Members in the Media

Barbara Ruland

The media landscape continues to evolve, with online media including video and audio playing an ever-larger role. 

According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans get at least some of their news online, with 1 in 4 getting most of their news from websites, apps, or social networking sites. So “Members in the News” is changing too. Where possible, we are including online links for media notices.

The column format is evolving, but its goal remains the same: to highlight and celebrate SIOP members’ public recognition. Send in your media notices, and we will share them on SIOP’s social media, as well as in this column.

SIOP members are making news in many different arenas. This edition, covering media mentions from February 1 through May 1, 2017, illustrates some of the many fields where SIOP members are working. 

Some members are creating media content directly, whereas others are included in media coverage. Both industry-specific and general interest publications are turning to SIOP members for evidence based information and insights.

This all contributes to heightened awareness of the field of I-O psychology, those who work in it, and their many contributions to society. Prominent ranking in online “best job” listings illustrates how that awareness is growing.

US News quoted members Steve Kozlowski and Mark Poteet in its list of best science jobs, where it places I-O psychology as the 2^nd highest ranked career field. The profession ranks 21^st in Yahoo Finance’s list of 25 best STEM jobs, and is included in a Monster.com article on the best psychology jobs.

Tiffany Poeppelman raised I-O psychology’s profile with her appearance in another list, Inc.’s 30 inspirational Women to Watch in Tech in 2017.

Writers are also citing information published on the SIOP website. Both ColoradoBiz and the HR Bartender cited statistics on preemployment assessment from SIOP’s FYI on Workplace Topics pages. Kevin Daum, writing about leader arrogance for Inc., cited a TIP article on that same topic.

This excerpt from a profile of Paul English, the billionaire tech entrepreneur who founded the Kayak travel service gives a clear signal of the increasing public awareness of I-O psychology. “A lot of what I focused on at Kayak and what I’m focusing even more so on at Lola [his new venture] is playing the role of coach or organizational psychologist. I observe interactions, debug them, and make sure we’re set up for success.”

We found over 100 references to SIOP members in popular and special interest publications during the 3 months covered in this report. 

Member notices in general audience publications included business advice for employers and managers, employees, and job seekers.

Several members offered advice for reducing job stress. Paul Baard penned two columns, one on the advantages of intrinsic motivation, the other on self-validating behaviors.

David Ballard and Michael Woodward offered tips in “7 Ways to Combat Work Stress” for Monster.com.  Woodward also participated in a video interview on mindfulness for SHRM.org.

Coming at it from a darker place, Amy Wrzesniewski  was featured in “How to Not Be Miserable At Work” for Success.com, and Ben Dattner offered advice on “How to Manage That One Employee You’d Like to Strangle” for multibriefs.com.

More general topics for workers included advice on what successful people do on Sunday nights. Featuring Michael Woodward, how to network from Paul Baard and on conquering laziness from Amy Cooper Hakim.

Beth Demko offered advice predicated on looking within, suggesting career success relies on understanding your personal thinking style.

Other members looked into the future and at technologically driven changes in the workplace. Muriel Clausen contributed “Creating Career Advice for the About-To-Be Automated Worker” for Fast Company. 

There’s good news for gamers as technology advances are significantly impacting the workplace.  SIOP members Elizabeth Short and Nathan Weidner’s study of how skills honed playing “World of Warcraft” translate to the workplace was covered by several publications, including USA Today, Business News Daily, itechpost.com and the newspaper for Missouri University of Science and Technology. 

Topics tailored for job seekers included tips on how to stay positive during the job search from Amy Cooper Hakim. Lynda Zugec contributed to a widely syndicated article from the Canadian Press about when to bring up salary in the hiring process, while Paul Baard offered tips on unexpected interview questions. Nicolas Roulin discussed his new book, The Psychology of Job Interviews with the Psychology Today Book Brigade.

The SIOP Administrative staff helped connect APA.org with Helena Cooper-Thomas for an article about how to tell whether a potential employer is a good fit. David W. Ballard also contributed to that discussion.

Articles targeted for management included four topical pieces about politics and workplace interactions between the sexes. 

Ben Dattner contributed to a Denver Post item about the effect of political turmoil on employee productivity. Lynda Zugec spoke with Fast Company about companies offering paid time off for employees’ political involvement.

In a Valentine’s Day article, Amy Nicole Baker discussed how office romance can undercut perceptions of justice in the workplace. Lynda Zugec contributed to an article about workplace hotlines, prompted by the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News. 

The less scintillating but very important topic of employee turnover was addressed in a couple management items. A Hawaii TV station picked up an article on the costs and causes of employee turnover featuring Lindsay Sears. Paul Baard wrote about the keys to reducing turnover.

Other articles on management included tips for successful meetings featuring Alexandra Luong, and Baard’s articles using baseball and basketball as metaphors. The Huffington Post quoted Edwin Locke in an article on the happiest, and unhappiest, places to work.

Alison Eyring, SIOP member and endurance athlete, who frames her book, Pacing For Growth: Why Intelligent Restraint Drives Long-Term Success, in terms of her sports avocation, received coverage in several publications including Forbes.com.

Adam Grant’s Give and Take got a lot of attention, with different outlets focusing on employee engagement and performance. More than one website linked to his TED video on the topic.

Grant and co-author Sheryl Sandberg received wide attention in local and national media, including the PBS Newshour for their book, Option B. 

Many other SIOP members have commented on topics with relevance reaching outside the workplace.  Diversity and inclusion is one such topic with wide implications. Eden King was quoted in a discussion of sexual harassment in the sciences. Joyce Russell, discussed her status as an unintentional trailblazer for diversity at Villanova University. Patrick McCarthy moderated a program on inclusion for the LGBT+ College Conference in Nashville, and graduate student Manasia Sturdivant’s project on the relationship between SAT scores and diversity in college admission processes was highlighted in her college newspaper.

Seth Kaplan discussed the social status of being too busy in a Tucson based publication. Cristina Banks contributed to a discussion of environment and creativity for Psychology Today.

Erin Richard contributed tips for avoiding email faux pas to techlicious.com, and Amy Cooper Hakim discussed why to unfollow anxiety causing social media contacts.

Ben Hardy discussed lessons for life and for raising children. Hakim also applies I-O psychology practices to parenting.

As highlighted at the 2017 SIOP Annual Conference, I-O psychology has a lot to offer those reaching outside earth’s atmosphere. Kelley Slack, a member of NASA’s astronaut selection team was quoted in general interest stories about the psychological challenges of Mars travel.

SIOP member notices in trade publications were just as numerous as those in the popular press. Some notable HR and management publication placements included:

• Nikki Blacksmith and the SIOP Top 10 Trends in benefits news;
• Sy Islam on “The ‘Yelping’ of Pay” for SHRM.org;
• Nathan Mondragon on separating exceptional performers from the average for eremedia.com; and
• Clif Boutelle’s piece for workforce.com on single workers, featuring Wendy Casper and Jennifer Deal.
   

In addition to publications for management and HR professionals, publications several other industries also reached out to I-O psychologists for insights.

Some technology industry examples include:

• A website devoted to IT enterprise technology references Adam Grant’s Originals;
• John Boyatzis discusses how to create a positive workplace in a publication for the higher educatiom IT community; and
• An online magazine for chief information officers quotes Michael Woodward in a story on psychopathic CEOs.

Several publications devoted to insurance, workplace safety and loss prevention also published insights from SIOP members.

• Jennie Hollman wrote about millennial recruiting for iamagazine.com
• EHSToday.com, a publication on environment, health, and safety, picked up SIOP’s article on the study of Leader IQ coauthored by John Antonakis.
• Losspreventionmedia.com referenced a SIOP symposium on emerging workplace diversity issues.

SIOP members Josh Quist, Alex Morris, Matt Tripp, and Paul Hanges were featured in publications devoted to government workers. Leslie Miller’s work with Clearwater Fire & Rescue was profiled a local paper.

Billie Blair was quoted in a publication for the grocery industry, and Whitney Martin has written for executives in the hotel industry.

The volume and variety of SIOP members’ media mentions listed here illustrates the vitality and importance of our members’ work. Evidence based solutions to the evolving challenges facing individuals, teams, and organizations will only become more important as we move further into the current technological revolution.

The SIOP Administrative Office seeks to support members’ work with this column and on its social media platforms by helping raise awareness of the benefits I-O psychology offers. Please email your media mentions for inclusion to Barbara Ruland.  Non-electronic notices may be sent to her attention at SIOP at 440 East Poe Rd., Suite 101, Bowling Green, OH 43402.