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.

The High Society:
Award Withheld

^*Unamused, indifferent, or entertained readers can contact the author at pmmuchin@uncg.edu.

I was recently scanning through a back issue of TIP that described the awards given by SIOP to its members. In addition to a description of each award, there was a listing of past award recipients over the years. I became increasingly irritated when I read that in some years certain awards were withheld. What is this all about? The purpose of our giving each other awards is to make us feel good about ourselves. It is an expression of honor, respect, recognition, and affirmation. Who are we to deny these heart-warming feelings in other people? If we dont express love to each other, who will? Can you imagine other organizations engaging in this practice? Taking the moral high ground, however awkward, would be to profess a lack of quality and to imply standards must be maintained.

• From the Miss America pageant: Im sorry, there will be no crowning of Miss America this year. In the opinion of the judges all of the contestants are frightfully unattractive and devoid of talent.
• From the Grammys: The award for Best Rhythm and Blues Single will be withheld this year. All of the entries really sucked. 
• From the Oscars: It is the opinion of the Academy of the Performing Arts that no film was deserving of the Best Picture award this year. We know the identity of this award recipient is why most of you endured the previous 4 hours of this ceremony. There is no envelope to open, so turn off your television and go to bed. You stayed up late for nothing.

But alas, truth sometimes resides in the low country.

• From the Nobel Foundation: The Nobel Prize for peace will not be given this year. We decided 2 years ago who would get it this year. The selection process was totally wired. We solicited other nominations, but we didnt even bother to consider them. Then our prechosen winner got waxed in a bar fight. So rather than some 11th hour scramble on our part, we decided to sit on the award for another year.
• From the Tonys: This year there will be no award for Best Performance by a Female Vocalist in a Broadway musical. Several members of the selection committee are past recipients of this award. To enhance the perceived exclusivity of the award, we have decided to limit its distribution."
• From the Emmys: Forget about anyone getting an Emmy for Best Comedy Show of the Year. None of the nominees did anything for us lately. If you dont scratch our back, we dont scratch yours. Its that simple.
• From the Cleos: The award for Best Advertisement in a Print Medium will be withheld this year. None of the nominees had any personal or professional association with us. We refuse to honor anyone unless there is reflected glory in it for us.

What sort of hubris does it take to withhold recognition to the very dues-paying members who allow the organization to exist? The more I thought about it, the more fried I got. I have no doubt that the recipients of SIOP awards are deserving of the honor that was bestowed upon them. However, as they say in the counseling literature, what is of concern to me is not the behavior that is exhibited but the appropriate behavior that is absent. I was about to launch into a diatribe about cronyism and politics when I decided to explore one last option before I let loose. If you examine the list of award recipients by award and by year, you will see a listing, in column format, of each years recipient. It is in this list you will see Award Withheld. I chanced that possibly, just possibly, Award Withheld is the name of a real person. The possessor of an unusual name, to be sure, but a real person nonetheless. After all, I remember from a U.S. history class that Increase Mather was a real person, so why not Award Withheld?

I then set about trying to track down Award Withheld. I discovered Award Withheld is indeed a real person and is currently CEO of a consulting company in California. I got Dr. Withhelds phone number and nervously placed the call. A deep resonating voice answered the phone. I introduced myself as an investigative reporter for TIP and said I wanted to learn more about him. Dr. Withheld made it clear my time would be brief. I said, Lets start with your name, Award Withheld. Thats a little unusual, wouldnt you say? Dr. Withheld replied that the listing of his first name, Award, is simply a typo that has been carried on for a long time. His correct name is A. Ward Withheld. I said, May I address you as Ward? He replied, Please do. I then said, Let me get to the nub of my call. Quite simply, Ward, you are the most heavily honored member of SIOP in history. According to published records, this is your total haul so far. You won the Distinguished Professional Contribution Award in 1979, 1980, and 1993. You won the Ernest J. McCormick Award for Distinguished Early Career Contribution in 2000. Your recognition with the Edwin E. Ghiselli Award for Research Design is truly breathtaking. You won it in 1988, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, and again in 2002. Finally, three times you have been the recipient of the S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Research Award, in 1981, 1990, and again in 2002. That is 16 awards. How do you do it? He replied, Its not about what you know but who you know. I said, Ive heard that before. But tell me, how did you bag the Ghiselli Award for Research Design so many times? I am a very designing person, he replied. No argument from me on that one, I said as I planned my next question. I cleared my throat. I then said, The sequencing of some of these awards just doesnt make sense to me. For example, how did you win the Ernest J. McCormick Award for Distinguished Early Career Contribution in 2000 when you received the Distinguished Professional Contribution Award once in each of the three preceding decades? He seemed to fumble over his words and said, I guess I was precocious. Besides, who is to say exactly what is early and what isnt? OK, I said, I guess I have to give you that one. But kindly explain this one to me. You won the S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Research Award three times. How did you do that? He muttered, I have three PhDs in I-O psychology. I did not expect that answer. Finally, I said, Explain this to me. How did you win the Distinguished Professional Contribution Award prior to the first time you won the dissertation award? He replied tartly, If you are so nave about these matters, Im not going to be the one to educate you. He then abruptly hung up the phone, ending our conversation.

It took me a while to sort it all out, but I came to three major conclusions. First, cream rises to the top, as they say. If some people are deserving of 16 awards, more power to them. Second, I apologize for thinking sinister thoughts about motives I was about to mis-attribute. My grandmother taught me to always assume the best about people and circumstances. She was right. Third, I learned the value of doing investigative research before reaching a conclusion. Some people conduct research to provide an empirically based justification for legitimating the conclusion they already hold. It has to do with experimenter bias. I learned my lesson this time around. I salute you, A. Ward Withheld, and I apologize for initially thinking you didnt even exist.

However, my sleuthing is not over. I am now looking for a mercurial member of our society who won the Robert J. Wherry Award for the Best Paper at the IOOB Conference an incredible seven times, in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987. This person only goes by one name. No, its not Cher, Madonna, or Popeye. The persons name is Missing.