath for ~20 breaths, noticing the end point 

Emotion regulation of each in‐breath and out‐breath.
Note. Exercises drawn from Cohen‐Katz et al., 2005; Gregoire and Lachance, 2015; Marianetti and Passanore, 2009; Ramsburg and Youmans, 2014; Sears and Kraus, 
2009.

state mindfulness, compassion, spiritual- incremental validity of MBIs compared to

ity, and empathy. Eberth and Sedlmeier other stress reduction techniques due, in
(2012) found that MBIs were associated part, to the relatively small number of stud-
with reductions in the effects of negative ies that include alternative relaxation tech-
personality traits, stress, and neuroticism niques for comparison purposes. Eberth
while improving well-being and attention. and Sedlmeier (2012), however, found that
Virgili (2015) found that MBIs were asso- MBSR interventions had a slightly higher
ciated with decreases in perceived stress, validity (r = .31) than studies utilizing other
negative affect, depression, anxiety, job meditation techniques (r = .25).
stress, state anxiety, and trait anxiety.
These effects were maintained at an aver- Only a few studies have examined the
age follow-up of 5 weeks post intervention effectiveness of mindfulness practices in
(Virgili, 2015). In addition, these effects reducing stress in the graduate student
hold even in samples of healthy individuals population. Myers et al. (2012) found that
(Khoury et al., 2015), and no differences mindful acceptance of experiences was
have been observed when comparing clin- negatively related to perceived stress,
ical versus nonclinical populations (Carmo- and Offstein et al. (2004) reported that
dy & Baer, 2009). self-awareness is commonly utilized as
a strategy for reducing internal conflict.
Although these findings are encouraging, Shapiro et al. (2007) conducted an MBSR
we echo Virgili’s (2015) cautions that re- intervention with 54 graduate students
search in this area remains preliminary as and observed decreases in rumination
researchers examine the effectiveness of (β = -0.57), anxiety (β = -0.52), and per�-
MBIs in different populations and compare ceived stress (β = -0.65), and an increase in
them to other stress reduction techniques. self-compassion (β = 0.58) as compared to
Specifically, there is little evidence for the a control group. The results of these stud-
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 125
 Table 2
Resources for Beginning Mindfulness Meditation
Resource Link
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/stress‐reduction
Headspace http://www.headspace.com
The Mindfulness Training App Available on the iPhone/Android App Stores
Calm Available on the iPhone/Android App Stores

ies suggest that the observed meta-analyt- improving relationships). Third is the Mind-
ic effects generalize to the graduate stu- fulness Training app, which offers a store
dent population, however more research is containing guided meditations by Dr. Ka-
needed to confirm this hypothesis. bat-Zinn, Thich Nhat Hanh, and other spir-
itual teachers. Finally, Calm is an app that
Resources for Practicing Mindfulness offers a free 7-day introductory program
Meditation that provides relaxation and meditation
techniques. A subscription allows users to
In Oswalt and Riddock’s 2007 study, 41.8% access a variety of goal-focused programs,
of students stated they were interested in including improving sleep, self-esteem, and
learning about meditation, and 44.1% said concentration. Self-guided sessions and the
they would use it if offered by the univer- ability to track the length and frequency of
sity. Luckily with the advent of technology, your daily meditation sessions are available
a governing institution need not formally without a subscription.
offer meditation programs. In Table 2 we
provide four resources for beginning a The effectiveness of mindfulness medi-
mindfulness meditation practice. tation cannot be understated. It can be a
powerful resource for coping with stressors
The first link presented is for Dr. Ka- and improving quality of life. Graduate
bat-Zinn’s MBSR program. As the one of the school is a difficult experience for many
foremost experts of mindfulness practice, and the stressors involved may persist
his program is the starting point for many upon entering the workforce. We hope that
other interventions. Second is Headspace, the brief review provided here induces this
which is good for beginners looking to ease population to consider mindfulness medi-
into a mindfulness practice. During the free tation a useful tool for coping with strain.
introductory 10-day period, animations
illustrate and define mindful awareness. References
Users can select whether each session is
10, 15, or 20 minutes long and after the 10- Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., & Allen, K. B. (2004).
day introductory period, users can choose Assessment of mindfulness by self-report the
themed packs tailored to their goals (e.g., Kentucky inventory of mindfulness skills. As-
reducing stress, improving self-esteem, sessment, 11(3), 191–206.

126 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

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Anderson, N., Carmody, J., Segal, Z., Abbey, Zgierska, A., & Rakel, D. (2013). Abbreviated
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graduate student? International Journal of Young, S. (2011). Five ways to know your-
Education Management, 18(7), 396–407. self: An introduction to basic mindfulness.
Oswalt, S., & Riddock, C. (2007). What to do Retrieved from http://www.shinzen.org/Re-
about being overwhelmed: Graduate stu- treat%20Reading/FiveWays.pdf.
dents, stress, and university services. College
Student Affairs Journal, 27(1), 24–44.

SIOP is working to create a network of

industrial-organizational psychologists who wish
to be part of interdisciplinary teams working on improving employee health,
safety, and well-being in organizations, and the registry is a centralized source for
contacts and referrals. If you practice or conduct research in the areas of health,
safety, and well-being, you are invited to join this SIOP Registry today.

Log in to your SIOP profile, click "Manage Privacy and Opt In/Out" under the
"Account Actions" menu on the right side of the page. Scroll down to find the op-
tions relating to the registry and, after making your selections, click "Save."

128 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 A Look in the Mirror:
The Mastery-Oriented I-O Psychologist
Jonathan M. Cottrell, Eleni V. Lobene,
Nicholas R. Martin, and Anthony S. Boyce
Aon Hewitt Consulting

NOTE: Prior to being submitted for con- Despite the success of using personality
sideration in TIP, this paper was accepted tests to predict job-related outcomes
for presentation at the 2016 Annual Con- across a variety of occupations, I-O psy-
ference of the Society for Industrial and chologists themselves, including members
Organizational Psychology of the Society for Industrial and Organiza-
tional Psychology (SIOP), have historically
Research on personality, especially using not been the subjects of these studies. In
the five-factor model (FFM; McCrae & fact, very limited research exists examin-
Costa, 1987), has contributed greatly to ing any individual differences between I-O
industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology. psychologists and other professions. “I-O
In particular, this is because personality psychologist” has been rated as the fastest
traits, especially Conscientiousness, are growing job in the United States (United
found to be valid predictors of job per- States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014).
formance (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Hurtz As a result, it will become increasingly
& Donovan, 2000) while having relatively necessary to understand ways in which
less adverse impact than other selection the I-O personality is distinct from (or sim-
tools, such as cognitive ability tests (Ploy- ilar to) other professions, which can have
hart & Holtz, 2008). Although the FFM is implications for realistic career previews
the most widely used personality mod- for prospective I-O psychologists. Thus,
el, other traits have been studied in the the purpose of this paper is a preliminary
context of work and have been found to investigation to compare the personalities
correlate with key variables such as job of I-O psychologists to a baseline working
performance and job satisfaction. Such population, as well as to professionals and
variables include need for achievement nonprofessionals in other occupations
(McClelland, Atkinson, Clark, & Lowell, across two studies. We hope that this will
1976), core self-evaluations (Judge & be the first of many studies that look to
Bono, 2001), and goal orientation (Phillips understand the I-O personality and that
& Gully, 1997). As a result, it is of great this will spark further research in the area.
interest to organizations to be able to un-
derstand the personality of its applicants Aon-Hewitt’s Model of Personality
and its incumbents, and often such an ex-
amination of traits goes beyond the FFM. Aon-Hewitt’s personality model is largely
based on the FFM and is derived from
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 129
 nearly 500 adjectives and descriptive states flexibility (adaptability and open minded-
used by previous measures of personality ness), and mastery (learning oriented and
and other traits. This model is based on improvement focused). Task style contains
previous personality models (e.g., FFM; the aspects of drive (proactivity and per-
McCrae & Costa, 1987) and is intended to sistence) and structure (planful and detail
be a comprehensive measure of both the oriented). Interaction style contains the
FFM and broader traits not necessarily aspects of assertiveness (decisive, bold),
well-captured by the FFM (e.g., mastery, and liveliness (outgoing, energetic). Emo-
humility). This model captures lower-order tional style contains the aspects of Com-
aspects of the FFM, as recommended by posure (calm, relaxed), Positivity (optimis-
recent research (e.g., DeYoung, Quilty, & tic, resilient), and Awareness (reflective,
Peterson, 2007). In addition, some person- self-aware). Teamwork style contains the
ality aspects were included that were not aspects of Cooperation (trusting, helping
captured by DeYoung et al.’s model based others), Sensitivity (caring, understanding),
on their importance for understanding and Humility (modest, genuine). Finally,
employee personality. This model is partic- Achievement style contains the aspects of
ularly relevant for selection across all jobs, Ambition (goal directed) and Power (mo-
as well as leadership and high-potential tivation to lead, controlling). Altogether,
assessment. Aon-Hewitt’s model is opera- these make up the styles and aspects un-
tionalized through the development of the derlying the ADEPT-15 (for a more detailed
Adaptive Employee Personality Test (AD- description of each of the 15 aspects and
EPT-15®). ADEPT-15 is a multidimensional how this model maps to the FFM, see Ta-
pairwise preference computer adaptive as- ble 1; Boyce, Conway, & Caputo, 2014).
sessment that mitigates Table 1
faking and substantially Theoretical Alignment of Aon Hewitt’s Personality Model With the FFM
reduces testing time. Five‐factor model (FFM) Aon Hewitt style Aon Hewitt aspect

This, in conjunction ∙         Conceptual

with a large item pool, Openness to Experience Adaptation style ∙         Flexibility

results in lower state- ∙         Mastery

ment exposure, faster Conscientiousness Task style

∙         Structure

testing, and potentially ∙         Drive

higher criterion-related Extraversion Interaction style

∙         Assertiveness

validity (Salgado & Táur- ∙         Liveliness

iz, 2014) ∙         Sensitivity

Agreeableness Teamwork style ∙         Cooperation

The final model con- ∙         Humility

tains six styles and 15 ∙         Composure

aspects. The adapta- Neuroticism Emotional style ∙         Positivity

tion style contains the ∙         Awareness

aspects of conceptual Unmapped to FFM Achievement style

∙         Ambition

(intellectual curiosity), ∙         Power

130 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

SIOP Member Personality as particularly important among manage-
ment and executive positions.
Information on the personality of I-O psy-
chologists may help inform approaches to In addition, Vandaveer (2008) interviewed
training and selection. For example, it could six highly accomplished I-O consultants
allow firms and schools to use such infor- in different settings and positions (e.g.,
mation to make more informed selection CEO, partner, senior vice-president, etc.)
decisions for I-O psychology positions in in an attempt to answer this question.
both academia and practice. As mentioned Characteristics named by the consultants
earlier, however, there is very little research included commitment, thirst for learning
that uses I-O psychologists as subjects. One and growing, open mindedness, mental
such study found that SIOP academics and sharpness, need for achievement, as well
practitioners differ in certain workplace char- as being interested in your work. They
acteristics and values. Specifically, this study also suggest, like Zelin et al. (2015), that
showed that practitioners valued affiliation, successful practitioners need competence
structure, and financial compensation more in different levels of the organization, in-
than their academic counterparts. Academ- cluding the individual level (e.g., executive
ics, on the other hand, valued autonomy consulting), the group level (e.g., assess-
and science (e.g., endorsed the item, “It is ment and development of teams), as well
important for organizations that scientists as the organizational level, such as change
continue engaging in basic psychological management. Altogether, this suggests
research”) more than their practitioner that I-O consultants require a wide array
counterparts (Brooks, Grauer, Thornbury, & of knowledge, skills, and high trait levels of
Highhouse, 2003). Although this allows for personality characteristics. However, this
an understanding of some of the differences is limited to practitioners and did not ask
between academics and practitioners, it does about the many SIOP members who are
not give much information about how I-O in academia (around 40%; SIOP, 2011). As
psychologists differ from other occupations. suggested by previous research (Brooks et
al., 2003), one cannot infer the personality
There have been previous attempts to of academics from that of practitioners.
interview I-O consultants and understand
what they believe are the personal char- In an effort to understand personality (as
acteristics that best describe a successful well as other) characteristics that I-O psy-
I-O consultant. For example, Zelin et al. chologists require to succeed at their jobs,
(2015), as part of the SIOP Careers study, the Occupational Information Network
examined competencies required for suc- (O*NET) can be a useful tool. This interac-
cess at various consulting levels. Examples tive database allows anyone to research
of such competencies include integrity, the characteristics of thousands of jobs,
trustworthiness, interpersonal skills, initia- such as an I-O psychologist. This provides a
tive, attention to detail, conscientiousness, wide range of information on the types of
and adaptability. Adaptability was rated knowledge, skills, abilities, and other char-
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 131
 acteristics required to succeed at a given uals represented a wide variety of domains
job. Although not providing explicit per- and industries but were not I-O profession-
sonality information, O*NET does suggest als. Some industries included were man-
certain “work styles” that an I-O psycholo- ufacturing, hospitality, financial services,
gist should have. Several of these appear to healthcare, retail, and telecommunication.
map onto all of the FFM traits: Openness Participants completed ADEPT-15 through
to Experience (adaptability, innovation), Aon-Hewitt’s Global Assessment and Tal-
Conscientiousness (dependability, achieve- ent Engine (G.A.T.E.®) system and agreed to
ment, persistence, attention to detail), allow this data to be used in aggregate.
Extraversion (social orientation, leader-
ship), agreeableness (cooperation, concern Five personality traits from ADEPT-15 were
for others), and neuroticism (self-control, used in this study: cooperativeness, live-
stress Tolerance). This suggests that I-O liness, mastery, positivity, and structure
psychologists need high levels of a variety (see Boyce, Conway, & Caputo, 2014, for
of personality traits in order to succeed at details on the psychometric properties of
their job. However, these ratings are based the assessment). This subset of traits was
on ratings provided by job incumbents’ per- chosen based on two factors. First, these
ceptions of work styles needed to succeed were thought to be of the most interest
at the job and are thus not actual person- to, and could provide the most informa-
ality trait ratings. Because of the dearth of tion about, I-O psychologists. Second, we
research in this area, we have no specific needed a short survey that could easily be
expectations about which traits would be completed between SIOP conference ses-
higher for I-O psychologists. The following sions (in order to maximize the potential
studies attempt to answer this question. SIOP member sample size). SIOP partici-
pants completed 30 questions in approx-
Study 1 imately 10 minutes. Baseline participants
answered 100 questions, which were com-
Method pleted in around 25 minutes. To examine
differences in personality by occupation,
Data from 350 professionals from a variety we used two-sample t-tests and compared
of organizations were collected. Two hun- the SIOP sample to the baseline sample.
dred and fifty (71%) provided usable per-
sonality data for the purposes of this study. Results
Out of the 250 participants, 92 (37%)
were SIOP members and 158 (63%) were Table 2 shows the results of this analysis.
professionals from other fields (from here Members of the SIOP sample tended to
on referred to as the “baseline sample”) have higher mastery levels on average (M =
used as a comparison. The baseline sam- 6.82) than the baseline sample (M = 5.91; t
ple contained data from individuals who = 3.68, p < .05). The two samples did not dif-
expressed interest in learning more about fer significantly in mean levels of coopera-
ADEPT-15 over the past year. These individ- tiveness, liveliness, positivity, and structure.
132 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 Table 2
Personality Differences of SIOP Members Versus the Baseline Sample
Trait SIOP mean SIOP SD Baseline mean Baseline SD t‐ statistic
Cooperativeness 6.63 1.91 6.64 1.84 ‐0.03
Liveliness 6.12 1.85 6.2 1.77 ‐0.36
Mastery 6.82 1.98 5.9 1.73 3.70*
Positivity 5.92 1.77 5.85 1.55 0.32
Structure 4.78 2.15 4.53 1.9 0.97
Note. * p  < .05 

Study 1 Discussion we wanted to examine further differences

among other professional and nonprofes-
The results of Study 1, a preliminary inves- sional occupations. This would serve both
tigation based on available data, point to as an attempt to replicate our previous
mastery as an area that differentiates SIOP findings and an opportunity to examine
members from other professionals. Previ- any other personality differences that
ous studies have examined mastery as a emerged among other occupations. Al-
predictor of job performance. Specifically, though, as before, we have no specific hy-
Janssen and Van Yperen (2004) found that potheses as to what personality differences
leader-member exchange (LMX) mediated should emerge, we nonetheless feel it pro-
the positive relationship between mastery vides a valuable first step in understanding
orientation and in-role job performance, ourselves as a rapidly growing profession.
innovative job performance, and job sat-
isfaction. This suggests that mastery-ori- Study 2
ented employees, who often are highly
motivated to work hard and develop their Method
skills and knowledge, tend to have more
positive relationships with their supervisors Using the same set of SIOP members (n =
(e.g., receiving more support and freedom 92) as in Study 1, we now include a wide
to initiate and carry out tasks), leading to range of occupations to compare to SIOP
greater job performance. Mastery-oriented members. We obtained personality data
individuals tend to have higher self-efficacy on the same five aspects of ADEPT-15
and greater metacognition, or knowledge data (cooperativeness, liveliness, mastery,
of and control over one’s own cognitions positivity, and structure) from a total of
(Ford, Smith, Weissbein, Gully, & Salas, 1112 individuals from a variety of jobs
1998). In addition, as mentioned earlier, that were compared to the original sam-
continual growth and learning was stated ple of SIOP members. Data came from the
by I-O consultants as a major driver of con- manufacturing, transportation, hospitality,
sultant performance (Vandaveer, 2008). professional services, and safety indus-
tries. Table 3 provides descriptive statistics
Because this is the first study to examine for each of these nine samples, as well as
the distinctiveness of the I-O personality, the SIOP sample.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 133
 Results
Table 3
Study 2 Descriptive Statistics by Sample
Sample N ADEPT‐15 Aspect Mean SD ANOVA analyses
Cooperativeness 6.63 1.91 were conducted to
Liveliness 6.12 1.85
SIOP members 92 Mastery 6.82 1.98
compare scores on
Positivity 5.92 1.77 the five ADEPT-15
Structure 4.78 2.15 aspects. The over-
Cooperativeness 6.45 1.62
Liveliness 6.08 1.73 all F-test examined
Restaurant 
managers
234 Mastery 5.30 * 1.83 whether there were
Positivity
Structure
5.14
5.50
*
*
1.36
2.01
any differences
Cooperativeness 7.10 1.21 among the groups.
Entry‐level  Liveliness 6.32 1.63 Results showed sig-
restaurant  84 Mastery 5.36 * 1.73
employees Positivity 5.48 1.32
nificant group differ-
Structure 5.67 2.08 ences were found for
Cooperativeness 6.74 1.63 cooperativeness (F9,
Liveliness 6.38 1.56
Hospitality 
230 Mastery 6.36 1.72 1195
= 3.88, p < .05),
Executives
Positivity 6.26 1.53 liveliness (F9, 1195 =
Structure 5.33 1.78
2.44, p < .05), mastery
Cooperativeness 6.74 1.63
Liveliness 6.38 1.56 (F9, 1195 = 12.64, p <
Engineers 35 Mastery 6.36 1.72 .05), positivity (F9, 1195
Positivity 6.26 1.53
Structure 5.33 1.78
= 3.10, p < .05), and
Cooperativeness 6.40 1.87 structure (F9, 1195 =
Train  30 Liveliness 5.73 1.74 11.89, p < .05). Next,
dispatchers Mastery 6.47 1.68
Positivity 6.13 1.48
we examined multi-
Structure 5.37 1.79 ple comparisons of
Cooperativeness 6.21 1.84 mean differences on
Liveliness 5.78 1.53
Managers in 
160 Mastery 6.38 1.84 personality trait levels
transportation
Positivity 5.78 1.31 (using Tukey’s HSD).
Structure 4.93 1.67
Because the focus of
Cooperativeness 7.18 1.52
Liveliness 6.06 1.4 this study is compar-
Manufacturing 229 Mastery 6.75 1.67 ing SIOP members to
Positivity 5.46 1.28
Structure 5.52 * 1.73
other professions, we
Cooperativeness 6.82 1.48 limit our results to
Professional 
Liveliness 5.90 1.72 those pertinent to this
62 Mastery 5.89 * 1.94
services
Positivity 5.11 * 1.39 question.
Structure 5.29 1.71
Cooperativeness 6.53 1.5
SIOP members did
Liveliness 6.37 1.05
Occupational safety 49 Mastery 5.92 * 2.06 not have significantly
Positivity 5.59 1.29 higher cooperative-
Structure 4.84 1.78
*Significantly different from SIOP members, p  < .05
ness or liveliness than
other professions.
134 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
However, SIOP members did have higher Implications
mean levels of mastery (M = 6.82) than
other professions in this study. Of the nine Mastery emerged in this preliminary investi-
other occupations studied, SIOP members gation as the primary trait that differentiates
had statistically significantly higher mastery I-O psychologists from other professions.
than four groups of employees: restaurant This finding suggests that I-O psychologists
managers (M = 5.30; p < .05), entry level tend to seek a variety of growth and learning
restaurant employees (M = 5.35; p < .05), opportunities. Organizations that employ I-O
occupational safety workers (M = 5.92; p psychologists should make such opportuni-
< .05, and professional service employees ties available so their employees can have
(M = 5.89; p < .05). SIOP members had sig- improved job performance and potentially
nificantly higher positivity (M = 5.92) than improved job satisfaction (this is conceptu-
restaurant managers (M =5.14; p < .05) and ally similar to growth needs strength (GNS);
professional services employees (M = 5.11; they like their job more because their orga-
p < .05). Finally, SIOP members had lower nization provides opportunities for growth
mean levels of structure than all other jobs and learning, which will lead to better per-
(M = 4.78) and had statistically significantly formance; Hackman & Oldham, 1975).
lower structure than restaurant managers
(M = 5.50; p < .05) and manufacturing em- Given further replication of these findings,
ployees (M = 5.52; p < .05). mastery could be included as an individual
difference variable by which organizations,
General Discussion as well as academic institutions, judge a
person’s ability to be an I-O psychologist.
The purpose of this paper was to begin Mastery has been found in previous re-
to understand what is unique about the search to be related to a number of positive
I-O psychologist personality as compared outcomes, including job performance (Jans-
to employees in other professions. In two sen & Van Yperen, 2004; Porath & Bateman,
studies comparing members of SIOP to 2006) and training success (Brett & Van-
workers in other industries, we found that deWalle, 1999; Kozlowski et al., 2001), as
one trait stood out for SIOP members: well as self-efficacy (Kozlowski et al., 2001),
mastery, or the tendency to be learning optimism, the desire to work hard, and ef-
oriented and the desire for improvement. fort (Brett & VandeWalle, 1999). Similarly,
This significant difference was found for a academic institutions and organizations may
baseline sample featuring a variety of jobs want to have I-O graduate students and em-
as well as individual comparisons to several ployees higher in mastery because of their
other job types. In addition, some specific desire to learn and develop themselves.
traits (positivity and structure) were found
to differ from certain job types, suggesting Limitations
that there may be other differences be-
tween I-O psychologists and specific jobs. We used a convenience sample of SIOP
members from the 2015 SIOP conference.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 135
 Such a sampling strategy does not allow for effects of race, gender, and other sub-
a full representation of the I-O personality. groups due to insufficient demographic
Part of the reason this is true is that some data from SIOP members. Previous re-
SIOP members are not themselves I-O psy- search has shown that mastery orienta-
chologists. Future studies should use larger tion in an educational context may have
samples of I-O psychologists for compari- a greater effect on women than men on
son purposes in order to better understand self-efficacy and on proper cognitive strat-
the I-O personality. Further, distinctions egies, which then led to greater academic
between academics and practitioners with achievement (Patrick, Ryan, & Pintrich,
various experience and tenure would also 2000). Future studies should examine how
be particularly useful. As stated earlier, SIOP members of different subgroups may
we aim to position this paper as a call to differ in mastery and the differential affect
research and a first step to a better under- this has on organizational outcomes.
standing of the I-O personality. Finally, the data provided in the above
studies suggest I-O psychologists tend to
A helpful reviewer noted that the samples be higher in mastery. However, it is un-
may be higher in mastery because it was clear whether individuals high in mastery
specifically targeted to those interested in specifically choose to be I-O psychologists
learning about themselves. In other words, because I-O psychology is a research-ori-
there may have been a self-selection ef- ented, academic–practitioner field, or
fect. Future studies should examine the whether other occupations composed
possibility of self-selection when examining predominantly of members with master’s-
personality traits, and particularly mastery, and doctorate-level educations are similar-
among different occupational groups. ly elevated on mastery. Future controlled
studies would allow for the answering of
In addition, the context of the included the effect of education on mastery levels
samples was variable but the instructions within occupations.
provided were the same for all administra-
tions. Specifically, the SIOP data were col- Conclusion
lected for research purposes only, whereas
personality scores from other organizations I-O psychology is one of the fastest growing
were variously obtained in the context of careers in the United States. Despite this,
research, development, and hiring circum- we lack a comprehensive understanding of
stances. Therefore, it is possible that the the personality profile of I-O psychologists.
results of this study were influenced by dif- Initial findings presented here from Studies
fering contexts for the jobs (i.e., hiring ver- 1 and 2 demonstrate that I-O psychologists
sus development) instead of differences in tend to be more learning and develop-
the jobs themselves. Future studies should ment oriented than individuals in other
attempt to separate job context from the occupations, as well as more positive and
personality of employees themselves. less structured. We believe these results
In addition, we were not able to examine are just a first step in pursuing a better
136 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
understanding of our field. Additional con- doi.10.1037/h0076546
trolled research is required to replicate and Hurtz, G. M., & Donovan, J. J. (2000). Person-
expand this line of investigation. Future ality and job performance: The Big Five re-
research should continue to examine what visited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6),
869–879. doi.10.1037/0021-9010.85.6.869
makes I-O psychologists unique from other
Janssen, O., & van Yperen, N. W. (2004). Em-
professions in order to better train and de- ployees’ goal orientations, the quality of lead-
velop them for the future. er-member exchange, and the outcomes of
job performance and job satisfaction. Acade-
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185–192. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.91.1.185 Hedge, J. W., & Borman, W.C. (Eds.). The I-O
Salgado, J. F., & Táuriz, G. (2014). The five-fac- consultant: Advice and insights for Building a
tor model, forced-choice personality inven- Successful Career. Washington, DC: American
tories and performance: A comprehensive Psychological Association.
meta-analysis of academic and occupational Zelin, A. I., Oliver, J., Chau, S., Bynum, B., Car-
validity studies. European Journal of Work and ter, G., Poteet, M. L., & Doverspike, D. (2015,
Organizational Psychology, 23, 3–30. April). Identifying the competencies, critical
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psy- experiences, and career paths of I-O psycholo-
chology (2011). SIOP 2011 membership sur- gists: Consulting. The Industrial-Organization-
vey: Overall report. Retrieved from http:// al Psychologist, 52(4), 122-130.

I-O research on
the cutting edge
The SIOP White Paper Series

www.siop.org/WhitePapers

138 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Anaheim Conference Highlights
Scott Tonidandel
Program Chair

Eden King
Conference Chair

Here are some not-to-be missed highlights tions to Science). In addition, you will find
from the SIOP 2016 conference! (Please an executive board special session on the
see the January 2016 issue of TIP and the Revised Guidelines for Education at the
online program for more comprehensive Master’s and Doctoral Level and an invited
descriptions.) session on the role of I-Os in mergers and
acquisitions.
Wednesday
6:00: Thursday Evening Reception: Enjoy
Preregister for the excellent set of pre- hors d’oeuvres and network with the top
conference activities—including infor- poster winners!
mative and inspirational workshops and
consortia. All are welcome to join us in Friday
celebrating the start of the conference at
the welcome reception from 6–8 pm on Friday’s many highlights include six Friday
the beautiful, sunny patio of the Hilton Seminars (Person-Centered Analyses, The
Anaheim. Benefits (and Costs) of Giving Your Em-
ployees Voice, Careless Survey Respond-
Thursday ing, Effective Organizational Socialization
and Onboarding, Big Data Predictive Ana-
Opening Plenary: Get the day off to a lytics: A Hands-On Workshop Using R, In-
great start by attending the opening tegrating the Science of Employee Health,
plenary session. We’ll cheer for award Well-Being, and Safety Into I-O Psychology
winners and learn about ways that I-O Practice) and three distinguished contri-
psychologists are making an impact from butions award (Professional, Teaching,
President Steve Kozlowski. and Early Career-Practice). The day also
offers three Executive Board session (Un-
The conference program gets off to a derstanding and Supporting the Needs of
rousing start with the day-long Theme Those Who Practice I-O, How to Advocate
Track, “Enhancing Impact: A Multilevel for I-O and Unlock Federal Funding Op-
Approach” in Room 204C, and two distin- portunities, and a Conversation with SIOP
guished awards presentations (M. Scott Leadership). Last, you won’t to miss the
Myers Award and Early Career Contribu- Master Collaboration Session on “Orga-

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 139

 nizational Citizenship Behaviors: Recent year’s closing speaker will leave us in-
Developments in Research and Practice” spired to make work better everywhere!
or our HR Practitioner Track sessions (all
day in 204C!). 6:00: Closing Reception: Make memories
with your friends and colleagues at our
Saturday California-themed closing reception! There
Join the Frank Landy 5K Fun Run, which will be music, food, and California fun!
will begin at 7 am steps from the hotel in
the palm-tree lined streets of California! Throughout the Program

Saturday will close the conference pro- • Posters (20 different sessions this year,
gramming just as strongly as it started, so including over 500 posters!)
make sure to stay the whole day! Saturday • 9 Master Tutorials
features three Alliance sessions (I-O Psy- • 4 Debates (on performance manage-
chology at the Vanguard of Decent Work, ment, work family, technology and ad-
Big Data, An International Panel on Work verse impact, and org surveys)
and Health) to go along with two execu- • 12 Communities of Interest
tive board sessions (Growing the Impact • 30 Alternative Session Types featur-
of I-O Through Local I-O Groups and New ing creative and high-energy formats
Strategies for Driving Visibility and Impact conceived by submitters (including IG-
Through SIOP Publications). There will also NITES, research incubators, and an I-O
be the 6th Annual Invited IGNITE session “Shark Tank”)
(Teaching I-O Psychology-Tips, Tricks, and • Over 850 sessions and posters total!
Pitfalls) and the Distinguished Scientific
Contributions Award. Our amazing conference is just around
the corner. Opportunities for learning,
4:30: Closing Plenary with keynote address networking, and inspiration await you in
by Laszlo Bock: There’s no doubt that this Anaheim!

140 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Professional Practice Series
Ideal for industrial and organizational psychologists, or-
ganizational scientists and practitioners, human resourc-
es professionals, managers, executives, and those inter-
ested in organizational behavior and performance, these
volumes are informative and relevant guides to organiza-
tional practice. You’ll find guidance, insights, and advice
on how to apply the concepts, findings, methods and
tools derived from organizational psychology to organi-
zational problems.

Get all the latest research

today at the SIOP Store
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 141
 SIOP Must‐See Sessions & Events for Graduate Students
Wednesday April 13th 
Newcomer Reception for First‐Time Attendees 
Welcome Reception 

Thursday April 14th 
Opening Plenary Session 
IO Academic Career Options: Faculty at Teaching Intensive Institutions
“Getting an Internship” Open House (Panel & Networking Event)
Dos and Don'ts of Graduate School: Surviving and Thriving 2.0
From Grad Student to Professional: Things I Wish I Knew
Developing Publication Process Savvy 
Executive Board Special Session: Revised Guidelines for Education at the Master’s and Doctoral Level
Distinguished Early Career ‐Science Award: Test Bias, Differential Validity, and Other Things Along the Way
Distinguished Early Career ‐Practice Award: The Scientific Method and the Myth of the “Theoretical Contribution” Toothless 
Shark Tank for I/O Psychologist‐Entrepreneurs
Networking Reception & Top Poster Display 

Friday April 15th 
MythBusters: Debunking Common Early Career Mythconceptions
Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award: Contrarian Thoughts & Attention to Phenomena: A Scientific Journey 
Distinguished Teaching Contributions Award: Teaching through the Lens of Research on Training and Learning
Distinguished Professional Contributions Award 
21st Century Skills: Why do they matter to I‐O? 
School's Out for Summer, School's out Forever: Gaining Applied Experience
Early I‐O Education: Enhancing Visibility in High School and Undergraduate School
Off the map career paths: Succession, global careers and beyond
Becoming a sole practitioner: Live the dream; embrace the nightmare
Imposter Syndrome: Graduate School and Early Career Experiences on Self‐Confidence

Saturday April 16th 
Mastering Your Future: Sage Advice for Early‐Career Master's‐Level I‐O Psychologists
Invited Session: IGNITE Lightning Round‐ Teaching I‐O Psychology‐Tips, Tricks, and Pitfalls
Qualitative Methods for I/O Psychology graduate research
IGNITE Your Career 
Formalized Programs for Providing Graduate Students with Professional Practice Experience
Business Acumen or Stories about How to be Relevant
You’re the “I” to my “O”: Developing Successful Interdisciplinary Experiences
Leaving the Pack: Discussions on Entrepreneurship in I-O Psychology
How to Sell the Value of I-O (part II) 
Closing Plenary Session, featuring Keynote Address by Laszlo Bock
Closing Reception 

142 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Hilton California D 5:00PM 6:00PM Special Events
Hilton Anaheim  6:00PM 8:00PM Special Events
Hotel 

Hilton California A‐D 8:30AM 10:00AM

303 B 10:30 AM 12:00 PM Panel Discussion 
Hilton Laguna 11:00 AM 12:30 PM Special Events
207 A 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Alternative Session Type  
207 A 1:30 PM 3:00 PM Alternative Session Type  
203 A 3:30 PM 4:30 PM Community of Interest 
203 B 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Special Events
201 A 5:00 PM 5:50 PM Special Events
203 B 5:00 PM 5:50 PM Special Events
303 B 5:00 PM 5:50 PM Alternative Session Type 
Hilton Pacific C‐D 6:00PM 8:00PM

303 A 8:00 AM 9:00 AM Alternative Session Type 

203 B 9:00 AM 9:50 AM Special Events
201 B 9:00 AM 9:50 AM Special Events
201 A 9:00 AM 9:50 AM Special Events
303 D 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Symposium/Forum 
207 D 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Panel Discussion 
203 A 1:00 PM 1:50 PM Community of Interest 
201 D 3:30 PM 5:00 PM Panel Discussion 
207 B 5:00 PM 5:50 PM Panel Discussion 
303 D 5:00 PM 6:00 PM Panel Discussion 

201 C 8:30 AM 10:00 AM Panel Discussion 

204 A 9:00 AM 10:00 AM Special Events
207 A 10:30 AM 11:50 AM Roundtable Discussion 
204 A 10:30 AM 12:00 PM Alternative Session Type  
204 A 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Panel Discussion 
207C 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Panel Discussion 
303A 1:30 PM 3:00 PM Panel Discussion 
207 D 3:30 PM 4:30 PM Panel Discussion 
204 C 3:30 PM 4:30 PM Panel Discussion 
Hilton California A‐D 4:30PM 5:30PM
Hilton California A‐D 6:00PM 8:00PM

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 143

 Show Me The Money:
Science Funding Speed Mentoring at the 2016 SIOP Conference!
SIOP Scientific Affairs Committee
The SIOP Scientific Affairs committee is The discussions will be limited to no more
delighted to announce it will be hosting than seven (7) protégés per mentor to
its third annual “Science Funding Speed ensure a truly interactive and personal
Mentoring” special event at the 2016 SIOP experience, so sign up quickly before space
conference in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April runs out! Don’t miss this opportunity
15, from 5:00-6:30PM in Pacific A of the to sit down with some of the most
Hilton Anaheim. This event complements knowledgeable funding resources in SIOP.
several other conference events focused This event is open to Fellows, Members,
on improving science advocacy by Associates, International Affiliates, and
providing SIOP members with information Student Affiliates.
and resources to more effectively pursue
scientific funding opportunities. Protégés To sign up as a protégé, please complete
that sign up for this special event will the following survey: https://umdsurvey.
get the opportunity to engage in two umd.edu/SE/?SID=SV_es8mqGULx8imnfT
(2) consecutive half-hour small group
discussions with expert science fundees If you have any questions about the SIOP
and funders. The science funding-related Science Funding Speed Mentoring event,
topics from which protégés can select on a please contact James Grand at grandjam@
first-come, first-serve basis are: umd.edu or Chris Nye (nyechris@msu.
edu).
Topic Description
Advantages and disadvantages of funded research, strategies for deciding when/whether to pursue funding, 
Trade‐offs and Pitfalls
managing funding requirements
Tips for managing time/expectations, preparing budgets, finding the right funding sources, writing “doable” 
Mistakes to Avoid
proposals, generating exciting topics without promising too much
Identifying topics of interest to funding agencies, “hot” new methods/content areas generating interest among 
Emerging Fundable Topics
funders
Partnering on funded research with collaborators outside of psychology, forming multidisciplinary research teams, 
Interdisciplinary Funding
challenges with crossing disciplinary boundaries
Strategies for getting funding from the National Science Foundation, NSF programs relevant to I‐O psychology, 
NSF Funding
topics of interest, examples of projects/proposals that have succeeded vs. not succeeded at NSF
Strategies for getting funding from the Department of Defense, DoD areas relevant to I‐O psychology, topics of 
DoD Funding
interest, examples of projects/proposals that have succeeded vs not succeeded at DoD agencies
Strategies for crafting effective grant proposals, how to organize/structure a proposal from beginning to end, how to 
Writing Compelling Proposals
communicate the broader impacts/significance of one’s research
Finding funding from non‐governmental agencies, writing seed grants, leveraging internal/university grants, 
Big vs. Small Grants
tradeoffs in “big” and “small” funding sources

144 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Team Up at SIOP16 to Make a Local or Global Impact
Zack Horn
Chair, 2016 Theme Track Committee

“To help others” and “to improve lives.” all you’ll need to get started (see full list of
These are, by far, the two most frequent titles, presenters, and descriptions; all ses-
answers I hear when asking I-O psychol- sions in Convention Center 204C):
ogists why they chose psychology as a
career field. Very noble and aspirational Session 1 (10:30am):
goals, with the underlying theme of mak- How Small Local Efforts Can Yield BIG
ing a difference in the world. As I-O psy- #Impact
chologists, our study and application of In this inspiring IGNITE session, you will be
science for a smarter workplace certainly inspired by others who have made a dif-
fits that bill; however, with technology and ference in their local communities, learn
social media connecting the world so rap- to make a difference at any career stage
idly over the past few years, many in our by thinking locally, and take action by
field have found new opportunities to help finding communities that could use your
others and improve lives. SIOP’s Bridge assistance.
Builders and affiliated prosocial programs
are noteworthy examples, yet they’re just Session 2 (12:00pm):
scratching the surface. #Impact the World Through Organiza-
tions: The Power of One
If you get inspired by the prospect of us- In this TED-style session, you will learn
ing I-O to make an impact in the world how I-O can be used to help the envi-
around you, you’re not alone. In fact, you ronment, enable sustainable living, help
very well may be in the majority. So much workplaces focus on the greater good,
so that the entire 2016 SIOP Theme Track facilitate volunteerism, and have other
is dedicated to making it easier for you forms of practical impact.
to identify and make a new meaningful
impact. All you have to do is show up, and Session 3 (1:30pm):
you’ll have already begun.   Using I-O to Make an #Impact on the
Larger Society
The Theme Track sessions on Thursday, With this high-profile panel of global in-
April 14, are packed with insights, exam- fluencers, you will learn to translate I-O
ples, tips, and guided planning activities for policy makers, hear how your peers
that will turn your “maybe someday” are solving global problems by applying
ideas into an actionable plan. Inspired by research findings, be inspired by the broad
the multilevel approach to enhancing im- reach of our impact, and connect with
pact offered by SIOP President Steve Ko- other I-Os who wish and know how to
zlowski, this year’s Theme Track provides make a difference at the policy level.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 145
 Session 4 (3:30pm): define success, and get specific about a
Creating #Impact With(in) SIOP plan toward success, all during this ses-
In this how-to session, SIOP introduces a sion. Whether you arrive with an impact
new framework that enables you to iden- idea or prefer to join a team and enhance
tify and support emerging grassroots I-O its impact, there’s a spot for everyone to
opportunities, assemble with peers to start make that meaningful contribution. No
new grassroots initiatives, and request preparation necessary, but if you have
support (e.g., advocacy, funding) from ideas in advance, please post to social me-
SIOP’s Executive Board. You will also hear dia using #SIOP16 and and #Impact.
how small grassroots initiatives used peer
support to become official SIOP-supported Follow @SIOPtweets, #SIOP16, and the
initiatives. #Impact hashtag on social media to share
your ideas and look for new opportunities
Session 5 (4:30pm): to make a difference at any level. Start
Making a Difference Together in #Impact thinking about your “maybe someday”
Action Teams ideas— “someday” will be here April 14th.
In this hands-on capstone session, join
an Impact Action Team (new to SIOP this On behalf of your Theme Track Committee
year!) and begin putting an Impact Action (Emily Stehura, Stu Carr, Tara Behrend,
Plan into motion. Find others with similar Ryan Johnson, and Gloria Gonzalez-Mo-
aspirations and craft an achievable goal, rales), see you at the conference!

146 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 United Nations Policy Brief
Decent Work for All: Leveraging Big Data for a Human-Centered
Approach to Sustainable Development
 
Alexander Gloss, North Carolina State University
Lori Foster, North Carolina State University & University of Cape Town
Deborah E. Rupp, Purdue University
John C. Scott, APTMetrics
Lise Saari, New York University
Mathian Osicki, IBM
Kristin Charles, Amazon
Drew Mallory, Purdue University
Dan Maday, Roosevelt University
“Scientific knowledge is not easily for this event, the United Nations has
accessible to lay people and policy created a platform for crowdsourcing
makers,” writes Detlof von Winterfeldt in “science briefs” to inform policy during
the Proceedings of the National Academy the upcoming HLPF. This is an avenue
of Sciences (2013, p. 14055). The United for scientists from across the world
Nations means to change that. The to be heard at the highest levels of
Society for Industrial and Organizational the UN in the form of concise, factual
Psychology means to help. write-ups, which are based on peer-
reviewed literature and highlight issues,
The United Nations High Level Political research, and/or solutions to challenges
Forum (HLPF) is a central UN policymaker faced by the UN and its member states.
convening point, held for the purpose of Selected briefs are included in the Global
reviewing and following up on the 2030 Sustainable Development Report, which is
Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its reviewed by policymakers at the HLPF.
mandates include guiding and leading
the implementation of the Sustainable The demand for industrial-organizational
Development Agenda, stimulating policies psychology’s scientist–practitioner
informed by scientific evidence and perspective at the United Nations
country experiences, and addressing new continues to grow. Late last year, the
and emerging issues that arise. Society for Industrial and Organizational
Psychology (SIOP) was asked to contribute
The next HLPF will take place on 11-20 a science policy brief, with a focus on
July 2016. This will be the first HLPF to “big data” in particular. SIOP is well
occur since the unanimous adoption positioned to inform discussions on this
of the Sustainable Development Goals topic, given industrial-organizational (I-O)
in September of 2015. In preparation psychologists’ roles in collecting, shaping,

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 147

 analyzing, and utilizing big data for Work for All: Leveraging Big Data for a
decision making in organizational settings Human-Centered Approach to Sustainable
and other contexts. The increasingly Development. It was accepted by the
prominent and powerful intersection Global Sustainable Development Report
between I-O psychology and data science Team on February 2, 2016; is available
is reflected in substantial conference online; and is reprinted below, in full.
activity and literature on this topic in
recent years, including a SIOP Frontiers References
volume (Tonidandel, King, & Cortina,
2015) and a focal article on big data—with Guzzo, R. A., Fink, A. A., King, E.,
commentaries—in the journal Industrial Tonidandel, S., & Landis, R. S. (2015). Big
and Organizational Psychology (Guzzo, data recommendations for industrial–
Fink, King, Tonidandel, & Landis, 2015). organizational psychology. Industrial and
Organizational Psychology, 8(4), 491–508.
Tonidandel, S., King, E., & Cortina, J. (Eds.).
In the context of the United Nations (2015). Big data at work: The data science
Sustainable Development Goals, the revolution and organizational psychology
nexus of data science and I-O psychology (SIOP Organizational Frontiers Series). New
has particular relevance to SDG 8, which York, NY: Routledge.
endeavors to “promote inclusive and von Winterfeldt, D. (2013). Bridging the gap
sustainable economic growth, employment between science and decision making.
and decent work for all.” Accordingly, Proceedings of the National Academy of
SIOP’s science policy brief is titled: Decent Sciences (PNAS), 110, 14055–14061.
Brief for GSDR 2016
Decent Work for All: Leveraging Big Data for a Human-Centered Approach to
Sustainable Development
By Alexander Gloss and Lori Foster in collaboration with the Society for Industrial and
Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and SIOP’s committee of representatives to ECOSOC1,2
In this brief we provide policy consider- 1. Background
ations for utilizing Big Data to promote De-
cent Work, review existing examples of the The world has resolved to ensure that all
use of Big Data in support of Decent Work, individuals can fulfill their human potential
and make suggestions about how Big Data with dignity and equality – including by
can be further leveraged to support De- ensuring access to decent work (United
cent Work and sustainable development. Nations, 2015). People in emerging econ-
In particular, we argue for the need to con- omies and from lower-income countries
sider people’s work-related goals, needs, (LICs) are often excluded from the formal
and capabilities and to use innovative economy and excluded from fully utilizing
sources of data to better understand work the power of information technology for
in the informal economy. the benefit of their working lives (Interna-
tional Labour Organization, 2014; Van Dijk,

148 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

2005). Fortunately, the prevalence of “Big competence, autonomy, and relatedness
Data”3 provides previously unthinkable are being met can be appreciated by ask-
opportunities to more accurately measure, ing the right questions and by accessing
target, and improve working conditions and analyzing Big Data in the right way.
and the lives of people engaged in or look-
ing for work, even among those who lack 2.3 Promoting Decent Work through
full and equitable access to such technolo- Big Data requires us to respect what we
gy (Tonidandel, King, & Cortina, 2015). know from research about how people
work
2. Policy considerations The gathering, interpretation, and in-
ferences made from information about
2.1 Promoting Decent Work through workers’ lives should be guided by theo-
Big Data requires ensuring that we are ry and existing research from the social
aware of people’s work-related goals, and organizational sciences. Analysis of
needs, and capabilities Big Data in relation to people in a work
When working conditions meet people’s context can lead to misleading indica-
fundamental needs, people tend to set tors, improper inferences, and even con-
their own challenging goals, develop clusions that are unintentionally discrim-
skills, and gain a sense of self-efficacy inatory against vulnerable and protected
(Locke & Latham, 2012). In turn, reward- populations (Illingworth, 2015; Whelan
ing and productive work contributes to & Duvernet, 2015). For example, wom-
sustainable economic prosperity and job en’s empowerment at work continues to
growth. Measuring people’s work-related be a critically important aspect of global
goals, needs, and capabilities is critical sustainable development; interventions
to informing policy for sustainable de- based upon Big Data that do not take
velopment, and such insight is possible into consideration the unique challenges
through the competent use of Big Data. and obstacles that women face at work
might only exacerbate those barriers.
2.2 Promoting Decent Work through Big
Data requires ensuring that people have 2.4 Promoting Decent Work through Big
competence, autonomy, and related- Data requires us to build a common lan-
ness at work guage about work
Decades of research has documented at Although job descriptions and other
least three universal psychological needs – forms of information about private sector
the need for competence in one’s actions, organizations’ human resources present
autonomy in the direction of one’s life, considerable promise for use by policy-
and relatedness to others (Deci & Ryan, makers, their utility is limited by a lack of
2012; Gagné & Deci, 2005). These psycho- generalizable data standards, taxonomies,
logical needs are often fulfilled in large and metrics. Progress is being made to
part through meaningful forms of Decent align data-collection in the private (e.g.,
Work. Whether or not people’s needs for www.hropenstandards.org) and public
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 149
 sector (e.g., www.skillsforemployment. 3.2 Identifying promising entrepreneurs
org), yet considerable development still in LICs via adaptive surveys
needs to be made. An important way In order to identify potential entrepre-
of aligning information about workers’ neurs deserving of financial loans but
lives is being led by UNESCO as it works without the necessary formal documen-
to build a global framework of workforce tation and credit history, computerized
qualifications (Keevy & Chakroun, 2014). psychological tests have been built and
deployed in several countries in Africa
2.5 Promoting Decent Work through Big and South America (Klinger, Khwaja, &
Data requires us to ensure that the use Carpio, 2013). These tests increase in
of Big Data is not a threat to the people predictive accuracy based upon a con-
it is meant to help stantly evolving global database and
Standards for the effective and ethical help to open doors for sustained eco-
use of Big Data need to be respected to nomic growth in LICs.
protect individuals’ rights and psycho- 3.3 Painting a picture of work interests
logical wellbeing. SIOP has made a series and skills through mobile phones in
of recommendations for the use of Big Tunisia
Data in the context of work (Guzzo, Fink, In partnership with UNESCO, civil society
King, Tonidandel, & Landis, 2015). These and private-sector actors in Tunisia have
recommendations help to highlight the constructed a mobile-based platform to
unique likelihood of Big Data to violate gather information about mobile phone
norms of privacy, informed consent, and users’ vocational interests and career-de-
a sense of personal control over one’s velopment skills and to inform those us-
life. Methods to avoid harm and personal ers of career development opportunities
violations in working contexts include en- and best-practices (GSMA, 2014).
suring participation in deciding how and
when one is being observed and ensuring 4. Promising Sources of Big Data to Pro-
transparency regarding data-collection mote Decent Work
and data use (Guzzo et al., 2015; Karim,
Willford, & Behrend, 2015). 4.1 Big Data that supports Decent Work
can come from collecting job descrip-
3. Examples of Using Big Data to promote tion information and combining it with
Decent Work other data about work
3.1 Insight into unemployment senti- A relatively under-utilized form of de-
ment via Twitter tailed information about people’s work-
In coordination with the United Nations ing lives is available in the form of job
Global Pulse Lab, analysis of social media descriptions. Building upon datasets
data has added depth to unemployment that allow comparisons between jobs,
statistics by developing leading indica- the World Bank and organizational re-
tors of economic activity based upon the searchers have combined occupational
tone of online conversations (SAS, 2011). information with occupational employ-
150 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
 ment figures to produce regional profiles or regional pulse surveys administered
of workforce characteristics and worker via mobile devices that assess critical
needs and capabilities (Gloss, Fos- aspects of workers’ lives could greatly
ter-Thompson, Klinger, & Wright, 2010; assist in providing accurate and timely
World Bank, 2013). insight into skill gaps, threats to decent
work, and emerging work trends. Such
4.2 Big Data that supports Decent Work pulse surveys would need to deliberately
can come from crowdsourced work-in- include workers involved in the informal
terest inventories economy and in vulnerable forms of
Another under-utilized form of insight employment. Micro surveys and greater
into worker’s lives are vocational inter- utilization of Big Data in work contexts
est profiles. These profiles, which allow could also help to address a particularly
individuals to assess their own career problematic threat to decent work – the
interests, can provide individual a more absence of living wages. Mobile applica-
accurate picture of possible career op- tions to help entrepreneurs and family
tions and policymakers a more detailed workers track their income and expen-
picture of labor-force characteristics. ditures could provide aggregated insight
For example, the Occupational Interest into the conditions and challenges of
Profiler built by the United States De- those in the informal sector.
partment of Labor has been widely used
internationally by individuals who are Notes
entering the work force or making career
transitions (Rounds, Su, Lewis, & Rivkin,
1
The views and opinions expressed are the
authors’ and do not represent those of the
2010). In addition, public sector actors
Secretariat of the United Nations. Online
in other countries, including in the Re- publication or dissemination does not imply
public of South Africa, have worked to endorsement by the United Nations. Authors
leverage insight from vocational interest can be reached at [email protected] and more
surveys to provide their workers with information can be found at http://www.siop.
career insights and tools (United Nations org/Prosocial/UN.aspx.
Development Programme, 2014). 2
Special thanks to Pamela Flattau from Psy-
chology of Science in Policy for her advice and
4.3 Big Data that supports Decent Work assistance in this brief.
can come from aggregating survey pulses
3
For purposes of this analysis, “big data” signifies
data of such volume (i.e., the size of data in
A promising additional method of data
terms of bytes), velocity (i.e., the speed at which
collection about workers’ lives has data is created and/or loses currency), and/
precedent in the private sector. Many or variety (i.e., data’s structural complexity, its
leading corporations have innovated by lack of structure, and/or the connections of one
administering micro-surveys to evaluate or more data sub-sets to other sub-sets) as to
their workers’ levels of work “engage- make traditional data-analytic methods difficult
ment” on a regular basis (see Macey & or impossible (McAfee & Brynjolfsson, 2012).
Schneider, 2008). Global, national, and/
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 151
 References Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (Eds.). New de-
velopments in goal setting and task perfor-
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Motivation, mance. London, UK: Routledge.
personality, and development within embed- Macey, W. H. & Schneider, B. (2008). The
ded social contexts: An overview of self-deter- meaning of employee engagement. Industrial
mination theory. In R. M. Ryan (Ed.), Oxford and Organizational Psychology, 1, 3-30.
handbook of human motivation (pp. 107-85). McAfee, A., & Brynjolfsson, E. (2012). Big data:
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. The management revolution. Harvard Busi-
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determina- ness Review, 90(10), 59-68.
tion theory and work motivation. Journal of Rounds, J., Su, R., Lewis, P., & Rivkin, D. (2010).
Organizational Behavior, 26, 331-362. O*NET Interest Profiler Short Form Psycho-
Gloss, A. E., Foster-Thompson, L., Klinger, B., & metric Characteristics: Summary and Sup-
Wright, N. A. (2014, May). Using occupation- porting Evidence. U.S. Department of Labor
al-information and trade data to understand National O*NET Resource Center.
economic development. Paper presented at the SAS. (2011). Using social media and online con-
29th annual meeting of the Society for Industri- versations to add depth to unemployment sta-
al and Organizational Psychology, Honolulu, HI. tistics. Retrieved from www.unglobalpulse.org
Guzzo, R. A., Fink, A. A., King, E., Tonidandel, S., Tonidandel, S., King, E., & Cortina, J. (Eds.).
& Landis, R. S. (2015). Big data recommenda- (2015). Big data at work: The data science
tions for industrial–organizational psychology. revolution and organizational psychology
Industrial and Organizational Psychology, (SIOP Organizational Frontiers Series). New
8(4), 491-508. York, NY: Routledge.
GSMA. (2014, February 11). Najja7ni: Mobile United Nations Development Programme.
learning services for improving education, En- (2014). The role of the private sector in inclu-
glish language skills and employment opportu- sive development: Barriers and opportunities
nities in Tunisia. Retrieved from www.gsma.com at the base of the pyramid (A report by the
Illingworth, A. J. (2015). Big data in I-O psychol- Istanbul International Center for Private Sec-
ogy: Privacy considerations and discriminato- tor in Development). Retrieved from http://
ry algorithms. Industrial and Organizational www.undp.org
Psychology, 8(4), 567-575. United Nations. (2015). Transforming our
International Labour Organization. (2014). world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable devel-
World of work report 2014: Developing with opment. Retrieved from www.un.org
jobs. Retrieved from www.ilo.org Van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2005). The deepening
Karim, M. N., Willford, J. C., & Behrend, T. S. divide: Inequality in the information society.
(2015). Big data, little individual: Considering Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
the human side of big data. Industrial and Or- Whelan, T. J., & DuVernet, A. M. (2015). The
ganizational Psychology, 8(4), 527-533 big duplicity of big data. Industrial and Orga-
Keevy, J. & Chakroun, B. (2014). Level best: A glob- nizational Psychology, 8(4), 509-515
al study on the use of level descriptors in the 21st World Bank. (2013). From occupations to em-
century. Retrieved from www.unesco.org bedded skills: A cross-country comparison
Klinger, B., Khwaja, A. I., & Carpio, C. (2013). (Background paper for the World Develop-
Enterprising psychometrics and poverty reduc- ment Report 2013). Retrieved from www.
tion. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-7227-8 worldbank.org

152 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

 Mile-High Psychology at the Denver APA Convention: August 4-7
APA Program Committee
This year’s APA Convention is shaping up to 3. Over 50 competitive posters and talks
be a fantastic one. Consider the evidence: from SIOP members, on topics ranging
from emotion to federal employment
1. Phenomenal Invited Speakers policy to work-life balance… plus hundreds
• Nancy Tippins: Evaluating the Assess- of papers on measurement, group
ment of Leaders dynamics, personality, and more from
• Lynn Offermann: College Women Lead- other APA divisions!
ers Then and Now---Predicting Career
Outcomes 28 Years Later 4. A social event at The Office, right across
• Gwen Fisher: Challenges, Opportuni- the street from the Convention Center,
ties, and Best Practices in Promoting on Thursday August 4—mingle with old
Health for Individuals, Families, and colleagues and meet new ones in a low-
Organizations key setting

2. Outstanding Invited Symposia 5. The city of Denver as our backdrop, full

• Roni Reiter-Palmon and Chris Shalley: of culture, nature, and activities
Creativity and Innovation in Organiza-
tions---A Review of Current Findings and I hope you will make the trip to represent
Future Directions SIOP at the convention. While you’re
• Lori Foster, David Blustein, Terry Trac- there, say hello to Mindy Shoss, the
ey, and Alex Gloss: Using Vocational incoming APA Program Chair for 2017.
and I-O Psychology to Support Decent
Work Around the World I also want to say a huge thank you to the
• Ann Huffman, Diedre Knapp, and Carl reviewers and committee members who
Castro: 2016 Work Military Trends---Mak- worked like crazy this December to get our
ing Tomorrow’s Research Agenda Today program in shape. See you all in Denver!

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 153

 APA Council Representative Report
Deirdre Knapp, Lori Foster, Gary Latham, and Georgia Chao
The 170+ member APA Council of Repre- APA has also established an Ethics Com-
sentatives met in Washington DC February mission to examine how APA works to
19-21, 2016. ensure ethical behavior and make rec-
ommendations about potential changes.
The policies discussed largely grew out of At the time of this writing, there is also
organizational introspection associated proposed language to revise Standard
with issues raised by the independent re- 3.04 of the APA Ethics Code out for public
view (IR) report authored by the law firm comment for which SIOP is preparing a re-
of Sidley Austin and released in July 2015. sponse. Because SIOP uses the APA Ethics
Although there have been questions raised Code, we will be impacted by any changes
about aspects of the IR, there is also broad and need to ensure our voice is heard with
commitment within Council and the Board regard to changes that might be made.
of Directors to ensure that APA rededicates
to its core mission through policy and orga- On Council, one way to increase our voice
nizational functional improvements. is to combine it with others who share
some of our interests through caucus ac-
The following motions were passed: tivity. Deirdre Knapp is chair of the General
Applied Psychology/Psychologists (GAPP)
• Establishment of a work group to review caucus. We are also active in the Coalition
organizational policies and procedures for Academic, Scientific, and Applied Re-
(e.g., organizational checks and balanc- search Psychology (CASAP) caucus.
es, transparency of decision making,
appropriate oversight of governance Despite the nearly $5M spent on the IR
members in the execution of their roles) and other expenses, APA remains finan-
• Establishment of a work group to devel- cially healthy because of the large reserves
op civility principles and procedures upon which it can draw. With regard to the
• Amendment to Council guidelines for 2015 operating budget, the largest source
proposed resolutions to ensure they of revenue (publications and databases)
are consistent with APA’s core values had a slower rate of growth than antici-
and address human rights, health and pated. But efforts to trim expenses (e.g.,
welfare, and ethics through freezing some staff positions)
• Prioritization of ethics, human rights, helped ensure that 2015 ended with a
and social justice in revision of APA’s small budget surplus. In contrast, the APA
strategic plan Practice Organization (APAPO), which is
• Establishment of a work group to de- entirely dependent on member dues, is
velop guidelines regarding task force significantly struggling following several
selection years of declining membership.
154 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
APA is also searching for a new CEO. Es- running for treasurer. These are influential
tablishing a group to handle vetting of positions and we applaud those who are
candidates was a politically sensitive task. willing to be nominated, run, and serve.
We are pleased to see that I-O psycholo- As your representatives to APA Council,
gist Rodney Lowman is the co-chair and we are committed to ensuring that those
James Outtz had been selected for the SIOP members who belong to APA are
committee. represented to the best of our ability and
to ensuring I-O influence in what remains
With any luck we will see one or two SIOP the largest voice for psychology in the
members on the ballot for APA presi- U.S. If you have questions, ideas, or con-
dent-elect and probably at least one more cerns, please let us know.

Key Objectives/Changes for 2016
 Incorporate New Section: Practice Forum
We welcome Forum Editor Mark Poteet to the Editorial Team
Discover more and bring your questions! John Scott and Mark Poteet will
be at the Cambridge University Press stand 12-1pm on Friday

 Enhance online presence through new digital platform ‘Cambridge Core’

 Explore video-based Commentaries and podcasts/ webinars associated with

Focal articles

 Create online reading packs by subject area for practitioners and/or online
themed collections

 Elicit critical, cross-disciplinary thinking on topics that have broad appeal to

the full SIOP membership

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 155

 Report of the Executive Director Selection Advisory Committee
Tammy Allen, Milt Hakel, Bill Macey (co-chair), Fred Oswald (co-chair),
Ann Marie Ryan, Neal Schmitt, Nancy Tippins
In an email to the SIOP membership just a two members of the present SAC) created
few weeks ago, SIOP President Steve Ko- a process that ultimately led to Dave’s re-
zlowski announced the retirement of Dave cruitment and subsequent hire. Though
Nershi as SIOP Executive Director (ED). In time has passed, the overall timeline and
that same email, Steve further announced phases of the current effort are likely to
the formation of an ED Search Steering follow a similar track.
Committee (SC) comprising SIOP’s senior
elected leaders including Steve, Fred Os- As an outline of what needs to get done,
wald, Jose Cortina (until April 2016), and it’s useful to consider the timeline of events
Scott Tannenbaum with overall responsibili- in reverse order. Dave will retire on May 1,
ty to guide and advise the Selection Adviso- 2017 after the annual conference. In order
ry Committee (SAC). Fred Oswald will serve to benefit from working alongside Dave,
as liaison to the SC on behalf of the SAC. the incoming ED should join the AO team
The composition of the SAC was designed some time before that, just as Dave joined
to draw on prior executive leadership in a short time before Lee Hakel’s retirement
SIOP (i.e., past SIOP presidents); encompass in 2005. That means that hiring of the new
expertise in selection, assessment, and ED should necessarily be completed early
leadership; and—across SAC members—to in 2017. Again working in reverse order,
represent a diverse group of I-O psycholo- the role of the SAC will be to recommend
gists. SAC has full control over the oper- a slate of candidates to the SC with suffi-
ational aspects of the search process and cient time for review and consideration in
will determine the final pool of candidates December 2016. The assessment process
for selection. The role of the SC is to link is planned to begin in early October 2016,
the search process to the SIOP Executive with vacancy announcement and recruit-
Board (EB). Elected members of the EB will ment beginning in June. Prior to that, the
ultimately select the next ED from the can- SAC will determine the requirements of
didate pool developed by the SAC. the job, including consideration of ways in
which the AO may likely change with re-
As difficult as it is to accept the news that spect to continuing growth of the Society
Dave is retiring, it’s also hard to believe and any strategic partnerships SIOP is likely
that 12 years ago the SIOP Executive Com- to form. The job analysis and subsequent
mittee embarked on the daunting process specifications for the vacancy will be com-
of recruiting, selecting, and assessing po- pleted by end of May 2016, leaving suffi-
tential candidates for the ED position. At cient time for review and feedback from the
that time, a small committee (including SC and subsequent revision by us.

156 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

Along the way, will keep you informed of Dave will be sorely missed by many people
progress as the process unfolds. None of for many reasons. So much of what we
what is described above is set in stone, and now take for granted as simply the way
we are mindful of the different member things work in SIOP is what Dave and his
constituencies who share a common stake team at the Administrative Office (AO)
in the success of this effort, perhaps with have instituted and refined. Dave’s role
varying perspectives on what defines the is and has been a critical and demanding
most critical aspects defining that success. one, and we are fully cognizant of the de-
Your comments and suggestions are always mands on us as an organization to success-
welcome. Please direct them to Bill Macey fully identify his replacement.
([email protected]). For obvious rea-
sons we can’t guarantee we can adopt any
specific idea, but we fully intend to give full
consideration to your input.

Can't make it to the SIOP Conference?

Follow all the action on social media!

twitter.com/#SIOP16

twitter.com/SIOPtweets

www.facebook.com/siop.org/

www.linkedin.com/groups/72806/profile

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 157

 Professional Practice Committee Update
Mark L. Poteet
Organizational Research & Solutions, Inc.

Greetings SIOP! As we approach the An- Kurtessis for their excellent work in lead-
nual Conference in Anaheim, I want to ing these efforts.
devote some time to update membership
on the progress of several Professional SIOP’s initiative to create Contemporary
Practice Committee (PPC) projects and Selection Recommendations (CSR) for
goals, as well as to acknowledge the ter- the Equal Employment Opportunity Com-
rific work of the committee’s members in mission (EEOC) has made good strides in
making this progress possible. SIOP is for- recent weeks. Specifically, the SIOP Task
tunate to have such an incredible team of Force’s products (e.g., white papers) have
professionals focused on helping advance been reviewed by several members of
the practice of I-O psychology and support the EEOC. In addition, at the time of this
I-O psychologists who practice. writing, several members of the task force
and the PPC are scheduled to meet with
SIOP practitioners and SHRM professionals leadership and technical staff from the
have yet another resource for their devel- Equal Employment Opportunity Commis-
opment in the form of a new SHRM-SIOP sion (EEOC) to share feedback and com-
Science of HR Series white paper, pub- ments, explore different ways in which the
lished on the SHRM and SIOP websites. products can be used, establish next steps
The paper, entitled “Strategies for En- in the project, and discuss additional ave-
gaging and Retaining Mature Workers,” nues for the collaborative work between
was authored by Margaret E. Beier, can SIOP and EEOC. Much thanks goes to Eric
be found here. In addition, a new work Dunleavy, Rich Tonowski, David Dubin,
stream within this SHRM–SIOP collabora- and Kyle Morgan for their persistent ef-
tion has been piloted: the Joint Webinar forts with this initiative.
Series. The webinars series is designed
to help human resources professionals As can be seen in the current issue of TIP,
to learn about the science and evidence there are two articles highlighting the
supporting human resources practices, work of the PPC. First, the third of several
presented by SIOP members. The first planned articles summarizing results of
webinar presented in late January cov- the 2015 Practitioner Needs Survey, au-
ered the subject of employee background thored by Ben Porr, Ted Axton, Meredith
checks and was presented by Michael Aa- Ferro, and Soner Dumani, has been pro-
modt. It was very well attended by SHRM duced. This article covered practitioners’
members, and review of feedback is un- views on practice areas where additional
derway to determine future directions of science and research would be beneficial.
this work. Thanks to David Dubin and Jim Second, Craig Wallace, Lynda Zugec, and
158 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
I provide an introduction to a new TIP col- Finally, given this time of the year, it is
umn focused on highlighting science–prac- worth noting that over the last year there
tice collaboration within I-O psychology. has been great progress in a number of the
Going forward, while the PPC will work PPC’s goals and initiatives. Without ques-
with the Scientific Affairs Committee (SAC) tion, this progress would not have been
and TIP in overseeing and managing the possible without the tremendous volunteer
production of articles, we are relying on efforts of many committee members. Still,
the experiences and input of all of SIOP with some members preparing to transi-
members to form the content for this col- tion off of the committee after dedicating
umn. Therefore, if you have examples or 3 years of service, and with several current
experiences with effective science-practice initiatives still underway (and potentially
collaboration, please contact either Lynda others planned!), additional help will al-
(lynda.zugec@theworkforceconsultants. ways be needed and welcomed. If you have
com) or Craig ([email protected]). ever wanted to play a significant role in
shaping SIOP’s efforts to enhance the prac-
Reflecting science–practice collaboration, tice of I-O psychology and are interested in
the PPC worked with the SAC and the working on some of the PPC’s initiatives, I
Government Relations Advocacy Team to strongly encourage you to register your in-
review and comment on proposed changes terest on the Committee Volunteer System
to the “Common Rule” published online through the SIOP website. If you would like
in the Federal Register. The PPC focused more information about the PPC’s activities
its review of the proposed changes on or goals, want to learn more about vol-
their potential impact to the practice of unteering for the committee, or have any
I-O psychology. Special thanks goes to Jer- feedback or ideas for how the PPC might
ilyn Hayward, Kyle Morgan, Ben Porr, and further support the effective practice of I-O
Donna Roland for their diligent efforts in psychology, please contact me directly at
reviewing the collective hundreds of pages [email protected].
and providing valuable feedback to sup-
port SIOP’s response.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 159

 IOTAS
Alyssa LaCava
Xavier University

Honors and Awards field. The Butler Center for Leadership

Excellence held a celebration and recogni-
Rob Silzer was presented the Society of tion ceremony in March.
Consulting Psychology’s top honor—the
2016 International Award of Excellence Transitions, New Affiliations,
in Consultation—at its Midwinter Confer- Appointments
ence in Orlando earlier in February. SCP is
Division 13 of the American Psychological Lynda Zugec is the new chair-elect for the
Association. Silzer was recognized for his Canadian Society for Industrial and Organi-
leadership of consulting organizations, zational Psychology (CSIOP). CSIOP, an offi-
his voluminous practice serving clients cial section of the Canadian Psychological
around the world, and his contributions as Association (CPA), is an organization whose
a thought leader in the field of consulting mission is to further the welfare of people
psychology.  The SCP Awards Committee by: helping organizations effectively man-
cited the sheer quantity of his work, age their human resources, scientifically
noting his prolific accomplishments in investigating human behavior and cognition
scholarship and his efforts to contribute to at work, and helping individuals realize
the training of other consultants. Rob is their work goals, including helping them
managing drector of HR Assessments and to maximize job satisfaction and minimize
Development Inc. and is on the doctoral work stress. CSIOP members consist of
faculty of Baruch College Graduate Center faculty from both psychology departments
of City University of New York (CUNY). He and business schools, consultants from var-
is a Fellow in SIOP, APA, APS, and SCP. ious organizations, and students from nu-
merous universities. Zugec’s goal as chair-
See more at: http://www.siop.org/article_ elect is, “to increase active involvement
view.aspx?article=1485#sthash.2v1H939D. in CSIOP initiatives so that we can better
dpuf enable and further develop I-O in Canada.”

Dr. Talya N. Bauer has been selected as a Marc Sokol is now executive editor of Peo-
2016 Distinguished Women Scholar Hon- ple + Strategy, journal of the HR People
oree. Dr. Bauer had an impressive set of + Strategy Association. The most recent
credentials and exemplifies the Purdue issue, “Ensuring Enterprise Security: A Piv-
spirit in her work and dedication to her otal Role for HR,” includes "Critical Success

160 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4

Factors for the Chief Information Security Steven Rogelberg, Enrica Ruggs, Linda
Officer" by Rich Klimoski, "The Accident Shanock, Justin Webb, and Dave Woehr.
Prone Personality" by Robert Hogan, and
case studies of changing the safety culture The Xavier University School of Psychology
in different types of organizations (NY is pleased to announce that Dr. Dalia Diab
Transit, a large hospital, a college environ- received tenure and was promoted to
ment). Contact Marc directly is you would the rank of Associate Professor. Dr. Diab
like a copy of the most recent issue or to teaches in Xavier’s MA I-O program along
see the call for papers. with fellow SIOP members Mark Nagy and
Morrie Mullins.
The UNC Charlotte Organizational Science
program is thrilled to welcome Alyssa Good luck and congratulations! Keep your
McGonagle this fall to our program fac- colleagues at SIOP up to date. Send items
ulty, which includes George Banks, Anita for IOTAs to Tara Behrend at behrend@
Blanchard, Janaki Gooty, Eric Heggestad, gwu.edu.

The #1 Workplace
Trend is also an
Organizational
Frontiers title!

Order yours today at the

SIOP Store.

Members save 20%!

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 161

 SIOP Members in the News
Clif Boutelle
When we think of the media, it is the ma- different strategies to change the culture
jor newspapers, magazines, and network and increase reporting rates. They have
radio and television that come to mind. received a $400,000 grant from the NCAA
While they still remain important to any and U. S. Department of Defense for the
organizations seeking to generate aware- effort, which will be undertaken over the
ness, the internet has created a whole new next two and a half years.
avenue of media outlets that should not
be overlooked. In fact, more and more or- Big Data technology and the services
ganizations are utilizing Internet sites and market is one of the fastest growing, mul-
social media to tell their stories. tibillion dollar industries in the world,
and the February 3 issue of Onalytica, a
A growing number of SIOP members are data research firm, listed Big Data’s top
finding their way onto internet sites be- influencers, which included Evan Sinar of
cause writers, whether mainstream media Development Dimensions International
or on the internet (often reporters are writ- (DDI). Among the newest domains for Big
ing for both), still need credible resources. Data’s immense reach, and risks, is to track
So, the opportunities for media mentions and improve workplace productivity, he
are expanding and that is good for the field said. But with this massive amount of data
of I-O psychology and SIOP members. come major quandaries on how this data
are used. Companies need their leaders to
In addition, a number of SIOP members be both data-savvy enough to verify that
have developed relationships with publi- all information gathered about employees
cations and are contributing articles on a is accurate, and fair and trusted enough to
regular basis. credibly communicate the rationale for cap-
turing the data in the first place, he said.
Following are some of the press mentions,
including online sites, which have occurred Also, the February 1 Fast Company report-
in the past several months: ed a study conducted by Development
Dimensions International (DDI) that found
The February 18 Arizona Sun had a story though men and women score equally
about a research project dealing with con- in their ability to drive businesses, fewer
cussion reporting being conducted by Ann women are able to get beyond lower-level
Huffman of Northern Arizona University leadership positions, and it’s not because
and colleagues from NAU’s athletic train- of lower competence, said DDI’s Evan Sinar.
ing education program. They are examin- The study analyzed the differences between
ing how organizational culture influences men and women on business drivers and
concussion reporting and then will test found no statistically differences. Business
162 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
drivers are focused on the broad leadership In the February 1 issue of Inc Magazine,
challenges that leaders must absolutely Adam Grant of the University of Pennsyl-
overcome to execute an organization’s busi- vania had a column excerpted from his
ness strategy, Sinar said. The study did find new book, Originals, describing how cre-
significant differences in three personality ative people need to craft their vision to
traits: men scored higher in inquisitiveness persuade people to accept radical ideas.
and impulsiveness while women were high- He cited the case of a young woman who
er in interpersonal sensitivity. had an idea to build a transducer to send
power over the air (even wireless needs to
Sinar also contributed to a January 21 sto- plug into an electrical outlet). Nearly every-
ry in Baker Hospital Review that featured one she approached with her idea deemed
a DDI report on the characteristics of suc- it impossible. Eventually she altered her
cessful leaders. Personality is a “vital factor pitch. When she could not persuade tech-
in leadership success,” according to the nical experts to take a leap with her, she
report, which found that leaders across all convinced them to take a few steps by
levels who were ambitious and possessed masking her purpose. It worked, and now
high interpersonal sensitivity demonstrat- her company has 18 patents and more
ed a better ability to manage transitions as than $10 million in venture funding. The
they moved up the ranks. Also, successful lesson: original thinkers need to become
leaders are passionate about getting re- tempered radicals and present their bold
sults, decision making, and driving execu- visions in ways that are less shocking and
tion. “We found that leaders who are suc- more appealing to mainstream audiences.
cessful…are unlike others in the way they
are able to stay laser focused on outcomes Grant’s book, Originals, How Non-Con-
and demand specifics on how results can formists Move the World, is getting a great
be achieved,” Sinar said. deal of attention in the media. The book
uses real-life examples to show how inno-
Paul Winum of RHR International contribut- vators see the world differently and bring
ed to a February 1 Wall Street Journal story others into their success. Stories have ap-
about how General Motors is reshaping peared in the New York Times, Forbes, The
its culture by adding more outsiders to its Atlantic, Financial Times, The Guardian
leadership team and not relying as much on among others as well as on television (Fox
promoting from within. Winum noted that News) and radio (NPR).
GM CEO Mary Barra wants to install a dif-
ferent culture at the automaker and “new- In a culture obsessed with productivity,
comers are not steeped in the old culture.” Quartz, a global digital-only business news
But it will take time. “Large scale culture publication, in a February 1 story cited re-
change inside big companies like GM usual- search findings by Sabine Sonnentag of the
ly takes years to take effect,” he said. University of Mannheim in Germany that
showed people who do not know how to

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 163

 step away from work during their downtime A story in the January issue of Business
experienced increased exhaustion over the Insider states that successful people un-
course of the year and became less resilient derstand their success starts and ends
when faced with stressful work conditions. with their mental and physical health,
Gaining some emotional distance from high- which is almost entirely dependent upon
ly demanding work tends to help people getting enough sleep. It is important to
recover from stress faster, she said. disconnect from work before going to bed,
said Michael “Woody” Woodward of Hu-
A story in the February 1 Forbes described man Capital Integrated. “The last thing you
how IBM has made major changes in its an- need is to be lying in bed thinking about
nual performance review system, replacing the email from an overzealous boss with
yearly goals by giving employees the op- random requests driven by little more than
portunity to shift goals throughout the year a momentary impulse,” he said. He says to
and providing more frequent feedback. give yourself a buffer of at least a half hour
It’s a trend that many organizations are between the time you read your email and
adopting. Kevin Murphy of Colorado State the time you go to bed.
University said the trend is not surprising.
“Performance reviews are very expensive, Alicia Grandey of Penn State contributed
complex systems for making people unhap- to stories that appeared in a January 28
py,” he said. “So companies are saying, ‘this broadcast on ABC10-TV in Sacramento and
is time consuming. We’re going to pull the February 1 on WFMY-TV in Greensboro, NC
plug and do something much simpler.’” about the toll of emotional labor on work-
ers. The story was first reported in Market-
Murphy’s comments appeared in the Feb- place. “Emotional labor is a type of work
ruary 20 issue of The Economist, which had where instead of physical labor using your
an article stating that reports of the death muscles to perform the work, you’re using
of performance reviews are exaggerated. your emotions to perform the work. It’s
Though some companies are saying they an ongoing, constant expectation for eight
are abandoning performance reviews, hours. It’s the central aspect of what you’re
in reality they are not getting rid of the doing and whether you’re doing it well,”
reviews; they are modifying them, and she said. She has done research suggesting
not necessarily for the better. The article faking happiness all day long is emotionally
includes arguments, pro and con, for the taxing. “Faking creates a sense of disso-
new-style reviews. However, provided they nance between internal and external states
are carried out consistently, rationally, and over long periods of time and that’s been
fairly, and supplemented with more fre- shown to create physical tension which can
quent feedback, annual performance re- build up and create health issues and over
views have many virtues. Murphy was also time result in job burnout.”
previously quoted in The New Yorker about
problems with performance appraisals. A January 8 New York Times story about
millennials points out that young people
164 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
are a lot more traditional when it comes to Dattner also had an article in the December
staying at their jobs than popularly believed. 10 Harvard Business Review titled “How
Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that Structured Debate Helps Your Team Grow.”
millennials change jobs less frequently than The article pointed out the risks of “group-
people in other generations. Research by think,” where teams operate on autopilot,
Jennifer Deal and Alec Levenson in a study reach a consensus and do not appropriately
of 25,000 millennials in 22 countries found consider emerging challenges, debating al-
at least 40% expect to stay with their cur- ternative scenarios or exploring new cours-
rent employers for at least 9 years and 44% es of action. He said one strategy that can
said they would be happy to spend the rest help teams avoid the dangers of “group-
of their career at their current organizations. think” is by randomly assigning different
team members to argue opposing points
John Boudreau of the University of South- of view. Structured debates can provide
ern California authored a column in the Jan- an opportunity to rigorously discuss and
uary 5 issue of Talent Management Mag- dispute interpretations of current trends, as
azine describing how HR practitioners are well as future predictions, in a kind of orga-
eager to see the profession step up to big- nizational “safe mode” that enables teams
ger future challenges. He cited research he to explore external risks without putting
and Edward Lawler had done over the years individual team members at internal risk.
showing that HR’s relationship to corporate
boards is traditional: advising on executive Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic of Hogan As-
compensation and succession. There are sessment Systems contributed an article
signs this traditional mindset may be chang- to the December 28 issue of Fast Company
ing. A further study found that CEO’s see about striking the right balance in shaping
important future contributions and roles for how peoples’ competencies are perceived
HR and playing a much larger and significant at work. Too much self-promotion can be
role in organizational strategies. damaging to a career but people should
not be shy about taking credit for their ac-
Ben Dattner of Dattner Consulting in New complishments, he wrote.
York City contributed an article to the Feb-
ruary 4 Harvard Business Review online, Please let us know if you, or a SIOP col-
describing how organizations can use a league, have contributed to a news story.
scorecard to make better hiring decisions. We would like to include that mention in
By using a quantitative interview score- SIOP Members in the News.
card to evaluate the qualifications and
suitability of job candidates, and by com- Send copies of the article to SIOP at boute-
paring interview-based projections with [email protected] or fax to 419-352-2645 or
subsequent performance on the job, it’s mail to SIOP at 440 E. Poe Rd., Ste 101,
possible to boost your interview hit rate Bowling Green, OH 43402.
and your organization’s return on human
capital investment over time, he wrote.
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 165
 Conferences and Meetings
Please submit additional entries to Marianna Horn
at [email protected].

2016
May 26–27
March 30–April 2 18th International Conference on Applied
Annual Conference of the Southeastern Psychology. Tokyo, Japan. Contact: https://
Psychological Association. New Orleans, LA. www.waset.org/conference/2016/05/
Contact: SEPA, www.sepaonline.com. tokyo/ICAP.
(CE credit offered.)
May 26–29
April 8–12 Annual Convention of the Association for
Annual Convention, American Educational Psychological Science. Chicago, IL. Contact:
Research Association. Washington, DC. APS, www.psychologicalscience.org.
Contact: AERA, www.aera.net. (CE credit offered.)
April 7–11 June 9–11
Annual Convention, National Council on Annual Conference of the Canadian
Measurement in Education. Washington, Psychological Association. Victoria, British
DC. Contact: NCME, http://www.ncme. Columbia. Contact: CSIOP, http://csiop-
org/ncme/NCME/ scpio.ca/
April 10–13 June 19–22
HRPS Global Conference. Scottsdale, AZ. Annual Conference of the Society
Contact: HRPS, www.hrps.org. for Human Resource Management.
April 14–16 Washington, DC. Contact: SHRM,
Annual Conference of the Society for www.shrm.org. (CE credit offered.)
Industrial and Organizational Psychology. July 30–August 4
Anaheim, CA. Contact: SIOP, www.siop.org. Joint Statistical Meetings. Chicago, IL.
(CE credit offered.) Contact: American Statistical Association,
May 12–14 www.amstat.org (CE credit offered.)
15th National Conference of Industrial and August 4–7
Organizational Psychology. Cluj-Napoca, Annual Convention of the American
Romania. Psychological Association. Denver,
Contact: http://www.apio.ro/conferinta/ Colorado. Contact: APA, www.apa.org
May 22–25 (CE credit offered.)
Annual Conference of the Association for August 5–9
Talent Development. Denver, CO. Annual Meeting of the Academy of
Contact: ATD, https://www.td.org/ . Management (AoM). Anaheim, CA.
Contact: AoM, http://aom.org/.
166 April 2016, Volume 53, Number 4
September 19–23 April 27–May 1
Annual Conference of the Human Factors Annual Convention, American Educational
and Ergonomics Society. Washington, DC. Research Association. San Antonio, TX.
Contact: The Human Factors and Contact: AERA, www.aera.net.
Ergonomics Society, www.hfes.org.
(CE credit offered.) May 25–28
Annual Convention of the Association
October 21–22
for Psychological Science. Boston, MA.
SIOP Leading Edge Consortium, Atlanta, GA
Contact: APS, www.psychologicalscience.
Contact: SIOP, www.siop.org.
org. (CE credit offered.)
(CE credit offered.)
August 3–6
October 21–22
Annual Convention of the American
River Cities I-O Psychology Conference.
Psychological Association. Washington, DC.
Chattanooga, TN. Contact: http://www.utc.
Contact: APA, www.apa.org
edu/psychology/rcio/
(CE credit offered.)
October 22–30
August 4–8
Annual Conference of the American
Annual Meeting of the Academy of
Evaluation Association. Atlanta, GA.
Management (AoM). Atlanta, GA.
Contact: AEA, www.eval.org.
Contact: AoM, http://aom.org/.
2017 October 9–13
Annual Conference of the Human Factors
March 8–11
and Ergonomics Society.
Annual Conference of the Southeastern
Austin, TX. Contact: The Human Factors
Psychological Association. Atlanta, GA.
and Ergonomics Society, www.hfes.org.
Contact: SEPA, www.sepaonline.com.
(CE credit offered.)
(CE credit offered.)
November 8–11
April 27–29
Annual Conference of the American
Annual Conference of the Society for
Evaluation Association. Washington, DC.
Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Contact: AEA, www.eval.org.
Orlando, FL. Contact: SIOP, www.siop.org.
(CE credit offered.)
April 26–30 Annual Convention, National
Council on Measurement in Education. San
Antonio, TX. Contact: NCME, http://www.
ncme.org/ncme/NCME/

The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist 167

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