Member Spotlight: Kelly Monahan

Name
Kelly Monahan

Position/Employer
Research Managing Director/Upwork

How long have you been a SIOP member?
I became a member of SIOP when I started my professional research career in 2015.

What roles have you had within SIOP?
Participant and speaker at the SIOP Annual Conference, writer for SIOP publications

Interest area(s)
Organizational design, meaningful work, leadership

What sparked your interest in I-O psychology?
I saw firsthand the fundamental flaws in the business systems we've created based on rational economic theory. I knew there had to be a better discipline that starts with the assumption that people want to contribute at work and need the right environment and conditions to do so. In other words, I needed to find a discipline that recognized the system is largely the problem that needed to be fixed and not people.

What role do you see I-O psychology playing in the future of work?
We are on the cusp of one of the most significant work transformations in modern history. Everything we know about person–role fit and person–organization fit is coming into question as the world of work orients itself more around skills, tasks, and alternative employment models (i.e., freelancing) than a traditional job. This has implications for the entire way we think about I-O psychology and requires new grounded theories to emerge in order to understand this new phenomenon of how people work.

What work trends are you seeing and hearing about and how can I-O psychology practitioners, educators, and students impact these trends?

The following three trends are top of mind for most C-suite leaders today:

1. Imbalanced labor markets, where we have more demand than supply in the areas of government, healthcare, and construction; and concern about skills scarcity as it relates to new emerging technology. I think this is why so many skilled professionals lament how hard it is to find work, yet many leaders remark how hard it is to find talent today.
2. AI job disruption. Our Upwork platform suggests a skills-biased technology change, and I think the need to keep pace with technology will only grow in concern across the workforce.
3. Shifting social contract. More people are considering alternative work modes that enable greater flexibility and agency. Companies that don't pivot their cultures to reflect these values deeply held, particularly by Gen Z, risk falling behind.

What advice would you give to students or those early in their career?
Be open to research and work that lends itself to new models of work. I worry we are spending too much time trying to fix an outdated system rather than spending our time and energy on building a new model and framework for understanding how work is evolving. Take risks and explore the new frontiers of work emerging. Last, I-O psychology is about humans not data. Don't fall in love with fancy statistical models at the expense of humanity at work.

What is one of your favorite SIOP Annual Conference memories/highlights?
Getting the opportunity to present alongside some of my former colleagues this past year. I love the way SIOP conferences bring together people bound by solving problems rather than company affiliations.

Please share one non-I-O-related bit of information about yourself.
I love chasing thrills. You'll often find me at the amazing theme parks in Orlando after work or at the water trying out new watersports!

Is there anything you would like to add?
I've never been more bullish about the opportunities ahead for I-O psychology. We must be the ones to get ahead on the work evolution that is happening around us. May we be known as the explorers, charting a new way to work that brings out the best qualities of people. I have a new book coming out in January that explores these themes. 

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