Professional Practice Book Series: Translating Science into Practice

As the new millennium approaches and organizations adapt to on-going demands and changes, we must reflect on how, as scientist-practitioners in I-O Psychology, we contribute to organizational practices. There are, of course, many ways we contribute. Potentially, our theories, ideas, research findings and tools form the basis by which we influence practice. Unfortunately, we have not fully realized this potential because the mechanisms we use to translate our knowledge into useful guidelines are lacking. That is, translating what we hypothesize and empirically validate into useful, practical information that can be applied in organizations is insufficient (Salas, Cannon-Bowers, & Blickensderfer, 1997). Over the years, many of us have lamented about all the wonderful research we conduct and how our significant findings are seldom used and applied. While progress has been made, much needs to be done. We will seek to provide an outlet where we can translate our knowledge gained into information for practitioners (via principles, guidelines, lessons learned, etc.). Therefore, I intend to tighten the focus of the Professional Practice Series to serve as a forum where this translation begins. And to accomplish this we have a vision.

Our Vision

Our vision is to provide industrial and organizational psychologists, organizational scientists and practitioners, human resources professionals, managers, executives and those interested in organizational behavior and performance with volumes that are insightful, current, informative and relevant to organizational practice. The series will be guided by five tenets designed to enhance future organizational practice. First, we will focus on practice that is grounded in science. Second, the volumes will be oriented toward translating organizational science into practice. That is, we will seek to provide volumes that translate our best science into practical information. We hope that these translations, in the form of guidelines, principles and lessons learned can shape and guide practice. Third, the volumes will be designed to demonstrate the application of industrial and organizational psychology to solving organizational problems. Fourth, we will seek to document and disseminate our best practices. Finally, we hope our volumes will stimulate research needed to guide future organizational practice. Our vision is ambitious, but we are confident that the Professional Practice Series, with your help, will get there. We will do our part. But we need your help and support.

What We Need From You

We seek your input. Please provide us with your ideas, concerns and/or suggestions. For example, what topics do you think we should cover in future volumes? What could we do to ensure that these volumes represent (and help) the state-of-the-art in practice? Your constructive feedback is also welcome. What can we do to improve the series? What mechanisms can we use to "translate our science"? What innovative formats could be employed to document what we know? How can we document our "best practices?" To help shape the Professional Practice Series into our vision, we have a group of SIOP scientist-practitioners interested in applying science.

Who We Are

The Editorial Board is comprised of the following members (feel free to contact them with your ideas, comments or suggestions):

Eduardo Salas, Ph.D., Series Editor, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division

Timothy T. Baldwin, Ph.D., Indiana University

Wayne F. Cascio, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver

Kenneth P. De Meuse, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Jerry W. Hedge, Ph.D., Personnel Decisions Research Institute

A. Catherine Higgs, Ph.D., Allstate Research & Planning Center

Kenneth Pearlman, Ph.D., Lucent Technologies

James W. Smither, Ph.D., LaSalle University

Scott I. Tannenbaum, Ph.D., Executive Consulting Group and The University at Albany

Available Volumes in the Professional Practice Series

The following volumes comprise the Professional Practice Series and can be purchased from the SIOP Administrative Office or via the SIOP website at www.siop.org/Bookorder.htm.

R. Jeanneret, R. Silzer and Associates, Individual Psychological Assessment: Predicting Behavior in Organizational Settings. Jossey-Bass Publishers.

J. Smither and Associates, Performance Appraisal: State of the Art in Practice. Jossey-Bass Publishers.

A. Kraut and Associates, Organizational Surveys: Tools for Assessment and Change. Jossey-Bass Publishers.

M. London and Associates, Employees, Careers, and Job Creation: Developing Growth-Oriented Human Resource Strategies and Programs. Jossey-Bass Publishers.

A. Howard and Associates, Diagnosis for Organizational Change: Methods and Models. The Guilford Press.

A. Korman and Associates, Human Dilemmas in Work Organizations: Strategies for Resolution. The Guilford Press.

S. Jackson and Associates, Diversity in the Workplace: Human Resources Initiatives. The Guilford Press.

D. Bray and Associates, Working with Organizations and Their People: A Guide to Human Resources. The Guilford Press.

Send your ideas or proposals to:

Eduardo Salas, Ph.D.
Series Editor
Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division
Code 4961
12350 Research Parkway
Orlando, FL 32826-3275
(407) 380-4651
(407) 380-4110
SalasEA@navair.navy.mil 

References

Salas, E., Cannon-Bowers, J. A., & Blickensderfer, E. L. (1997). Enhancing reciprocity between training theory and practice: Principles, guidelines, and specifications. In J. K. Ford & Associates (Eds.), Improving Training Effectiveness in Work Organizations (pp. 291-322). Hillsdale, NJ: LEA.

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