SIOP Members in the News

Clif Boutelle

Although the traditional print media remains important to any organization seeking to generate awareness about itself, the Internet has created a whole new arena of outlets that should not be overlooked. In fact, more and more organizations, including SIOP, are developing social media strategies to tell their news.

We also see a growing number of SIOP members writing articles for various publications. Just look at the following listings for evidence of SIOP member-written stories. That’s because Internet sites have spawned a huge number of outlets looking for credible resources, and SIOP members, with their wide variety of workplace related expertise, are welcome contributors to these sites

So, the opportunities for media mentions are expanding and that is good for the field of I-O psychology and SIOP members.

Following are some of the press mentions, including online sites, which have occurred in the past several months:

Paul Baard of Fordham University writes a regular column titled “Motivation Matters” for the New Hampshire Union Leader and his February 5 article focused on keys to reducing employee turnover. They included making employees feel wanted, providing a work environment in which each employee can excel, and opportunities for workers to offer ideas and suggestions for improving the process involving their jobs. His January 22 column was about ways to get through the winter doldrums.

What do millennials want most in their work? A January 31 article in the Houston Chronicle claimed they crave purpose and feedback. Caitlin Porter of the University of Houston agreed. Millennials, who grew up with the constant connection and instant response of social media, prefer direct contact with their managers and regular feedback, she said. “They want to know how they’re doing and how they can progress.”

The January 27 issue of Industrial and Safety and Hygiene News included a SIOP Administrative Office story about changes in the workplace that quoted Wendy Bedwell of the University of South Florida and graduate students Sarah Frick and Keaton Fletcher. They synthesized several influential theories about teams to develop “The 4 Rs of Team Adaptation.” The four steps include recognizing changes within organizations, reframing the team’s cognitive approach to a task based on the change, responding to the change by implementing a new approach, and reflecting on the change and how successfully the team was able to adapt. It’s a model they say can help diverse organizations effectively adjust to changes.

Billie Blair, an organizational psychologist and president and CEO of Change Strategists, an international management consulting firm in Murrieta, CA, was quoted in a January 23 HRE Online story that cited a recent survey finding that a majority of professionals prefer promotions over pay raises, but experts differed on that finding. Blair said her experience with larger corporations doesn't reflect the surveys "promotion over pay raise" finding. "I do agree though, that career paths should be devised for professional employees," she says. "We tell our Fortune 500 clients that, if they are not developed, professionals [who are costly to recruit and acquire] will leave."

An article describing why good work habits may actually be detrimental was the focus of a January 17 Fast Company article that included comments from Stuart Sidle of the University of New Haven. It’s common for people to rely on their good habits and strengths that have made them successful, he said. "Unfortunately, some of these strengths could derail your career as situations change,” because what worked in one position may not work in another. If someone moves from sales into management, for example, the habits they used to help win the sale can harm them in their new management roles, he said.

Adam Grant of the University of Pennsylvania was featured on CNBC January 17 talking about findings from his popular management philosophy book, “Give and Take.” In it he identifies three kinds of employees. Takers approach every situation looking for what's in it for them. Givers approach situations looking to help others. Matchers are willing to help those who help them. To determine the success of the three categories of workers, Grant studied dozens of organizations and found that givers are both the best and worst individual performers, but across the board, givers make an organization stronger. "We have a huge body of evidence looking at the frequency of giving behavior that exists in a team or an organization, and the more often people are helping and sharing their knowledge and providing mentoring, the better organizations do on every metric measured, including higher profits, customer satisfaction, employee retention. Even lower operating expenses," he said. Identifying the givers in your organization might be tricky, though. They are not necessarily the most charming coworkers, he said.

The collection of data is a reality of modern life but the American public when it comes to their own information is not sure whether it is good or bad. Tara Behrend of George Washington University talked with Inverse Science for a January 16 article on the intersection of psychology and surveillance. “We’re in an important period of change right now,” she says. “The laws and protections we have developed for citizens, employees, and students are outdated. Pervasive data collection presents a real danger of discrimination, harassment, and just plain bad decisions.”

Ben Dattner of Dattner Consulting, LLC in New York City wrote an article for the January 16 issue of Harvard Business Review about how to turn an interim role into a permanent job. Maintaining the emotions and politics of an interim role while also doing the job can be difficult, he acknowledged. Understanding your situational challenges and opportunities, remaining flexible and positive, and aligning your accountability with your authority can increase the odds that your interim role will take you where you want to go, he wrote.

Dattner was also quoted in a February 3 Washington Post story about how the election results are affecting managers and employees in the workplace. “One of the particular things I am finding is the challenge of separating fact from speculation,” he said. Usually he counsels leaders to inform employees what is known and what is not known but “in the current situation, it’s hard to say that.”

Gary Latham of the University of Toronto was a guest on a January 14 Bloomberg Radio program about productivity at work. Latham discussed his decades of research into how subtle influences to peoples’ psyches can help get more work done and to be more productive.

Emotional intelligence often can be a more determinant indicator of success in the health care field than professional experience and/or high IQ scores, wrote Lori LaCivita of Walden University in the January 5 issue of the Manchester Guardian.  Health professionals need to be able to treat an array of issues in patients and work with all personality types, she said. Soft skills, or EI, are heavily relied upon in tense situations and to address everyday health issues. The good news is that EI can be enhanced and developed over time and can be highly significant in the development of human potential, teamwork, leadership, stress reduction, creativity and innovation, she said.

Kenneth Siegel of leadership consulting firm Impact Group in Potomac Falls, VA was quoted in a January 1 New York Times and Boston Globe story on beginning the new year by asking for a raise. “You’ve got to go into these discussions with a clear sense that this is something you have earned not a gift from your boss,” he said. “Focus on what you’ve earned not what you deserve.” Set up a specific time to meet with your boss and signal that it will be an important conversation, he added.

For a December story in APA’s Monitor on Psychology, Steve Rogelberg of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Joseph Allen of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Brenda Fellows of the University of California offered their thoughts on conducting productive meetings. Allen said arriving late to meeting is irritating to others, and if time is spent updating the latecomers, meetings become less effective and satisfying. Shutting off personal devices is important, said Rogelberg. If people are gravitating to their devices it may be a sign the meeting needs to be more engaging. “Devices are signals,” he added. Avoid tension by being constructive in meetings, advised Fellows. Meetings can unravel when attendees interrupt each other, argue or hold side conversations.

Sartoris (Tori) Howes of Portland State University and Jennifer Bunk of West Chester (MA) University provided tips for a December 21 U.S. News & World Report article about employees whose jobs require them to work on holidays.  “Think about the positives,” said Culbertson. Having a job that is helping the family or funding something important is good reason to be grateful. Things could be worse so look for the silver lining.  Bunk suggested being flexible. “Just because you are unable to celebrate when the world dictates you celebrate doesn’t mean you can’t share a special moment at a different time or place. Don’t let traditions be a shackle,” she said.

In a Leadership column in the December 19 Forbes, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic of Hogan Assessment Systems wrote that leaders are shifting from intuitive to data-driven decisions and that Big Data needs to be supported by theory by what he calls deep data with theory. Explaining the information gained through Big Data is far more valuable, both from a theoretical and practical perspective, he said.

The December 7 Harvard Business Review included an article by Anna Marie Valerio of Executive Leadership Strategies, LLC in Ridgefield, CT, and Katina Sawyer of Villanova University describing their research on men who mentor women.  Generally, they wrote, “male champions” have learned that gender inclusiveness means involving both men and women in advancing women’s leadership. Some of the key behavioral themes associated with gender inclusive leaders who support women’s career advancement include:

• using their authority to push workplace culture toward gender equality
• thinking of gender inclusiveness as part of effective talent management
• providing gender-aware mentoring and coaching
• practicing other-focused leadership, not self-focused leadership

Writing in the November 30 issue of Harvard Business Review, Sandra Robinson of the University of British Columbia and Kiri Schabram of the University of Washington addressed the issue of “toxic handlers,” --people who voluntarily shoulder the sadness, frustration, bitterness, and anger of coworkers. They offered suggestions that will enable these handlers to still help colleagues while protecting themselves, including learning to say no, letting go of guilt, recruiting others to help colleagues, and taking breaks.

Christine Porath of Georgetown University wrote a piece about the importance of civility at work in the November 26 issue of the Wall Street Journal. You can lift people up by demonstrating respect and making them feel valued, appreciated, and heard. But when you exhibit uncivil behaviors, from ignoring to belittling to intentionally undermining others, the harm is enormous, she wrote.

American workers are not using all their earned vacation time, according to research by Project Time Off. In a Cronkite News story appearing in Arizona Big Media, Victoria Phillips of Arizona State University acknowledge that workers not using vacation time raises real concerns and comes at a cost. “We know that if you are not taking a break, your body can’t operate under that stress for too long without there being consequences.”

Please let us know if you, or a SIOP colleague, have contributed to a news story. We would like to include that mention in SIOP Members in the News. Note! SIOP Members in the News is getting a new columnist! Send copies of articles to Barbara Ruland at SIOP (bruland@siop.org), fax to 419-352-2645, or mail to SIOP at 440 East Poe Road, Suite 101, Bowling Green, OH 43402.