Members in the Media
Barbara Ruland, SIOP Administrative Office
SIOP members continue to make news with their scientific developments and lead the way with their informed application of I-O psychology to real world business challenges.
This column is a quarterly round-up of SIOP members’ media mentions. Use it to keep up with your colleagues, to look for project collaborators, and to spark ideas for research or programs.
Although we scan the media regularly, we don’t catch everything, so we urge you to send in your media notices for sharing on SIOP social media and in this column. Here are mentions we found from August to early November.
Organizational Culture
Several topics related to office culture received coverage. Predictably, sexual harassment and gender diversity have gotten a lot of attention, triggered by the allegations about Harvey Weinstein.
Katina Sawyer and a colleague coauthored an essay for The Conversation website about how companies can rid their culture of sexual harassment in October. It was picked up by several outlets including Business Insider and Detroit-based Legalnews.com. Mother Jones referenced Elissa Perry’s research in an article about making sexual harassment training more effective.
Popular interest has been sparked by the harassment scandals, but workplace diversity is a core subject for I-O psychologists.
In August, Stefanie K. Johnson contributed pieces on gender gaps in the workplace and championing diversity to the Harvard Business Review. Tacy Byham discussed gender diversity programs in an article for Entrepreneur.
Katherine O’Brien provided straightforward advice in the irreverent “office survival manual” for women called Feminist Fight Club, highlighted by True Viral News.
University of Georgia Doctoral Candidate Rachel Williamson and UGA Assistant Professor Malissa Clark presented research on “Crossover Effects of Sexual Orientation Disclosure at Work” at the 2017 SIOP Conference in Orlando. The research, published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior, was covered by outlets including the Philadelphia Inquirer, MedicineNet, and the LGBT publication, the Washington Blade.
Age diversity is also a trending business topic driven by the aging workforce. Industrial Safety and Health News published a notice about the National Employ Older Workers Week webinar presented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and featuring SIOP members Donald Truxillo, Alyssa McGonagle, and Ruth Finkelstein.
Mo Wang was featured in the APA Monitor Trends Report that puts diversity and harassment issues into perspective. The article explored costs incurred by organizations that don’t provide employees psychosocial safety in the workplace.
Supporting a safety culture is the subject of Erin Bowen’s work at Avery Riddle Aeronautical University, as profiled in their quarterly magazine. Jennifer Rineer discussed the challenges of communicating about safety to diverse audiences in a SIOP placement for Safety and Health magazine.
Other workplace culture items included pieces on the Amazon purchase of Whole Foods, featuring Paul Warner and an exploration of the impact of having a second Amazon headquarters on culture, featuring Adam Grant.
Amy Grubb offered advice for handling organizational change; Tom O’Neill discussed the importance of trust in a telework environment; Dan Russell discussed the changing mores about cursing in the workplace; and Charlotte Fritz summed up the characteristics of great workplace cultures.
Engagement, Turnover, Leadership, and Supervision
Employee engagement and turnover are intertwined with organizational culture, as are leadership and supervision. Each of these topics have recently garnered media mentions.
Michele Graef received coverage in regional publications for her work to reduce staff turnover at Nebraska child welfare agencies in Nebraska.
Quartz and Government Executive picked up a story featuring David Ballard about the importance of supportive management to employee engagement, as revealed by the 2017 APA Job Skills Training & Career Development Survey.
Paul Baard discussed the use of goal setting to increase motivation, and Brenda Fellows contributed to an article about employee book clubs.
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Lewis Garrad discuss the importance of motivation to productivity, organizational climate, and success in an article for Harvard Business Review, then offer strategies employees can use to boost their own engagement level.
Associations Now related the findings of a study John Antonakis coauthored (previously reported on by SIOP) on the relationship between leader success and intelligence and the Harvard Business Review covered research on the interplay of charisma and perceived leader success, authored by Jasmine Vergauwe, Bart Wille, Joeri Hofmans, Robert B. Kaiser, and Filip De Fruyt.
Forbes profiled Dale Rose’s work with a client in an article on great leaders, and CNBC.com quoted Adam Grant on the same subject in an article about Richard Branson.
Alison Eyring explored common mistakes made by well-meaning executives in an article on transformational leadership, and Paul Baard interviewed Christina Maslach on the contagion effect of managerial burnout.
Billie Blair offered advice on giving constructively negative feedback and Ron Riggio detailed behaviors of likeable bosses.
Stocking the leadership funnel also received media coverage. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Seymour Adler, and Robert B. Kaiser wrote that there are three factors contributing to performance in “What Science Says About Identifying High-Potential Employees” for the Harvard Business Review. A Business Insider writer used that article to launch an expanded discussion including references to Frank L. Schmidt and Adam Grant in an article that was also picked up by The Hour and Global Times.
Training
Local media and industry publications mentioned SIOP members in their discussion of programs, strategy, and paradigms in training. Eric Surface and Kurt Kraiger advocated a paradigm shift in respect to evaluating L&D programs; and Tiffany Poeppelman discussed how to bring L&D into the mainstream of business strategy and decision making.
Konstantin Cigularov, Phil Dillulio, and colleagues at Old Dominion University were cited for their work helping the Combat Wounded Coalition develop a leadership training program for service members transitioning to civilian life.
Recruiting and Selection
Fads, myths, and overgeneralizations about recruiting and selection took fire from SIOP members in recent weeks. Tech topics including testing, using algorithms in selection and screening for social media use were also covered.
Sy Islam helped Recruiter bust 10 recruiting myths, Frank Schmidt and Brenda Fellows discussed interview practice fads for Fast Company, and Lisa Finkelstein warned against generalizing about applicants based on their age.
A prolific I-O psych blogger quoted Adam Grant on a better version of an interview question known as the LAX test; Elliot Lasson discussed using social media in the selection process for Inc.com
Nathan Kuncel discussed some advantages of using AI in the selection process for Workforce magazine.
Other Technology Topics
Alison Eyring conducted an experiment with an AI based scheduler and shared what she learned about humans and computers working together for Inc.com. Frederick Morgeson injected a note of healthy skepticism into an article about gamified selection for Bloomburg.
I-O in Popular Culture
It’s no secret that the science of I-O can be applied to any life situation, and I-O psychologists are frequently asked to provide insights for the popular press.
The Houston Chronicle recently picked up a list of 10 daily habits for success, originally published by Entrepreneur and featuring Michael Woodward. Paul Baard shared thoughts on meaningful communication in his column for the New Hampshire Union Leader.
In response to the tumultuous political atmosphere, David Chan wrote about “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of political humor in his column for the Singapore Straits Times. Adam Grant interviewed Ken Burns and Lynn Novick for Esquire, discussing their series documenting another moment of historical upheaval, “Vietnam.”
Amy Cooper Hakim shared advice for prospective brides in Vogue, and she also discussed declining recommendation requests for Fast Company.
That outlet also offered advice for job seekers from Brad Harris and Jill Strange on managing first impressions. CNBC.com applied Adam Grant’s thoughts on give and take to networking.
Using I-O Research in Other Fields
Publications serving other professions regularly apply I-O to their fields. Sarah Fallaw was the featured guest on a podcast for financial advisors, discussing the use of behavioral assessment tools to evaluate a client’s wealth building potential. Paul Warner penned an article for CMS Wire, urging marketers to integrate employee voice into their customer experience initiatives. Adam Grant was quoted by a magazine for chief information officers on knowing when to call it quits on a technology project.
Notes on the Profession
Career information, including salary benchmarks, job category growth, and career inspiration, is interesting for working professionals and potential students alike. We found these career-related items in recent weeks.
David Chan wrote a piece for the Singapore Straits Times about how his early work as a police officer fed his interest in the profession of I-O psychology. The APA Monitor on Psychology has recently released information about the profession in two separate reports. The earnings report shows that I-O psychologists are at the top of the pay scale. The popular trends report cites growing interest in the discipline, while cautioning about a potential oversupply of qualified applicants and the projected new jobs in the field.
Don’t forget to include SIOP on your mailing list for notices of media mentions and professional accomplishments. Best wishes for 2018!
