APA Council of Representatives: August Report
Angelo S. DeNisi
Texas A&M University
The August meeting of the APA Council (prior to the beginning of the
APA Convention) included the typical number of statements of political positions (APA is
in favor of protecting the environment, of granting legal benefits to same-sex couples,
and of limiting licensure to those with doctorates; APA is concerned that gays, lesbians,
and bisexuals may not be adequately represented in APA governance; and a motion opposing
mandatory sentencing guidelines for drug-related crimes was tabled), and the typical
number of issues that are less relevant to I-O Psychologists, but of great interest to our
colleagues in other areas of psychology (restrictions on the use of the term
"clinical" in specialty and proficiency titles; adoption of guidelines for the
use of animals as subjects in research). I really don’t mean to make light of all
this; much of it is important for many APA members, and most of the discussion can
be rather interesting.
However, a number of issues were discussed that may be very relevant to
SIOP members. One involves a probable dues increase for APA members. We voted to accept
some data on financial projections, and they suggest a serious shortfall for APA. The
question, then, was how to deal with this shortfall. APA has proposed some hiring freezes,
the elimination of some meetings (internal) and a few other methods that would account for
a fair amount of the shortfall, but not all of it. APA has also proposed a $20.00 dues
increase for members, and an increase in the convention registration fees of 20%. There
was a lot of complaining about this proposed budget. Most of the concerns were that there
was nothing strategic in the way APA would go about dealing with the budget. That is,
there was no discussion about priorities or consideration of things we may not be able to
do in the future. We were promised more thought and some new ideas at the Board Meeting in
February (when the final budget is approved) but a preliminary budget was approved that
would include the increases stated.
The APA Budget is quite large and extensive (the preliminary budget
runs 278 pages), and it is difficult (and unreasonable) to discuss every entry at the
Council Meeting. The problem is that the governance of APA (the Board) recognizes this,
and discourages such a discussion. Instead, they repeatedly state that they are proposing
a preliminary budget ONLY, and so we should accept it. The problem is that, when the final
budget comes before the Council, there STILL is not enough time to discuss it, and we are
now committed to a course of action.
Another issue that may be of relevance to some SIOP members is that the
Special Assessment for practice was raised from $90 to $110 per year. This may affect some
of our members.
An additional item of potential interest regards the College of
Professional Psychology. The "College" was charged with developing the tests
that would be use to certify people for practice specializations within psychology. For
example, when APA moved towards certifying that certain psychologists should have
prescription privileges, it was the College that developed the test for this. But the
impetus for identifying the specialization area (or proficiency area) has always come from
the Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional
Psychology (CRSSP). The College asked to be de-linked from CRSSP, and to be free to
identify areas where proficiency tests needed to be developed on their own. This was
narrowly passed by Council. The potential issue is that a group could propose a new
practice specialization, say in Clinical Organizational Psychology (although, recall, they
are going to restrict the use of the term clinical), and the College could decide to
pursue this and develop a test. But this would essentially create a NEW proficiency, and
SIOP would have nothing to say (officially) about this. There were assurances that this
would never happen, and that SIOP (or whomever) would always be consulted. Furthermore, we
were assured that CRSSP would still have the final say in this at some level. Finally, the
President of the College (right now) is Vicki Vandaveer, so we can be sure OUR
interests will be safe (for now). None of this represents a new development, but could
potentially cause some problems later, so everyone should be alert to this possibility.
Speaking of specializations, many of you may be aware of the fact that
I-O psychology is one of the original "grandfathered" specialty areas in
psychology, but we needed to update the definition of practice in I-O. Wayne Camara
took the lead in developing the statement we needed, and this was passed by Council. I
have attached the statement for your reference.
This was my last APA Council Meeting. Wayne Camara and Georgia Chao
will be continuing on Council, and they will be joined by Mary Tenopyr and Neal
Schmitt (we gained a fourth seat for this year under the new APA expansion and
allocation procedures for Council). It’s clear that our interests will be in good
hands. I would like to "sign off," therefore, by thanking the SIOP members for
allowing me to represent them.
Archival Description of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology is a general practice
specialty of professional psychology with a focus on scientifically based solutions to
human problems in work and other organizational settings. In these contexts, I-O
psychologists assess and enhance the effectiveness of individuals, groups, and
organizations.
Parameters to Define Professional Practice in I-O Psychology
Whether serving as consultants to organizations or professional
employees thereof, I-O psychologists provide a range of psychological services that
include: job and task analyses; development and validation of personnel selection, job
classification, training, and employee and career development policies and procedures;
analyses of employee morale and job satisfaction, organizational climate, productivity and
job performance and appraisal systems, and personnel turnover; leadership and team
development; management consultation and coaching; human resources planning and policy
analyses; and the design and evaluation of organizational development and intervention
strategies.
Populations
I-O psychological services are provided to and within a broad range of
organizations in the public and private sector (e.g., government, community, business,
industrial, health, educational, consulting, labor, research, and other work-related
organizations). I-O psychologists also provide services as experts to legal and
quasi-legal bodies in regard to the application of psychological principles and science to
the workplace.
Problems
I-O psychologists recognize the interdependence of individuals,
organizations, and society, and the impact that factors such as national and international
law and government regulations, organized labor, consumer awareness, skill shortages, and
the changing nature of the workforce have on work-related organizations. Specific examples
of problems addressed by I-O psychologists in this context are (the list is illustrative
rather than exhaustive): employee turnover, absenteeism and productivity; succession
planning and development of managers and executives; organizational restructuring;
workplace stress and safety; adaptations to organizational changes and technology; adverse
impact in selection of promotion; worker motivation and performance; and adaptation to job
redesign or expansion.
Procedures and Techniques
Research methods are an integral part of the I-O psychologist’s
practice, providing the foundation for problem definition, analysis, and solution in
organizations. Illustrations of procedures and techniques common to the practice of I-O
psychology are (the lists are illustrative rather than exhaustive):
- Assessment—analyzing job content; assessing consumer preferences and reactions;
measuring organizational structure, climate, productivity; validating measures and tests
used for selection, promotion, classification and evaluation, and identifying management
potential.
- Intervention—integration of human resource function with overall business mission
and development effort; design of performance appraisal systems and work environments; and
formulating and implementing training and development programs.
- Consultation—conducting management consultation and coaching; process consultation
needs analysis; providing expert testimony or review of human resource systems and
policies and maximizing organizational policies and procedures.
- Evaluation—determining utility and effectiveness of human resource policies and
procedures; evaluating organizational interventions, training and development, selection
and compensation systems; optimizing and evaluating person-job effectiveness and
interactions; and job and task analysis.
Knowledge Base
Education and training in I-O psychology is typically offered and
completed at the doctoral level. The requisite education and training are rooted in the
foundations of psychological science that include (a) biological bases of behavior, (b)
cognitive-affective bases of behavior, (c) social bases methods of psychological and
behavioral measurement, and advanced statistical theory and methods is also required.
Based on this foundation of core knowledge and skills, advanced
specialty education and training is focused on the following competency areas: ethical,
legal, and other professional issues in the practice of I-O psychology; consulting and
business skills; attitude theory, measurement, and change; career development; consumer
behavior; effects of health and work stress in organizations; human factors and
performance in work; individual, group, and organizational assessment methods; job and
task analysis and classification; job evaluation, performance appraisal and feedback, work
motivation and compensation; leadership and management theory and evaluation; theory of
organizations and organizational development; and training theory, program design, and
evaluation.
In addition to the psychological science foundations on which these
core and advanced areas of competency are based, the knowledge base of I-O psychology is
also influenced by the evolving knowledge bases in other disciplines such as business,
labor and industrial relations, ergonomics, physiology and medicine, and law. Inasmuch as
a substantial degree of I-O psychology practice in organizations involves federal, state,
or local law and regulations, negotiated union contracts, and ethical issues raised by the
nature of consultative services with organizations, knowledge of these issues is also
essential to effective practice in this specialty.
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TIP
Vol. 36/No. 3 January, 1999
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