What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of the workplace. Rigor and methods of psychology are applied to issues of critical relevance to business, including talent management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, and work-life balance.

William J. Hickl
Mann, Frankfort, Stein, & Lipp

Thinking of going into consulting…or perhaps even going out on your own? This Workshop may help you decide whether you should, what kinds of consulting, what kind of firm, and whether and how to launch your own firm. The primary focus is on external consulting, but many aspects apply to developing an internal consulting practice as well.

Learning Objectives:

• Enhance knowledge of the art of consulting, and awareness of some professional practice and ethical issues you may encounter.
• Have better insight into consulting strategy—from a systems and business perspective.
• Better understand whether and how to start your own consulting firm—issues, competencies, success criteria, common misconceptions, typical mistakes, pitfalls, and how to avoid them, the rewards, how to get started, and how to survive.
• Learn the basics of owning and running a small business—(a) financials: profitability, cash flow, taxes, insurance, employee benefits, payroll, and so forth, (b) important advisors to have; (c) things to know about partnerships, sub-contracting, and virtual officing.

The Workshop format will include some lectures, results of a survey of
I-O consulting firms, case studies, exercises, war stories, a self-test to indicate what kind of consulting you may be better suited for, and a facilitated discussion segment so that participants can ask questions and share experiences, thereby enriching the experience for everyone.

Vicki V. Vandaveer, Ph.D. is President and Founder of The Vandaveer Group, Inc., a Houston-based management consulting firm that specializes in organization and management effectiveness and change, and organizational assessment and problem solving. Prior to starting her own company in 1993, Vicki spent 12 years in industry as an internal consultant and manager (Shell and Southwestern Bell), and 4 years as an external consultant with a small
I-O firm and a large international firm. She is an adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Houston and Rice University, a Fellow of SIOP and APA, and currently chairs APA’s College of Professional Psychology. Her Ph.D. is in I-O psychology from the University of Houston. Vicki serves on the U.S. State Department’s Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service, and is a member of the executive committee of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Testing and Assessment.

William H. Hickl, C.P.A., is a Partner with Mann, Frankfort, Stein, & Lipp, a prominent CPA and financial consulting services firm in Houston. He provides financial consulting services to privately owned businesses, personal service corporations, and high net-worth individuals, including partnership and corporate transactional planning and other types of tax planning and compliance. Bill serves a key role for The Vandaveer Group, advising Vicki not only on the tax implications of various decisions, but also in enhancing profitability, maximizing cash flow, and negotiating contracts.

Coordinator: Joan R. Rentsch, Wright State University

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