What is I-O?

Spotlight on Local I-O Organizations

Michelle A. Donovan
Intel Corporation

Welcome to this columns first anniversary issueweve spent the last year on a virtual tour across the U.S. to learn about fun-loving and hard-working local I-O groups. So far weve covered the west coast (Bay Area Applied Psychologists), Midwest (Michigan Association of I-O Psychologists, and Gateway I-O Psychologists), and east coast (Metropolitan New York Association for Applied Psychology). These groups have shared innovative ideas (ranging from paying dues online to succession planning!) and a little glimpse into their lively meetings and very interesting cultures.

In this issue we focus on the Minnesota Professionals for Psychology Applied to Work (MPPAW for short). As youll see, the MPPAW group has a great sense of humor (Hey, theyve gotta make it through those Minnesota winters somehow!), a very organized approach (see their VP and treasurer-elects, monthly newsletter, and balance of in-state and out-of-state speakers), and some really innovative ideas for making the most of their organization (see their The Doctor Is In program). Read on for more details

Minnesota Professionals for Psychology Applied to Work (MPPAW): Keeping Connected to Peers and the Profession

Elise L. Amel
University of St. Thomas
MPPAW Past-President

Kyle Lundby
Data Recognition Corporation
MPPAW Treasurer





Presenting current I-O direction
Shunning biases and predilection
Rain, snow or sleet
We learn while we eat
About law, culture, teams and ___________

We are over 200 students, scientists, teachers, and practitioners. Our meetings typically draw between 50 and 80 attendees (we have even had standing-room only crowds in the middle of snowstorms). Although we meet at the Carlson School of Management on the University of Minnesota campus, members drive to our meetings from all over the state and region (Wisconsin, Iowa, and even North Dakota!). Minnesota State UniversityMankato faculty members have even been known to cancel classes so that their whole crew of students and profs can road trip to an MPPAW event. The group culture resembles that of a back yard barbecueits lively and you frequently have to use your outside voice to get peoples attention, but the questions and answers are always interesting, relevant, and timely.

Meetings begin with a social hour during which MPPAW members juggle food, drink (nonalcoholicwe could learn something from the Michigan group), and conversation. One good example of the resourcefulness of this group happened when the catered food did not arrive for the final meeting last year. Brandishing cell phones and racing off to the north, south, east, and west, board members hunted and gathered and managed to pull together a pizza party that would make Martha Stewart jealous!

True to the scientist-practitioner model, we balance each speaker season with academics and practitioners. The season finale is typically a panel discussion each May (featuring topics such as post-September 11 emotions and anxiety in the workplace, work-life balance, and mid-career changes). Each year we bring in a guest speaker from out of state (recent out-of-towners have included Angelo DeNisi, Nancy Tippins, and Elaine Pulakos) to complement our in-state talent (Paul Sackett, Leaetta Hough, Connie Wanberg, and Karen Grabow to name a few). We strongly encourage a dialogue between the presenter and the audience and the last 20 minutes of each presentation is reserved for an extensive question-and-answer session. An MPPAW trademark, each presenter earns a thank-you gift in the form of a personalized, engraved clock (Hint to keep within time allotment? I think not!).

Each month, members receive a newsletter packed with information about previous and future speakers, members, regional and national events of interest, and any other newsworthy tidbits. A Web site (www.mppaw.org) and annual membership directory keep us all connected between sessions.

MPPAW in its current incarnation is relatively young and was launched in 1997. However, it is a fine melding of its precursors, ABSORB (no pun intended) and PROSEM, which was a student-run organization. PROSEM featured practitioners presenting ideas to a primarily student-based audience. It eventually disbanded in the late 1980s due to lack of funds. In July 1992, Karen Paul, Hannah Olson, Ann Wiggins Noe, and Carol Lynn Courtney founded ABSORB (Applied Behavioral Sciences/Organizational Work Behavior). The purpose of this group was to bring together individuals with common interests to exchange ideas, discuss research, network, and socialize. The focus of ABSORB is evident in the statement, If acronyms such as SIOP, APA, X2, R2, etc. give you warm fuzzies, then you probably want to join this group. Among the groups activities was a unique and somewhat controversial event, inviting service and manufacturing workers in to speak about their perspectives on work issues. The vision for MPPAW, as implemented by its first president, Ron Page, strives to achieve diversity in membership (students and professionals) and balance in presenters (internal and external consultants, academics, etc.) and topics (current hot topics, updates on core research and practice, and innovations within the field).

MPPAW board members are all volunteers and include academics (Joyce BonoVP, Programs), practitioners (Sid TeskeMembership), and students from the U of Minnesota and MSUMankato (Christine StanekCo-Secretary). Weve found it beneficial to have a VP-Elect for Programs (Marcia Sytsma) so that speaker selection and planning can start early. In fact, the VP-Elect, Programs has been such a success that weve now instituted a Treasurer-Elect position (Carrie Christianson DeMay) to replace our current Treasurer (Kyle Lundby) after his tenure is up or he is caught with his hand in the till (whichever comes first). Communication is also significant so weve divided that task into several positions including VP-Communication (Anna Erickson) who edits (read: hounds contributors) the monthly newsletter, Webmaster (Nikki Moore) who constantly updates information and integrates new technologies (this year we are introducing online payment for membership registration), and Co-Secretary (Adam Soderlind) who interviews members for the monthly newsletter and summarizes each speaker. 

Recent innovations include The Dr. is inadvice 5 cents, a networking table where students can meet professionals to ask questions and talk about career paths. It is not only a lucrative venture, but also provides a low-stress opportunity for students to break into the conversation.

In response to recent SIOP discussions about increasing the impact of I-O, our president for the upcoming term, Carol Lynn Courtney, hopes to institute the formation of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) among MPPAW members. For instance, many members are currently involved or want to become involved in pro bono and volunteer activities that relate to our professional work. It is important to have a forum for folks to exchange information and ideas as well as brainstorm additional ways for us to contribute to the larger issues in our community.

Our 20032004 season begins September 18 when Steve Motowidlo presents Extracting Trait Information From Judgments About Behavioral Effectiveness. Guests and new members are always welcome. So cmon and experience some Minnesota Nice. 

Future Spotlights on Local Organizations

Stay tuned for the January issue of TIP when we profile the Atlanta Society of Applied Psychology.

To learn more about local I-O organizations, see http://www.siop.org/IOGroups.aspx for a list of Web sites. If you have questions about this article or are interested in including your local I-O psychology group in a future Spotlight column, please e-mail Michelle Donovan at michelle.a.donovan@intel.com.